In There Is a God, one of the world's preeminent atheists discloses how his commitment to "follow the argument wherever it leads" led him... read full description
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Mar 05, 2009
David
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On the face of it, this is a provocative and interesting book. Flew is a British philosopher, noted for numerous books proclaiming an atheist worldview, who in 2004 startled the intellectual world by announcing that he has changed his mind and is now a religious believer.
Some of Flew's points are well taken, for example his analysis of the ongoing debate over the "multiverse" and big bang cosmology. For those of you who are not familiar with this, many scientists are curr More...
Some of Flew's points are well taken, for example his analysis of the ongoing debate over the "multiverse" and big bang cosmology. For those of you who are not familiar with this, many scientists are curr More...
Jul 21, 2008
Skylar
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I'm half way through now, and, to be honest, I don't think I'll be finishing this one before its due date. I'd recommend this to a fundamentalist atheist, a philosopher, or a scientist; for the rest of the reading world, however, I think it's going to be a bit of a chore to plow through. That said, it might be a chore for anyone.
Anthony Flew "converted" from atheism to deism in 2004, and this caused quite a sensation. The "conversion" was the result of many years More...
Anthony Flew "converted" from atheism to deism in 2004, and this caused quite a sensation. The "conversion" was the result of many years More...
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Mar 01, 2008
Jamey
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Once in a while I read yet another book by a sophisticated thinker on the issue of whether a God exists. Often it turns out that there's also a chapter on the alleged "resurrection" of Jesus; this always feels like a betrayal, as well as an admission that the main driver of the argument has actually been magical thinking all along.
I'm aware that many brilliant and honest people over the past 18 centuries have claimed to believe that this fellow Jesus was dead for three d More...
I'm aware that many brilliant and honest people over the past 18 centuries have claimed to believe that this fellow Jesus was dead for three d More...
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Jan 27, 2012
Ben
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I remember reading about Antony Flew's conversion to theism several years ago when it initially happened. I found the story fascinating then and, when I discovered this book, was eager to hear his first hand account of what led to his switch.
The material here is excellent. It traces first his rejection of his childhood Methodism and then, several decades later, his return to his belief in God. There are also two appendices: one a polemic against Richard Dawkins style atheism by Roy More...
The material here is excellent. It traces first his rejection of his childhood Methodism and then, several decades later, his return to his belief in God. There are also two appendices: one a polemic against Richard Dawkins style atheism by Roy More...
Aug 21, 2011
Muhammad
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The book is in three sections. Each section is like a time-lapse view at a portion of this incredible man's life. I found it amazing that this great British philosopher managed in his book to both profoundly analyze, and easily portray his thoughts and beliefs in each section of the book.
He has an amazing ability to analyze inputs and thoughts and how they originate, develop and culminate into a final 'belief'. Temporary as they may have been; all his beliefs, as the book states, resul More...
He has an amazing ability to analyze inputs and thoughts and how they originate, develop and culminate into a final 'belief'. Temporary as they may have been; all his beliefs, as the book states, resul More...
Aug 08, 2011
Interesting book in understanding how one person can go from being theistic, to fully atheistic (and debating it) to finally deistic with an openness to theism again. It's interesting because Flew fully shows how plausible it was for him to come to the conclusion of believing in "a God" through reason alone, and not through "religious speculation" Or "revelation." And it's interesting the amounts of people he quotes in support of atheism, who provide at some point
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Apr 04, 2010
Daniel
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Yes there is a God and for the first third of this book it seems like Flew has decided that he is It. There is way too much of Flew telling me about himself and about his previous works. I already bought the book, I don't need your CV. I don't care and none of it provides a coherent background for the latter two-thirds of the book. When he does finally get to why he believes there is a God, Flew is able to make a couple of sound, reasonable points but most of the work is laden with logical incon
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Jan 11, 2010
Bob
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Flew, a prominent atheist for decades, famously converted to theism in 2004 to the consternation and ridicule of his fellow atheists and agnostics and the delight of Christians. Christians should probably not be as eager to seize on Flew's arguments as they are, though, because he has not embraced Christianity or any other claims that God has revealed himself to man; his "conversion" is more to the concept of the impersonal God advanced by the likes of Spinoza or Aristotle -- a positi
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Oct 10, 2009
Al
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This book is presented as a triumph against atheists and atheism. The main thrust of (apparently) prominent ex-atheist Flew for his argument is to re-present old 'proofs' for the existence of god which have not really sustained criticism over the years, together with a more recent attempt deriving from the field of quantum mechanics — a stance enamoured by those scientists who want to believe at least in some 'mind' to explain their mathematically defined quantum universe. Such a 'mind', of c
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Jul 24, 2009
Paul
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Flew writes a scant 150 small, widely-spaced pages and spends half the book talking about his own life. When he finally does get to the meat of his argument, it's nothing new or noteworthy.
A favorite quote on the God debate comes from an anonymous reader of a The Atlantic (paraphrasing): "[...:] modern philosophy of religion (when not simply Christian apology), leads at most to a measured reassurance than some kind of vague conception of the divine cannot be dismissed as simpl More...
