Book Review: The Love of Wisdom by Steven Cowan and James Spiegel
June 8, 2009 Posted by Roger Overton
| The world of academic philosophy can be confusing considering the numerous debates in the fields of epistemology, metaphysics and ethics. Add to the confusion that on many of these matters even Christians are divided on some seemingly critical points. The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy by Steven B. Cowan and James S. Spiegel addresses the need for a singular text to lay out the landscape of philosophical debates from a Christian perspective. It is perhaps worth repeating clearly that this is not an introduction to religious philosophy (God’s existence, pluralism, evil), but a Christian introduction to the entire realm of philosophical enquiry. |
The Love of Wisdom is broken up into 3 parts, dealing with epistemology (knowledge), metaphysics (being) and ethics (value). Each part is three chapters, so the book has a total of nine chapters, plus the introduction which looks broadly at philosophy and worldviews. At the beginning of each chapter is an outline and list of glossary terms (the definitions are mentioned in the course of the chapter and a full list is in the back of the book). Given that each chapter averages about fifty pages, the sections of the chapters are likely easier to digest for most readers.
Chapter sections each have an introduction to the topic as well as “Questions for Reflection” at the end. So for example, Chapter Five is “Human Nature: What Am I?” The first section is “5.1 Do We Have Souls?” The fourteen page section summarizes the major views as well as arguments for and against each view. In the end some thought is given to the theological aspects of the debate and what most Christians have believed about it. Throughout the book, verses from the Bible are provided as they are relevant to the discussions.
When I took philosophy classes at Cal State Long Beach for my undergrad, I had some philosophical instruction from the good folks at Biola through their apologetics program. Still, there was a lot I’d yet to learn about philosophy. I really wish The Love of Wisdom had been available during that time. The book provides an excellent overview of each topic, helping readers understand the debates from every perspective and why people hold the views they do.
Cowan and Spiegel are charitable as they consider views they don’t hold, while also providing reasons why they believe those views are wrong when the views go against the clear teachings of Scripture. They illustrate the difficult topics with countless examples that are clear and instructive. The one shortcoming of the book is that some of the “Questions for Reflection” should have an answer key- particularly those in the logic section that ask the reader to identify soundness and validity of arguments or fallacies. Perhaps more questions with objective answers and a key in the back of the book would be helpful for readers who aren’t reading or discussing the book with a group of people. This is hardly a criticism of the book’s content, however, since regardless of one’s use of the questions, reading The Love of Wisdom is immensely worthwhile even for those who have a passing interest in philosophy.
Related posts:
- Book Review: The Benefits of Providence by James Spiegel
- Book Review: Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult
- Book Review: Why Good Arguments Often Fail by James Sire
- ETS 2006- James Spiegel: The Epistemic Ramifications of Behavior
- ETS 2008 – James Spiegel “Free Will and Soul Making”
- Interview with James Spiegel
Posted in Book Reviews, Philosophy, Roger's Posts
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June 15th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
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