Douglas Hofstadter’s book is concerned directly with the nature of “maps” or links between formal systems. However, according to Hofstadter, the... formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. If life can grow out of the formal chemical substrate of the cell, if consciousness can emerge out of a formal system of firing neurons, then so too will computers attain human intelligence. Gödel Escher and Bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science: meaning, reduction, recursion, and much more.

In 1931 Kurt Gödel published his fundamental paper, "On Formally Undecidable Propositions of Principia Mathematica and Related Systems." This... revolutionary paper challenged certain basic assumptions underlying much research in mathematics and logic. Gödel received public recognition of his work in 1951 when he was awarded the first Albert Einstein Award for achievement in the natural sciences—perhaps the highest award of its kind in the United States. The award committee described his work in mathematical logic as "one of the greatest contributions to the sciences in recent times."However, few mathematicians of the time were equipped to understand the young scholar's complex proof. Ernest Nagel and James Newman provide a readable and accessible explanation to both scholars and non-specialists of the main ideas and broad implications of Gödel's discovery. It offers every educated person with a taste for logic and philosophy the chance to understand a previously difficult and inaccessible subject.Marking the 50th anniversary of the original publication of Gödel's Proof, New York University Press is proud to publish this special anniversary edition of one of its bestselling and most frequently translated books. With a new introduction by Douglas R. Hofstadter, this book will appeal students, scholars, and professionals in the fields of mathematics, computer science, logic and philosophy, and science.

God, Evil, and Ethics presents the basic elements of the philosophy of religion tradition in a new and provocative way. The author’s original... philosophical narrative is interspersed with rich selections from Plato, Boethius, Thomas Aquinas, Anselm, Pascal, Descartes, Paley, Leibniz, Hume, Hegel, Kant, Mill, Stephen, Royce, James, and Clifford. Included are Plato’s complete Phaedo and Euthyphro, Hume’s complete essays "Of Miracles" and "On Suicide," several other unabridged works, and many excerpted pieces. The history and concepts of philosophy of religion emerge more clearly through this integration and interrelation of classical texts with modern summary and interpretation. The aim of God, Evil, and Ethics is to bring together as much important material as possible, as logically as possible, in as few pages as possible for high-quality "one-stop shopping" at a reasonable cost. It is appropriate for students in four-year college, junior college, community college, upper-level prep school, and post-graduate non-credit enrichment courses in the philosophy of religion, as well as for the intelligent general reader.

Keith Ward offers a new interpretation of Christianity, presenting a faith in harmony with the scientific worldview, while remaining true to its... traditions.

Religion has been on the rise in America for decades—which strikes many as a shocking new development. To the contrary, Jason Stevens asserts, the... rumors of the death of God were premature. Americans have always conducted their cultural life through religious symbols, never more so than during the Cold War. In God-Fearing and Free, Stevens discloses how the nation, on top of the world and torn between grandiose self-congratulation and doubt about the future, opened the way for a new master narrative. The book shows how the American public, powered by a national religious revival, was purposefully disillusioned regarding the country’s mythical innocence and fortified for an epochal struggle with totalitarianism. Stevens reveals how the Augustinian doctrine of original sin was refurbished and then mobilized in a variety of cultural discourses that aimed to shore up democratic society against threats preying on the nation’s internal weaknesses. Suddenly, innocence no longer meant a clear conscience. Instead it became synonymous with totalitarian ideologies of the fascist right or the communist left, whose notions of perfectability were dangerously close to millenarian ideals at the heart of American Protestant tradition. As America became riddled with self-doubt, ruminations on the meaning of power and the future of the globe during the “American Century” renewed the impetus to religion. Covering a wide selection of narrative and cultural forms, Stevens shows how writers, artists, and intellectuals, the devout as well as the nonreligious, disseminated the terms of this cultural dialogue, disputing, refining, and challenging it—effectively making the conservative case against modernity as liberals floundered.

For a lot of people, the biggest question about God is not, surprisingly enough, whether he exists. Instead, it is about whether God is truly good.... Dinesh D’Souza, in his debates with leading atheists, quickly realized that many of those debates revolved around the question of evil in this world—how God could create a world that allowed such suffering and evil. In Godforsaken, Dinesh D’Souza takes these questions head on: Does God act like a tyrant? Is God really responsible for the evil in this world? Why is there suffering in the world? For the first time ever, Dinesh D’Souza approaches this topic with historical and scientific proof and presents to the reader why God is truly worthy of our worship and love.

An extraordinary work that revitalizes theology and Christian life by recovering the early roots of Trinitarian doctrine and exploring the enduringly... practical dimensions of faith in God as a community of persons.

What does it mean to be a religious conservative, particularly for a woman, in America today? Drawing on two years of ethnographic research in Catholic,... Protestant, and Jewish communities, Christel Manning explores the diversity of views among women who have returned to tradition. Arguing that America has undergone profound cultural and economic changes in the last thirty years--changes that have created tension between women's lives and traditional gender roles--she demonstrates that conservative Catholics, Evangelical Protestants, and Orthodox Jews negotiate those tensions in a variety of ways. Manning explains how they deal with the contradictions arising from their attempts to integrate feminist and traditionalist norms. The comparative kaleidoscope that Manning presents of these women's views on feminism, however, shows them to be deeply rooted in the diverse theologies and historical experiences of their communities.

