This little book is a gem of its kind. It is an argument with a literal minded Christian (fundamentalist, evangelical, etc) in the form of a letter. Harris's arguments are mostly not original - some previous versions of them date back more than a century in the skeptical literature - but his concise and hard-hitting presentation of them is. He is almost unique for his honest and, one must say, sometimes blunt treatment of religion. Some readers will find this offensive and won't pay his arguments the attention they deserve. I can only ask them to persevere and see if they can find a problem with Harris's reasons. The challenge for the committed Christian is to meet him on the plane of… Read more
This book traces the causes and solutions of the contemporary preoccupation with status. I wasn't sure what to expect. I was disappointed, overall, with his previous The Consolations of Philosophy, but this book had glowing reviews and, after reading the first chapter, I was hooked. It's remarkable how pervasive the preoccupation with status really is for most us (myself included), and this book is an intellectually vigorous attempt to analyze and alleviate our anxiety. It could be called a philosophical self-help book without denigrating philosophy in so doing, which is a rare achievement. Add to this De Botton's sparkling writing and lightly worn erudition, and you have a winner.
