Who Knows?: A Study of Religious Consciousness [Paperback]

Raymond M. Smullyan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2003

Is there really a God, and if so, what is God actually like? Is there an afterlife, and if so, is there such a thing as eternal punishment for unrepentant sinners, as many orthodox Christians and Muslims believe? And is it really true that our unconscious minds are connected to a higher spiritual reality, and if so, could this higher spiritual reality be the very same thing that religionists call "God"? In his latest book, Raymond M. Smullyan invites the reader to explore some beautiful and some horrible ideas related to religious and mystical thought. In Part One, Smullyan uses the writings on religion by fellow polymath Martin Gardner as the starting point for some inspired ideas about religion and belief. Part Two focuses on the doctrine of Hell and its justification, with Smullyan presenting powerful arguments on both sides of the controversy. "If God asked you to vote on the retention or abolition of Hell," he asks, "how would you vote?" Smullyan has posed this question to many believers and received some surprising answers. In the last part of his treasurable triptych, Smullyan takes up the "beautiful and inspiring" ideas of Richard Bucke and Edward Carpenter on Cosmic Consciousness. Readers will delight in Smullyan's observations on religion and in his clear-eyed
presentation of many new and startling ideas about this most wonderful product of human consciousness.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Raymond Smullyan, a retired distinguished professor of philosophy, has authored over twenty books. He has had a remarkably diverse sequence of careers-as a pianist, magician, mathematical logician, philosopher, and essayist. His widely known writings are on such varied topics as mathematical logic, retrograde chess analysis, stereo photography, Chinese philosophy, psychology, and religion. He currently resides with his musician wife Blanche in the Catskill Mountains of upper New York State.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (February 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253215749
• ISBN-13: 978-0253215741
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Agnosticism

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inquiring Minds Want to Start At "Who Knows?", July 27, 2005

By 

Gary C. Marfin (Sugar Land, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Who Knows?: A Study of Religious Consciousness (Paperback)

Here is a book that manages, in relatively few pages and in a style that is consistently readable, to address provacatively and intelligently some of the central questions that men and women throughout time have pondered. Three basic areas are covered: (1) The existence of God, and more important, the "type" of God in whom one believes, (2) The question of whether God is unable or unwilling to grant eternal salvation to all and, (3) Whether we are evolving toward a higher level of consciousness -- a state of being "better described than defined." Smullyan, apparently, has led a colorful life, a significant fraction of which has been spent outside the halls of academia. Still,he is best known for his puzzles, particularly his wonderful puzzles concerning Knights (who always speak the truth) and Knaves (who never do). So, we are most fortunate that this magician/logician should turn his attention to the greatest puzzles of all: Does God exist, what are God's attributes and can we, or at least some people, know God? Countless volumes have been written on these questions. I have sampled not even an insignificant fraction of such work, but I'd bet good money that you could travel a long way in those jungles before finding a book as lucid and as accessible as "Who Knows?" One doesn't have to agree with Smullyan to go on the tour with him. Having read the library's copy, I purchased my own copy from Amazon and plan to take the trip again shortly.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars just one hurdle to maximum appreciation for this work..., August 16, 2006

By 

Gregory L. Nelson "gggjoob" (austin, tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Who Knows?: A Study of Religious Consciousness (Paperback)

i find myself on page 75 with a sneaking suspicion that at some point RS decided to pick the subject of eternal damnation not because it is a serious subject for those wanting to come to terms with the fine line between faith and reason, but more for the fact that it's an easy subject to show off his mastery of logic. His logical debate with Calvinism, Jonathan Edwards, and what he colors as Hard-to-Ultrahard Christians, although lively, seem less than relevant in light of other possibilities (in the ever-lasting-life-or-not specifics) via more liberal, universal, interpretations of the New Testament message of God's infinite love and forgiveness.

So I will give RS the benefit of the doubt and finish his game because I love the question "Who Knows?" and I'm sure if I saw RS making oatmeal I would find something inspiring or thought-provoking.

And, and, and...In my next life I will have a front row seat at the debate between Raymond Smullyan and Robert Farrar Capon (one of my favorite writers on the "faith" side).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare combination: entertaining and important, January 11, 2010

By 

Jack Call "author of God Is a Symbol of Somet... (Whittier, California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Who Knows?: A Study of Religious Consciousness (Paperback)

Smullyan addresses important questions about religion in a charmingly non-dogmatic manner. At the same time, he makes clear his own deeply held belief, which I share, that no one deserves eternal punishment. I think he needs to say more, however, about his claim that morality is not necessary for someone who has attained a high stage of spiritual development. It makes sense that someone who is highly developed spiritually will not even be tempted to do the wrong thing, but clear thinking about morality could still be necessary in order to know what is the right thing to do in a particular situation.

Smullyan's explanation of why he believes in an afterlife is thought-provokingly simple. He says that he can form no idea whatsoever of his own non-existence. This makes me wonder what form my existence might have taken before I was born.

Other intriguing ideas that Smullyan advances include: that it is more rational to believe in an evolving God than in a perfect God; that whether the miracles reported in the Bible actually took place is irrelevant to the question of whether Jesus is the incarnation of God; that it is more consistent with monotheism to suppose that no one is an incarnation of God; that the most plausible and promising religious, mystical, or metaphysical idea yet proposed is Richard Bucke's idea that humans who experience cosmic consciousness are evolutionary forerunners.

His writing style is enriched with humorous anecdotes. I heartily recommend this entertaining and important book.