Rating: 
Summary: You Will Be Challenged. Great For Introspection!
Review: Fantastic book, a tough read for those unwilling to give truth a chance; like a good philosopher, Dr. Kreeft makes you think. This book will challenge your relativism and help you see that absolutes are not a thing of the past! Great read if your willing to take an honest look at your moral disposition. Perhaps it will change you, perhaps it will not. Reward yourself, approach this book with an open mind. Don't pay attention to the critic who wrote the review: "One-sided and poorly written". Read the book and decide for yourself. This person reminds me of Plato's cave- once confronted by light all he can do is recoil from it. Don't simply claim that the book is one-sided and poorly written, prove it, refute the ideas in the work. It is very easy to dismiss, but not so to refute! If your looking for an author that will challenge you with ideas in a clear, brilliant, and easy to read style, Dr. Kreeft is for you. His style embodies the phrase: "If you can't say it simply, then you don't know it"- Dr. Kreeft knows his stuff! He introduces very complex ideas in simple terms- how many philosophers do you know who do that!
Rating: 
Summary: Is this the state of apologetics?
Review: In terms of craft, this is a pretty thin piece of work. Kreeft probably thinks he's walking some kind of tightrope of "political correctness" by pitting an ethical "relativist" (Liberal! Black! Feminist!) against a Palestinian ethical "absolutist." This supposed practicing Muslim philosopher is curiously reluctant to cite the Koran and curiously eager to quote Jesus and Socrates. I think there's one mention of Mohammed by name in the book, but without an index, I can't be certain. It's as though Kreeft is so tangled in his Catholic beliefs that he's afraid of earning afterworldly demerits by putting realistic words in the mouth of his character. It would have been better had he dropped the slapdash artifice and simply presented the discussion in his own voice. It would have been even better if he had bothered to express opposing views with more precision and force, but I wonder whether he's capable. A witless caricature might be the best he can manage in capturing the so-called relativist position. The book fares only slightly better as philosophy. Kreeft shows that relativism is contradictory because it claims, despite its own central tenet, to cling to an absolute truth, viz., that there are no absolute truths. Great! It follows that relativism is not a coherent position; it is not a valid move in any philosophical contest; it is no one's actual view because it can't possibly be; every careful interrogation of a so-called relativist unmasks an absolutist in disguise. It follows that Kreeft has devoted an entire meandering book to debunking a view that no one holds and that, for all intents and purposes, does not exist. At least we can understand why he needed to invent a straw-man. In refuting a non-position, Kreeft has actually shown that some people are fuzzy about their philosophical commitments. Libby (Kreeft's straw-man) is shown to hold to a set of enduring moral postulates that she's not very good at articulating, so she mislabels her ethical outlook as "relativism." Again and again, her interlocutor, Isa, allows her to do so in order to call attention to the contradiction and deflate this "relativism." Despite Kreeft's chicken-little routine, Libby's shortcomings (misapplication of the "relativism" label, inattention to philosophical matters) do not herald the imminent decline of civilization, no matter how widespread they may be. Her trivial mistakes typify what should already be blindingly obvious, that people don't commonly take an avid interest in the philosophical classifications of their everyday thinking. How terrible is this? Not very. This book force-feeds the trivially true and indulges in histrionics. The histrionics are interesting and important reading, though not in a way Kreeft intends (hence two stars). This book is packed with insights into the philosophical shibboleths of the contemporary religious right in America and beyond. Early on, he tells us that the enlightenment should be called the "endarkenment" since it privileged reason over faith, and by the book's end, he has connected supposed errors in Ockham, Hume, Kant, and others with the rise of deconstructionism, Nazism and -- yes, it gets even worse -- the sexual revolution. (Kreeft's supposed refutation of evolutionary ethics is embarrassingly shallow and inept; I do not exaggerate to say I would expect better from a Junior High essayist.) No doubt the self-proclaimed ethical "abolutists" in Tehran, Mecca, and Kabul would find plenty of common ground with Kreeft's denunciation of the "endarkenment," and would nod along with Kreeft's call to shun reason and get back to the prayer mats. Sorry, Mr. Kreeft. The dark ages were dark, and the enlightenment has been better. This book shows that the struggle is still ongoing, and there lies its only value.