A favorite quote on the God debate comes from an anonymous reader of a The Atlantic (paraphrasing): "[...:] modern philosophy of religion (when not simply Christian apology), leads at most to a measured reassurance than some kind of vague conception of the divine cannot be dismissed as simpl More...
Apr 17, 2009
Rich
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For more than 50 years atheists turned to the writings of Antony Flew, a British philosopher. Flew first came to fame with the essay, Theology and Falsification, which he presented at the C.S. Lewis chaired Socratic Society at Oxford.
He spent the next 50 years as an atheist, but he always added the caveat: I'll follow where the evidence leads. In 2004, at a conference on atheism in New York City, Flew dropped a bombshell: He had finally rejected atheism, and was now a believer More...
He spent the next 50 years as an atheist, but he always added the caveat: I'll follow where the evidence leads. In 2004, at a conference on atheism in New York City, Flew dropped a bombshell: He had finally rejected atheism, and was now a believer More...
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Aug 14, 2011
Bryant
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Atheist-turned-Deist, Antony Flew, provides us with an excellent overview of his life and work and "conversion" to Deism. Much can be appreciated about this work:
(1) Readability is key and those interested will find Flew accessible. He presents a clear synopsis of his present beliefs without becoming bogged down in details or linguistic precision that would not have fit well with the scope of the book.
(2) Part 1, comprising three chapters, expound Flew's life and early belief. In ma More...
(1) Readability is key and those interested will find Flew accessible. He presents a clear synopsis of his present beliefs without becoming bogged down in details or linguistic precision that would not have fit well with the scope of the book.
(2) Part 1, comprising three chapters, expound Flew's life and early belief. In ma More...
Aug 24, 2009
Winn
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I had heard bits of Professor Flew's infamous change of mind, from atheism to theism. The book purchase was an impulse buy, though, when I saw it at one of our local bookshops.
I was eager to read Flew's story. After the introduction, I was ready to gobble the pages up. Unfortunately, about midway, I realized I was going to be disappointed. I expected an emphasis on narrative, the story of Flew's wrestling. I wanted to hear the angst and hear him tell the stories of what it was like More...
I was eager to read Flew's story. After the introduction, I was ready to gobble the pages up. Unfortunately, about midway, I realized I was going to be disappointed. I expected an emphasis on narrative, the story of Flew's wrestling. I wanted to hear the angst and hear him tell the stories of what it was like More...
Nov 22, 2011
Josey
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Some of what he wrote was easy to follow but much of it was over my head. I read it because I was curious as to why he changed his views. I have had an experience of God, so I didn't need to be convinced, but when he came to the Christianity viewpoint that he found impressive and which is Appendix B, I was no longer impressed. I felt he was easily persuaded that there could be a Christ who saved the world. I have no idea why he offered that up instead of say, Hinduism which also has Gods like Ch
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Aug 18, 2011
My father-in-law recently bought this and I snuck in and read it first, after the introduction snagged my attention. It was refreshing to read a theistic point of view which is A. from someone persuaded by reason and B. is not inspired by 'religious' zeal. I wonder how much easier the discussion about the credibility of theistic perspectives would be if religious faith (including scientism/materialism) were taken out of the equation. After all, no-one is completely objective, but there are many
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Sep 10, 2011
Christopher
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The first half of the book was dull, but the rest fascinating. The first half is Mr. Flew's recollection of his philosophical career development, so one could skip it. But I would recommend the second half to anyone wanting to expose themselves to/trying to develop some intellectual depth in their understanding of the necessity for a creator - though the main body of the book ends with deism - belief in an impersonal god. But I would DEFINITELY recommend reading Appendix B of the book - an in
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Dec 29, 2011
Paul
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The late Anthony Flew (11 February 1923 – 8 April 2010) was a philosopher and something of a genius. He was an atheist philosopher for most of his career and a notable one. By notable, I mean he even invented new arguments against God’s existence, writing many books. However, with increasing advances in science and philosophical arguments for God’s existence, Flew changed his mind to become something of a Deist. This book is the story of how this happened.
Flew’s oft-repeated matra is More...
Flew’s oft-repeated matra is More...
Jul 30, 2011
Chris
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I remembered the name Antony Flew from studying philosophy in the late sixties. Rightly or wrongly I associate him with dry post-war Oxford names like Gilbert Ryle, PF Strawson and John Austin. This book though felt like something shiny off the evangelist shelf, the sort of thing shiny fundamentalists hope will convince you because it’s in print. But you can’t judge a book by its cover, even if this one proclaimed it was the WINNER OF THE CHRISTIANITY TODAY BOOK AWARD.
[Review continu More...
[Review continu More...
Oct 12, 2010
Derek
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The good news: I was pleasantly surprised. This book was intriguing and thought provoking.
The bad news: I was a little disappointed with the conclusion, as I was left with the impression that Mr. Flew's paradigm shift was mostly due to capitulation from unanswerable questions, as opposed to following a clear line of reasoning, as you would expect from a highly credentialed philosopher.
