Dorin and the Dragon is a book that begs for a sequel. There is much in the story that is left untold. It breaks many fairy tale stereotypes, which is refreshing: a prince (youngest of 3) angers his father and is banished but unlike other cinderella variants of this type, there is no reconcilliation. He makes a family for himself that will not break faith --only his new father is a Dragon! In a lot of ways, it is a fairy tale for modern life, where your family may not be what you are told it should be, by society, but it gives you what you need nonetheless. Also, Dorin finds he needs to lie to the Dragon in order to give them both what they need, this makes me uneasy about the story but I reluctantly admit, it is more realistic than the behavior typical of fairytales.

Noddings discusses ways that teachers can help students learn why what they believe is important, and often can do this effectively while teaching math or science or other subjects. She sees religion as dealing with critical issues of life and reality. Much of the book then discusses a broad range of what people believe. And she closes by discussing how her suggested approach can actually work in public schools. I think she makes a good case, and that her summary of beliefs is knowledgeable and carefully thought out.

Jay Martin has accomplished a monumental task in his efforts to uncover the true natures of John Dewey and his colorful life. My interest is in educational psychology and pedagogy. I admit a bit of disappointment in that Dewey's theories - - philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical - - were not explored as much as I had hoped. Nonetheless, I feel that Martin's book is a good primer for anyone who is interested in not only Dewey but, also, names such as Parker, and Tyler. The biography's deep historical basis allows readers of this and closely related materials to have a better contextual grasp how U.S. philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical theories were formulated in the late 18th and early 20th Centuries.

Hoitenga takes the reader from Plato to Plantinga, showing that the roots of present day "Reformed Epistemology" lie in the Christianized form of Plato, which runs through St. Augustine and John Calvin all the way to A. Plantinga. Plato certainly has many similar ideas to those of the Christian philosophers and theologians. Both Plato and the Augustinian tradition, as interpreted by Hoitenga, hold to the presence of a priori knowledge in man. For the Calvinist, this a priori knowledge includes the sensus divinitatis, inter alia.

Hoitenga, along with Plantinga, define knowledge as "justified true belief". Personally I don't like that perspective. But, it is nonetheless an edifying one. Hoitenga interprets Plato's Theaetetus as suggesting a "justified true belief" approach. With acquaintance as an adaquate condition for justification, Hoitenga proposes that belief in God is rational and justified. Furthermore, it is properly basic. But, that is from Hoitenga's discussion of Plantinga--with whom he seems to be in almost total agreement concerning epistemology and metaphyscs.

As a basic introduction, I think it was good. I found it very educational and helpful. The scholarship is also quite good. If it were not for the fact that I disagreed with a couple of the things he said, I might very well have given it 5 stars. We need more books like this, but, I wish there would be more solidarity among Christians, or even reformed Christians. Unfortunately, it seems that Protestants must always be protesting.

This book is a great resource for those interested in education theory. The author provides the reader with a short overview of the thinking of each of the individuals covered. I particularly appreciate the international diversity represented in this book. I found the book provided my students with a more global perspective on education theory and motivated them to do more independent research on the topic. I recommend this book as a resource and a good introduction to education theory.

"_The Illusion of Immortality_ is the only book I know of which details the often ignored scientific evidence against life after death (though a few articles can be found on the subject), but with its first edition published in 1935, the evidence cited is a bit dated. Lamont first outlines different historical views of immortality, from the ancient Greek belief that everyone enters a faded and deteroriating existence in Hades when they die, through the early Hebrew belief that death ends with the annihilation of consciousness, to modern astral body views. Lamont should be credited for pointing out that the notion of immortality does not presuppose that an existence after death will necessarily be a worthwhile immortality--an idea often not considered those who believe in an afterlife--as the ancient Greek notion of Hades illustrates. In addition to addressing different kinds of survival of bodily death and the evidence against it, Lamont considers the problem of what an afterlife environment could possibly be like and arguments that immortality must be guaranteed by the benevolence of God. There is some confusion in Lamont's argument for a kind of reductionist materialism, for in arguing that the mind is a function of the brain, he proposes the existence of "nonphysical ideas"--so it appears that he is actually arguing that the mind is a product of the brain (epiphenomenalism) as opposed to arguing that the mind is identical to the brain (reductionist materialism). Lamont concludes by considering the motivations for belief in life after death and coping with living a finite existence. As a whole, _The Illusion of Immortality_ is a very good introduction to the some of the philosophical issues and scientific evidence against life after death."

It is very difficult to find useful information for people who have been injured except from the strictly medical information point of view. This book tells you how to take charge of your life when you feel so vulnerable. It begins with choosing a doctor if you don't like the one you have. Suggestions are offered for handling shock and facing changes in career and lifestyle. It gives valuable information about head injury. It addresses guilt from being a "burden" and helps you through the civil and criminal justice systems, including valuable tips about dealing with insurance companies. The author is a clinical psychologist who, herself, was seriously injured. I haven't found a book this helpful for the injured and their families anywhere.

I really enjoyed this book. It reveals a side of Dewey we haven't seen before, and uncovers the truth about Yezierska's mysterious affair with a powerful American.

No, not "The Matrix" Hollywood brought us, but the cultural matrix: where traditional logic and abstract thought have a tendency to breakdown. Life is like that. As James would remind us, this is not a "block universe" (what non-philosopher/non-scientist ever thought it was?) and so our ideas often end up bursting under the pressure of more and more experience. How is logic to cope with this? Dewey is not a magician, but in this book he sets out (in rather abstruce, brier-patch prose) to give us a radical new tool kit. If you enjoy seriously thinking about thinking, this book is for you. Bring your coffee, though. Dewey's writing style is rather soporific; and weighing in at over 500 pages, this tome can even knockout the most experienced philosophical heavyweight. That said, I encourage you to shuck your gloves and take a swing!

This fourth volume in the "Later Works" collection consists exclusively of Dewey's book, "The Quest for Certainty." It is a shame that the book has gone out of print under its own title, but this reprint usefully fills the gap. Included are an introduction by Stephen Toulmin, an outline syllabus of the lectures upon which the text is based, and a pagination guide to convert this pagination to that of the original edition (very useful for scholars who cannot acquire the older edition).