Rating: 
Summary: Why do publishers keep publishing this man's stuff?
Review: My first sample of this writer's exposition, and I am an avowed "fan". Actually got this book from my local library, read it a bunch of times, referred to it frequently in debates with confreres interested in the "essential questions", and decided I needed it on my shelves permanently. Truly imaginative, as the characters involved in this rigorous and sometimes sensitive debate are all in Prof. Kreeft's mind. They come alive, though, because the "types" they so ably represent are clear reflections of people you and I all know - especially those who just don't recognize that their arguments fail the most basic logic tests. For example, as I write this (Spring, 2003), a murder case in California charges that the alleged killer has taken two lives - one, his wife, and another, their unborn child. California has decided to pursue both deaths as murders, thereby making it possible to seek the ultimate sanction on the alleged killer - the death penalty. Meanwhile (and it is hard to believe these legal decisions are taking place in the same country), the legal system of the state of Connecticut has determined that an unborn child is not functionally different from other body parts - teeth, hair, skin, etc. - and therefore does not qualify as a person within the context of the law, so the judges ruled that there is no case to bring against a man who was being charged with attempted murder of an unborn child. Only a moral relativist can successfully hold these two contradictory positions without conflict: either the fetus/unborn child is a human being/person and therefore covered by the protections of the law, or it isn't, in which case, a person cannot be charged with a crime for killing it. Perhaps we can encourage our judges to read this work and straighten out this mess they've made. Well, we can dream, anyway ...
Rating:
Summary: One-sided and poorly written
Review: One of the best modern Catholic authors writes another great book. Kreeft's style is unique to most reader's not introduced to the Socratic method of dialogue. In easier to understand language, it means that the book is written more like a play than prose. Kreeft has two main characters, a Muslim absolutist and a liberal African American woman. The two debate, discuss and dialogue about all aspects of morality. Kreeft, as usual, is easy to read and yet remains challenging in his intellectual mastery of the subject. Kreeft makes difficult ideas seem easy and absolutely destroys every single argument in support of relativism used today. If you want to understand how modern man thinks and why he is so wrong in his thought-process, then this book is perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Kreeft does it once again!
Review: One of the best modern Catholic authors writes another great book. Kreeft's style is unique to most reader's not introduced to the Socratic method of dialogue. In easier to understand language, it means that the book is written more like a play than prose. Kreeft has two main characters, a Muslim absolutist and a liberal African American woman. The two debate, discuss and dialogue about all aspects of morality. Kreeft, as usual, is easy to read and yet remains challenging in his intellectual mastery of the subject. Kreeft makes difficult ideas seem easy and absolutely destroys every single argument in support of relativism used today. If you want to understand how modern man thinks and why he is so wrong in his thought-process, then this book is perfect.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, wise-cracking, philosophical entertainment
Review: Peter Kreeft is a quite enthusiastic Catholic apologist. This book is an imaginary dialogue, in which the existence of moral absolutes is emphatically affirmed, and relativism and relativists are cast into outer darkness. Kreeft does not have the epigrammatic gift like his great predecessor G. K. Chesterton did. In fact, GKC summed up much of this book's argument in a single quip: "One can no more have a private religion than one can have a private sun or a private moon." But Kreeft accurately spots and calls to account much lazy thinking that's out there. For instance, if all values are "culturally determined", what are we to make of people whose values impel them to resist and denounce their own culture? Plus, he is quite funny in places, and sympathetic readers will enjoy the protagonist's zest in making his arguments. Throughout, Kreeft--through the fictional mouth of 'Isa the absolutist--insists on the primacy of people's experiences and reactions over any philosophical system, and of the pre-existence of a discoverable Truth. This book settles nothing, as such things can never be settled. But it _is_ a big morale booster to Christians who may be becoming fatigued under the amoral onslaught of our culture nowadays. It is a puff of a refreshing breeze, heartening us to say "Here I stand, I can do no other." Even if you are Catholic! :)
Rating: 
Summary: You'll love 'Isa and Libby. Their arguments are spot-on.
