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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to read and still relevant, 26 Nov 2002
This book is, as with many of CS Lewis's works, much-loved by many. For those sceptical about the possibility of miracles, Lewis surveys deep philosophical territory, but in a way that non-philosophers can understand: trudging through the self-contradictions of Naturalism to set the ground for his argument, and then tackling the arguments of thinkers like Hume, he comes to a satisfying conclusion.Don't think you won't understand it- anyone who has read Lewis before will appreciate his skill at communicating difficult concepts to the layman. His arguments, I think, are still relevant today; naturalism and its (alleged) self-contradictions are still a source of much debate in the philosophical world. Quite frankly, I would recommend this to anyone. For Christians, as it will help them think through their faith more deeply and clearly; but I think everyone will enjoy Lewis's style and clarity of argument.
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39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finding Reason in Miracles, 2 May 2004
This is wonderfully written book of apologetics. The best writing grows not necessarily out of right thinking, but out of clear thinking. You may not agree with its central thesis or the arguments expertly outlined and colourfully illustrated in the first half of the book, but if you, like me, get an almost sensual pleasure from good writing and clear thinking then you will certainly get your fix from this book. That is the first thing to say.If you are reading this then you have directed your eyes to this page to read these lines. Whether you will find yourself conducive to Lewis' reasoning depends on whether you think my observation above is possibly a miracle. That is, whether you believe in free will. The very thought process and resulting choice that led you to read these lines is a product of your mind. If you think your mind is equivalent to your brain then you are a machine and I would ask you not to read on: you cannot understand what I have to say: please desist. But if you have been following my argument so far then I think you will have to admit that your mind is something quite special; it possesses reason. Reason is the divine spark in us according to Lewis, because it is what makes the difference between man and brute a difference of kind and not degree. Nature does not explain itself, it just is. Through physical science man has discovered some of the laws of nature, some of 'how's'. But physical science will never give you answers to the 'why' question, the question of meaning. And yet this question is implicit in the human mind, in reason- finding reasons, not just explanations, but justifications as well. It is this basic fact of human spirituality that corresponds directly to a reality according to Lewis: the supernatural ground of the natural, the first cause, the unmoved mover and so on. If you accept all this as reasonable, if you find it meaningful, then you will enjoy the second half of the book, which discusses some of the Christian miracles. This work is not an attempt to verify miracles. It is simply a groundwork intended to clear the mind of pre-reflective prejudices, to allow room for the possibility of miracles. It serves its purpose admirably in this respect. Even if you are not convinced that miracles have happened you will be convinced at least that they are just as rational as not. This work broadens the mind.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably the best argument ever in favor of Christianity, 16 Dec 1997
By A Customer
Not the best place to start if you don't consider yourself to be a first-rate thinker (Lewis' own _Mere Christianity_ offers some of the same arguments on an easier-to-digest level)... but if you're up to the challenge, I cannot recommend a stronger argument in favor of a fully supernatural Christian philosophy. NOT an attempt to explain the whole thing away as an allegory, as many so-called "apologists" do. NOT an attempt to use the Bible as a starting place, as many so-called "apologists" do. Lewis begins with only one assumption--one that every thinker uses for every theory ever attempted on any subject--and from that position carefully weaves the most detailed and skillful argument in my experience showing the existence and character of God. An extremely challenging book, especially for sceptics of Christianity, but one which they owe themselves to read (if nothing else, it will increase their faith in their own position and strengthen their mental habits!) This is the book which got me through college; and, next to the Bible itself, the most important book I've ever read. Note: if possible, order an edition printed after 1960, as the late 1940s edition contains a few logical errors which were later corrected. If you need help understanding the book or its arguments, feel free to e-mail me at the address above (flamemail, though, will be promptly deleted... honest criticisms will be attended to.) Good books to read after completing _M:aPS_... the New Testament itself (New American Standard or New International Version is probably best); Lewis' _Mere Christianity_; and then Lewis' _The Problem of Pain_.
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