"Lost Boy" John Bul Dau’s harrowing experience surviving the brutal horrors of Sudanese civil war and his adjustment to life in modern America is... chronicled in this inspiring memoir and featured in an award-winning documentary film of the same name. Movingly written, the book traces Dau’s journey through hunger, exhaustion, terror, and violence as he fled his homeland, dodging ambushes, massacres and attacks by wild animals. His tortuous, 14-year journey began in 1987, when he was just 13, and took him on a 1,000-mile walk, barefoot, to Ethiopia, back to Sudan, then to a refugee camp in Kenya, where he lived with thousands of other Lost Boys. In 2001, at the age of 27, he immigrated to the United States. With touching humor, Dau recounts the shock of his tribal culture colliding with life in America. He shares the joy of reuniting with his family and the challenges of making a new life for himself while never forgetting the other Lost Boys he left behind.

How did an African-American man born in a ghetto in 1879 rise to such religious prominence that his followers addressed letters to him simply "God,... Harlem U.S.A."?Using hitherto unknown materials, Jill Watts portrays the life and career of one of the twentieth century's most intriguing religious leaders, Father Divine. Starting as an itinerant preacher, Father Divine built an unprecedented movement that by the 1930s had attracted followers across the nation and around the world. As his ministry grew, so did the controversy surrounding his enormous wealth, flamboyant style, and committed "angels"--black and white, rich and poor alike.Here for the first time a full account of Father Divine's childhood and early years challenges previous contentions that he was born into a sharecropping family in the deep South. While earlier biographers have concentrated on Father Divine's social and economic programs, Watts focuses on his theology, which gives new meaning to secular activities that often appeared contradictory. Although much has been written about Father Divine, God, Harlem U.S.A. finally provides a balanced and intimate account of his life's work.

""I read the Bible, but I don't get anything out of it."" ""I want to know what the Bible says, but I need a guide to understand it."" ""I just don't... have time to read the whole Bible, but I want to know its message for me."" If any of these statements describe you (or your parishioners), then this is the book for you. Arranged in 52 weekly sessions, God Has A Plan For You! provides an easy-to-follow structure for a one-year plan to read through the entire Bible. It offers a broad overview of the message of scripture, as well as practical applications to daily Christian living. Each chapter includes a clear explanation of the biblical text and its meaning for today. And study questions and thought-provokers help readers to deepen their understanding. The unique format makes this an excellent resource for a preaching series, Sunday school lessons, or a group Bible study, as well as for personal Bible reading. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, this book can help you reach your spiritual goals by fostering a clear understanding of the Bible's message and God's plan for you. God Has A Plan For You! celebrates the message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.... This approach helps make all of the written Word -- not just the more familiar favorite passages -- the basis of a life lived in obedience to God and his kingdom agenda for the church. Dr. Prescott-Ezickson wisely avoids secondary issues and dubious interpretations, consistently focusing on the central message of salvation as it is found from the beginning to the end of the Scriptures. Readers, whether from the laity or the clergy, will come away from this volume with a new appreciation of the fundamental message of the Bible. Robert T. Coote, Associate DirectorOverseas Ministries Study CenterNew Haven, Connecticut Robert D. Prescott-Ezickson is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Meriden, Connecticut, and an adjunct professor of religion at Central Connecticut State University. A graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, Prescott-Ezickson has previously pastored churches in Indiana, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He has served as president of the Minister's Council for American Baptist Churches of Connecticut, moderator of the South Central Association, and president of the Meriden Clergy Association.

Have you ever had a conversation that went far deeper than the words spoken or an experience where you felt you had participated in something sacred?... Although these situations may seem unexplainable, they are reminders that God's grace surrounds us constantly and shows up in manifold ways. In this colorful, story-driven introduction to sacramental living, veteran journalist Dean Nelson offers all Christians a way to see the presence of God amid the chaos and monotony of everyday life. Each chapter emphasizes a different kind of sacramental moment, showing how it can be a lens through which we can see more of God.

Contributors include:<br/>Christopher Southgate<br/>John Hedley Brooke<br/>Celia... Deane-Drummond<br/>Paul D. Murray<br/>Michael Robert Negus<br/>Lawrence Osborn<br/>Michael Poole<br/>Jacqui Stewart<br/>Fraser Watts<br/>David Wilkinson<br/><br/>This fully revised and updated edition of God, Humanity and the Cosmos includes new chapters by John Hedley Brooke, Paul D. Murray and David Wilkinson.<br/><br/>In addition to a systematic exploration of contemporary perspectives in physics, evolutionary biology and psychology as they relate to theological descriptions of the universe, humanity and consciousness, the book now provides a thorough survey of the theological, philosophical and historical issues underpinning the science-religion debate.<br/><br/>Contributors also examine such issues as theological responses to the ecological crisis and to biotechnology; how science is treated and valued in education; and the relation of science to Islamic thought.<br/><br/>Dr Christopher Southgate is Lecturer in Theology at the University of Exeter.'<br/>>