Making Sense of “God”: What God-Talk Means and Does
Wipf & Stock, 2023.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-6667-6144-3
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-6667-6145-0
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-6667-6146-7
All over the world people talk about God, or gods, and what, if anything, to do about it. Do they know what they are talking about? Do they ever seriously consider what it might look like or feel like if God actually spoke to you? How could you tell, if someone said God spoke to them, whether they were deluded, bluffing, or high on drugs? The reflections, dialogues and arguments in this book address such questions, often with humour, sometimes provocatively,, as when the author suggests the ancient gods have returned to invade the institutions of our great religions, or when two spirits, William and James, viewing the world from afar, voice their doubt as to whether the human species will ever attain the pinnacles of cooperation, reason, beauty and love. Ancient texts from the Mayan Popol Vuh through the Bible to the Chinese classics are invoked, and the discoveries of modern science from anthropology through to zoology are brought into play as the reader is gently led to an appreciation of the role of religious language in modern society.
Some Opinions of the book:
“Making Sense of ‘God’” is not about God, but about ‘God’. With great erudition and philosophical sophistication, but at the same time with a charming and light touch, Norman Solomon asks what those of us who live in the contemporary world, and not just next to it, can mean when we speak of God. The book poses important questions and invites the reader to ponder them in the company of a learned and profound thinker.” – MENACHEM KELLNER, chair of the department of philosophy and Jewish thought, Shalem College.
“Norman Solomon’s exploration of the deepest of questions combines clear exposition and disarming humour with exceptionally wide-ranging knowledge, careful philosophical analysis, and, above all,rigorous intellectual honesty. A remarkable book.” – MARTN GOODMAN, emeritus professor of Jewish Studies, University of Oxford.
“This amazing work was not written to answer the question whether God exists. Rather, it offers a wide ranging investigation of the meaning of the term ‘God’ throughout time and place. Philosophy, linguistics and anthropology. Psychology, history and social sciences are called upon to analyse all aspects of God-talk. Norman Solomon engages his readers in deeply human and unflinchingly honest discussions in which probing the right question is far more important than finding any one conclusive answer.” – ANNA SAPIR ABULAFIA, FBA, professor emerita of the Abrahamic Religions, University of Oxford.
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