That aside, it is clear that Mr. Flew had dedicated a lifetime as a professional philos More...
The bad news: I was a little disappointed with the conclusion, as I was left with the impression that Mr. Flew's paradigm shift was mostly due to capitulation from unanswerable questions, as opposed to following a clear line of reasoning, as you would expect from a highly credentialed philosopher.
That aside, it is clear that Mr. Flew had dedicated a lifetime as a professional philos More...
Dec 29, 2008
Dave
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I found the book unsatisfying, even somewhat disappointing. I first encountered Antony Flew's writing in an undergraduate philosophy course on evaluating arguments and evidence. The essay on falsification we were given to critique was engaging and challenging. I thought the book would be more thought provoking and well reasoned than it felt to me. It felt to me like many other arguments based on the concept of intelligent design. I'll probably plow through it again to see if I missed somethi
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Nov 22, 2011
Matt
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 05, 2012
Zachariah
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Christians found Flews change from Atheism to Deism encouraging. His discussion of others in the field and their views and the other prominent high thinkers who are not atheists is also encouraging.
But when it came to the arguments. I was quite disappointed. Little of the argumentation is new. Much of it is just his realization that arguements that have been around are sufficient. Which is fine, as it is his sort of memoir, but I expected more. And there were some problems:
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But when it came to the arguments. I was quite disappointed. Little of the argumentation is new. Much of it is just his realization that arguements that have been around are sufficient. Which is fine, as it is his sort of memoir, but I expected more. And there were some problems:
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May 13, 2009
Neal
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This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while, from start to finish. Each chapter was filled with great reasoning, well-chosen quotes, and a barrage of anecdotal wonders from Flew's near-century on this planet.
Antony Flew was an atheist; he wrote God-knows-how-many publications, articles, books, etc., on the topic (and many other topics, as well), while also occasionally debating the subject openly with others in public discourse. In 2004, at just such an event, he More...
Antony Flew was an atheist; he wrote God-knows-how-many publications, articles, books, etc., on the topic (and many other topics, as well), while also occasionally debating the subject openly with others in public discourse. In 2004, at just such an event, he More...
Jul 05, 2008
Les
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A mildly interesting read. I once met Flew in the mid '90's and had a chance to ask him about his materialism. He seemed, even then, unnerved by the questions about the philosophy behind being able to account for the laws of nature and logic. NOT, mind you, that usage of nature and logic are rare, but that the ability to account for their uniformity and immateriality is evidence for God seemed to be a path he was on even then.
I take some issue with some of the reviews here that claim More...
I take some issue with some of the reviews here that claim More...
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Jun 12, 2010
S.L.
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Possibly one of the biggest loads of crap the fundamentalists have attempted to shovel at us since Prop. 8. How sad that they have to invent someone who never was an atheist to begin with, much less the "world's most notorious atheist" (considering that no one has ever heard of this person in any Freethinking circles) in order to "prove" their point. Then again, they're quite good at crafting imaginary beings to defend their point of view, so it's not such a surprise after
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May 20, 2010
Vilo
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This book is a very logical description of why Mr. Flew became an atheist and how he changed his mind. He says that as a philosopher he had committed to follow the truth wherever it led. It was in part the theory of a Big Bang starting the universe that began the change. If there was a creation it follows that there was probably a creator. I would have to read it several times to follow all of his argument. He is very fond of the Apostle Paul because of the logic of his arguments.
Jun 23, 2009
Joshua
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As many have pointed out, Antony Flew's life appears to have been abused by Christian businessmen, especially the one who edited this volume. In any case, Flew's "changing his mind" is of zero consequence for anyone except Flew. Why should anyone care if Antony Flew became a Deist? For that matter, why does it matter if he became a full-fledged Christian? Or, more to the point, why would it matter any more than some other person becoming a Deist or Christian?
Like with the h More...
Like with the h More...
Sep 11, 2011
Benjamin
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I was deeply disappointed by this book. Antony spends 50% of his time repeatedly insisting that he follows the evidence where ever it leads, and 50% of the time insisting that evolution can't adequately explain life, but with very little elaboration - he really had no insight worth writing a book about. One seriously and sincerely wonders what impact his advanced age has had on his judgement.
May 03, 2009
Lauren
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Frankly, I have only been studying atheism for about a year,and I could poke so many holes in each of his "reason" for God.
The marble table argument was possibly the stupidest thing ever, because it lacked the note that organic compounds and energy are different than a fully formed marble table. The difference is key.
All in all, weak arguments, that would only convince people who already believe it.
The marble table argument was possibly the stupidest thing ever, because it lacked the note that organic compounds and energy are different than a fully formed marble table. The difference is key.
All in all, weak arguments, that would only convince people who already believe it.
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Oct 27, 2010
Mel
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A famous atheist, known for his philosophy changes his mind about there being a God. He changed his mind based on philosophy and science and the lack of facts of atheists trying to prove there isn't a God.
Lots of Science, lots of philosophy and a little bit of religion thrown in. I enjoyed it.
Lots of Science, lots of philosophy and a little bit of religion thrown in. I enjoyed it.
