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36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction |  | Author: Rebecca Goldstein
Publisher: Pantheon
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $14.25
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Seller: ridge-road-sight-and-sound
Rating:  62 reviews
Sales Rank: 5047
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 416
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 10.2 x 5.9 x 1.2
ISBN: 0307378187
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780307378187
ASIN: 0307378187
Publication Date: January 12, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Amazon Exclusive: Rebecca Goldstein on 36 Arguments for the Existence of God
 Dinner party hostesses used to be warned to steer the conversation away from politics and religion. I used to wonder why, but I don’t anymore. There are some differences that reveal rifts so deep that dialogue breaks down. Among these are the current debates that have been raging between God-believers and the so-called new atheists. It often seems that people on one side can’t begin to grasp what the world is like, what it feels like, for those on the other side. When the person with whom one is conversing appears utterly opaque, then mistrust and contempt are easily aroused: How can he be saying that when the opposite seems so obvious to me? Is he stupid, dishonest, maybe just a touch evil? These are not the sort of suspicions that the gracious hostess wants intruding at her candle-lit dinner table. But for me, as a novelist, it’s differences like these, indicating entirely different orientations toward the world, which are the most tantalizing to explore. Arguments alone can’t capture all that is at stake for people when they argue about issues of reason and faith. In the end, I place my faith in fiction, in its power to make vividly present how different the world feels to each of us and how these differences are sometimes what is really being expressed in the great debates of our day on the existence of God. The title of the book is 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction. I meant the subtitle to be understood as a sort of joke, but as a serious one, too. --Rebecca Goldstein (Photo © Stephen Pinker)
Product Description
After Cass Seltzer’s book becomes a surprise best seller, he’s dubbed “the atheist with a soul” and becomes a celebrity. He wins over the stunning Lucinda Mandelbaum, “the goddess of game theory,” and loses himself in a spiritually expansive infatuation. A former girlfriend appears: an anthropologist who invites him to join in her quest for immortality through biochemistry. And he is haunted by reminders of the two people who ignited his passion to understand religion: his mentor and professorâa renowned literary scholar with a suspicious obsession with messianismâand an angelic six-year-old mathematical genius who is heir to the leadership of a Hasidic sect. Each encounter reinforces Cass’s theory that the religious impulse spills over into life at large.
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36 Arguments for the Existence of God plunges into the great debate of our day: the clash between faith and reason. World events are being shaped by fervent believers at home and abroad, while a new atheism is asserting itself in the public sphere. On purely intellectual grounds the skeptics would seem to have everything on their side. Yet people refuse to accept their seemingly irrefutable arguments and continue to embrace faith in God as their source of meaning, purpose, and comfort.
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Through the enchantment of fiction, award-winning novelist and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca Newberger Goldstein shows that the tension between religion and doubt cannot be understood through rational argument alone. It also must be explored from the point of view of individual people caught in the raptures and torments of religious experience in all their variety.
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Using her gifts in fiction and philosophy, Goldstein has produced a true crossover novel, complete with a nail-biting debate (“Resolved: God Exists”) and a stand-alone appendix with the thirty-six arguments (and responses) that propelled Seltzer to stardom.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 62
 Bait and switch July 12, 2010
Toni Mack (United States)
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book should properly be titled 36 ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. Yes, indeed, the Appendix describes 36 arguments for, each immediately rebutted by argument(s) against. Any writer knows that what you say last is the lesson you mean to stick with the reader.
From the start, there's not much question which side will win the argument. Not only that, but the hero winds up glorified for his atheism, SPOILER ALERT wooed by Harvard, and even gets the truly spirited (as it were) girl in the end.
That is, the entire book is nothing but a glorification of atheism. Perhaps also to lure believers into being argued out of their belief, but one can't know the author's unstated wishes.
As such, it's also an insult to the intelligence of fair-minded readers on either side, or in the middle, of the debate. I'm sorry I wasted my money and rewarded the author with even a small royalty.
If zero stars were an option, 36 ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD would get it.
 Gathers steam and impacts with force of wonderment July 3, 2010
David Everling (Palo Alto, CA USA)
Fascinating look at some "Varieties of Religious Illusion" through an engaging character story. Full of allegorical character interaction that I'm sure I've not yet fully grasped, but I have very much enjoyed the presentation and style of all that I have grasped. The plot and setting will be familiar to those in grad school, but only a few things in the book require much extrinsic knowledge for comprehension or to appreciate the humor, thanks to the aside thinking of the main character(s).
Rather thorough in its assessment of faith, the ways in which we believe, and human nature. Not always an easy read, but well worth the time and thought!
A Great Collection of Characters July 3, 2010
Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States)
With a title like 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, a reader might expect a densely difficult novel that provides little joy in reading; however, that would be judging a book rather too hastily by its cover. In fact, the actual arguments are left for an extensive appendix following the novel. As a work of fiction, Ms. Goldstein has created something very readable and quite enjoyable.
The story follows Cass Seltzer, a professor at a small university, who is propelled to stardom when he publishes a book called The Varieties of Religious Illusion. Along with his new-found fame as "the atheist with a soul" comes the high-profile public debates, the offer of a professorship at Harvard, and the rich, beautiful, super-intelligent girlfriend.
The pleasures of the novel are many, the greatest being the excellently drawn characters. Cass is certainly believable as the intellectual wondering at his sudden fame. If unlikeable, Lucinda Mandelbaum as the girlfriend is certainly a realistic type. But best of all are the triumvirate of Jonas Elijah Klapper (Cass's former mentor), Roz Margolis (Cass's former girlfriend), and, best of all, Azarya Sheiner (future Valdener Rebbe and mathematical prodigy). Each pushes the envelope of eccentricity but brings a wonderful energy to the story. The struggles of Azarya, especially, as he deals with the conflict between his obligations to his community and his obligations to his personal genius are fascinating.
It's not a perfect novel. In the end, some of the plot points strain credulity. Still, the enjoyment derived from interacting with these characters is certainly worth it. I definitely recommend this novel.
Next time, I'll check who the author is married to. June 28, 2010
Busy Reader: Get To The Point (California, USA)
3 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book is about the joys and challenges of college professors. If you are not a college professor, imagine with me for a moment: You have 12 weeks paid vacation per year. You work every day with young, attractive people who know they must please you to succeed. Your job is at least as secure as a non-academic career, and often more so. If the school does lay you off, you may get a generous retirement income, beginning in your late forties [this happens to a character in the book]. This job may not be nirvana, but it's a hell of a start.
Given these advantages, what might upset you, Mr./Ms. Professor? Maybe you'd like to teach at a more prestigious school. Maybe the mentor you worshipped in your youth wasn't a genius, after all, but merely a narcissist. Then there's the tension of what to do with all your free time.
Prospective reader of this book, ask yourself: How much do I care about these people and their "problems?" You'd better care a lot, if you hope to make it to the end of this book, because they make up the entire content. These pampered aristocrats think and talk about themselves forever, then the book ends. From the title and the blurbs, I expected a refreshing discussion of religion and its role in life. This does not occur. It would require the characters to talk about something other than themselves, so I guess it wouldn't fit into the story. There is an appendix, devoted to demolishing arguments for the existence of god. I agree with Goldstein and Pinker, but this material is available in roughly 5000 internet sites, so if that's what interests you, the book is unnecessary.
One selling point for me was the involvement of Stephen Pinker, whom I admire. I didn't learn until after tossing this book in the garbage that he is married to the author. I won't comment further; draw your own conclusions,
36 Arguments June 23, 2010
Avid Reader (Tallahassee, Florida)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Book arrived very quickly, in great condition. Thanks to the seller for great service.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 62
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