About this title: A study on the role of skepticism in the development of intellectual and religious history celebrates the doubt-related activities of such figures as the Buddha, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Jefferson, noting their achievements as proponents for creativity, intellectual progress, and social change.
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Your search:Books»Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson(34 available copies)
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperOne
Date Published: 9/7/2004
ISBN-13:9780060097950ISBN:0060097957
Description: Fine. 0060097957 NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Description: Good. 2004-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Very Good. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: NF. Large paperback, first printing as indicated by the publisher's "1" in the number line on copyright page), nearly new condition with slight tanning to the outer page-edge being the only flaw, "The great doubters and their legacy of innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson, " 551 pages, includes a bibliography. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperOne
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780060097950ISBN:0060097957
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harper San Francisco
Date Published: 2004-09-01
ISBN-13:9780060097950ISBN:0060097957
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780060097950. read more
Edition: First Edition Second Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper San Francisco, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780060097721ISBN:0060097728
Description: Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. 0060097728. New 2003 stated first edition, second printing hardcover and dust jacket in very good condition. Some wear at bottom edge of pages One tiny nick at bottom front edge of dust jacket. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Protective mylar cover. read more
Edition: First Edition; First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harpersanfrancisco, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780060097721ISBN:0060097728
Description: As New with no dust jacket. 0060097728. 2003 stated first edition hardcover and dust jacket in excellent condition. Book is unread. Tiny wrinkle at top front corner of dust jacket. Protective mylar cover. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper San Francisco, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780060097950ISBN:0060097957
Description: New. 0060097957. FLAWLESS COPY, AVOID WEEKS OF DELAY ELSEWHERE. --clean and crisp, tight and bright pages, with no writing or markings to the text. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper San Francisco, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780060097950ISBN:0060097957
Description: New. 0060097957. FLAWLESS COPY, PRISTINE, NEVER OPENED--In this history, Jennifer Michael Hecht celebrates doubt as an engine of creativity and as an alternative to the political and intellectual dangers of certainty. Just as belief has its own history featuring people whose unique expressions of faith have forever changed the world, doubt has a vibrant story and tradition with its own saints, martyrs, and sages. Hecht celebrates the heroes of doubt-people such as Confucius, Socrates, Jesus, ... read more
Edition: 1st Softcover
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harper San Francisco, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780060097950ISBN:0060097957
Description: Very Good. Trade Paperback 0060097957 Unmarked Clean and Solid. read more
Jennifer Michael Hecht'a comprehension of history and philosophy is staggering. The "doubt" of which she speaks is the history of the doubting of God and gods in human thought and society. She goes from the ancient Greeks like Epicurus to Job to Lucretius to Thomas Jefferson to George Carlin and everyone else in between. Her wit and wisdom are evident on every page. I actually high-lighted this book as I read it. If you are a believer, read it. It will challenge and shake you (hopefully). If you are a disbeliever, read it. You will learn that you are not alone, and that many wise men and women -- brave and honest -- have preceded you.
In this book, I found my favorite Zen maxim that I say on a regular basis: "GREAT DOUBT, GREAT AWAKENING. LITTLE DOUBT: LITTLE AWAKENING. NO DOUBT: NO AWAKENING""
"I am currently on page 153, and I am already very disappointed with this book. I had very high hopes for it -- the title alone sounded wonderful -- but the quality of the prose is terrible. I am surprised Jennifer Hecht's editors approved the manuscript. Furthermore, I am still not completely sure what, exactly, the topic of the book is. Is it the history of doubt in religion, or the history of skepticism? Is it the history of doubt related to notions of God? I am going to finish _Doubt: A History_ because I like the subject, and there are glimpses of good writing scattered around the book, but I am sad."
"I zoomed through the early chapter on how the Greeks got away from the idea of their (now characterized as "mythological") gods were real, the Stoics, the Cynics, and the like. I've found it slower going as the focus has moved through early Buddhism, Judaism, and the Roman grapplings with the Greek pantheon, although the material on Ecclesiastes did seem to do it justice, as no doubt did the rest of the text if I were closer to the subjects. I'm going to put the book aside for a while and come back to it when I'm ready for more. She has certainly sustained her thesis that the history of doubt is largely synonymous with the history of religion, and I have no reason to expect the book to falter once she embarks on the Christian millennia."
"This is a hefty, dense tome. There's a lot of quality analysis, history and argument here, but the problem with a book like this is that it's a 'preaching to the choir' sort of exercise.
People who are already somewhat doubtful of established cultural institutions will be nodding in agreement and amusement all the way through, and will likely already be familiar with much of the historical and philosophical background the book provides, but those who have a more reverent attitude toward those institutions will not be swayed by anything here.
It isn't that I think the book sets out to change hearts and minds, but fails; rather, I think it's a book without much of a point or mission when taken in the context of the people most likely to read it in the first place. By the end I felt I'd learned many interesting factoids and details about the historical figures mentioned, and had gained a little bit more insight into their respective cultures, but that's about all."
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