Review: Professor 'Isa Ben Adam (nice name in translation), a Palestinian Arab scholar and Absolutist, is interviewed (and debated) by Moral Relativist Libby Rawls, a black journalist and former wife, psychological social worker, surfing instructor, actress, alcoholic, and PI. What a marvellous debate ensues as Libby throws every relativist argument at the learned prof, only to have them roundly and soundly demolished! This easy non-academic read is a useful guide for those engaged in dinner-table debates on this most crucial of issues. Obviously born from years of experience as an embattled Absolutist in American adademia, this Kreeft work is a delight to read as it sets out the arguments for and agin. As everyone who's ever debated this subject knows, it's very hard to avoid ad hominems and other flesh-cutting retreats from reason, and they're here just as in real life. Another step towards the Restoration of Metaphysics. This is the book you'll want your Relativist friends to read (but which they'll probably ignore because refutation has too many implications for their personal lives). Get it.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This book, as with all of Kreeft's endeavors, is great. He is the best there is out there--fully orthodox and capable of beating modernists and post-modernists at their own game. He is truly a blessed man; and we are blessed to have him.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of meat on the bones
Review: This little book, the plot and premise of which you can read elsewhere, is a terrific introduction to the concept of moral relativism versus absolutism for anyone who wondered if you could be a firm believer in right and wrong, good and evil, and still be a nice person. (Answer: you really can't do it any other way.) But what's more, it is a great intro for a young person to the joys and stimulations of the greatest game there is in the world, the fierce but loving logical argument among friends. "Why do you believe that to be true?" is something many young people never ask their friends these days, and deep thinking and friendly argument supporting or attacking various positions has been supplanted with more popular entertainments. But if you know a young person, or an old one, who needs a good lesson in how to argue and debate, how to open their mind up and wrap it around a subject and take it apart and put it back together again, I can't think of a better intro off hand. Bravo, Dr. Kreeft.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Book!
Review: Wow. I just finished reading Peter Kreeft's "A Refutation of Moral Relativism." I couldn't imagine a more thought-provoking, eye-opening, and genuinely meaningful book. Kreeft, a professor of philosophy at Boston College, examines the definition, history, and importance of moral relativism. He makes an impeccable case that the current controversy over the nature of morality -- that is, whether it be relative or absolute -- is THE most crucial debate of our time. The book opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking about Western culture. We are so conditioned to believe that morality is relative that such conditioning affects our thinking, our language and diction, our schooling, our media, and (obviously) our morality -- our very way of life (and thus, maybe, our afterlife?). Kreeft makes the case that, with so much at stake, we cannot afford to be wrong. A master logician and philosopher, Kreeft takes on the arguments for moral relativism one by one. His refutation is devastating; he demonstrates that most arguments for relativism are logically self-contradictory and, indeed, that morality cannot be anything other than absolute either in theory or in practice. (He even shows that tolerance--often an explicit reason for belief in relativism--is a virtue only achieved through moral absolutism.) Afterwards, Kreeft turns his exacting lens on absolutism, its assumptions and its role in reality. He is, if nothing else, supremely objective and fair-minded. But don't let the thought of reading about logic and philosophy turn you off! Professor Kreeft as much for the average reader as he does for anyone else. His writing is accesible, reasonable (in the most literal sense of that word), and, above all, ENJOYABLE. As his subtitle indicates, the book is in the form of several interviews, or debates, between a moral absolutist, 'Isa, and a moral relativist, Libby. "A Refutation of Moral Relativism" should be required reading in all philosophy courses dealing with morality. It is perhaps one of the most underappreciated books ever published. Professor Kreeft's message is so profoundly deep and meaningful that it can change the course of Western culture. Don't go another day without reading this book!
|
