More than Matter?: What Humans Really Are

I used to be a materialistic atheist for 6 plus years being heavily charmed by popular books like those of Richard Dawkins (books like 'The Blind Watchmaker' and the more recent 'The God Delusion'). Before the New Atheist movement was even born, I was already an atheist familiar with most atheistic arguments.Of course, the winds have changed and currently I have an Idealistic-Dualistic view of life. Why the 180 degree change in direction? Well, I realized after much reading and reflection that what the New Atheists portray as "science" is not really science but actually materialistic philosophy. And there is a big difference right there.Science deals with postulating hypotheses and looking for data from the physical universe around us to back them up. If successful, hypotheses become scientific theories. Philosophy, on the other hand, deals with taking the scientific findings and making sense of it all. Its about having a framework of the big picture, a framework of reality. It is totally distinct from science and yet it has the ability to encapsulate science as a whole.In the world of philosophy, materialism is just ONE out of numerous competing philosophical view points available. And as Professor Keith Ward beautifully demonstrates in this book, it is the weakest of them all. Weakest because it fails miserably in addressing all our mental events that make us humans. Its not as simple as the current media-popular atheists portray.If you are seriously interested in matters concerning the grandest of all questions, questions that have traditionally been (and continue to be) in the beautiful realm of philosophy, do yourself a favor and get this book. It is nothing less than a first-class work of philosophy written by a first-class philosopher.

Keith Ward has written another gem. This time, he defends idealism against rivals. While a variety of idealisms are explored, Ward deftly defends them as preferable to mentality-less materialism. I recommend this book! Thomas Jay Oord

I recently read and reviewed another book by Keith Ward,  God: A Guide For the Perplexed . I found that book engaging, accessible and even inspirational. Ward is both a philosopher and a theologian; in fact, he is an ordained minister in the Anglican Church. As such, I am sure that some who read his commentaries on philosophy that cross over into matters of religion view him somewhat carefully, as he may perhaps be infiltrating religious dogma secretly into his philosophical forays. I am sure some will accuse him (not I) of doing that here.In this work, Ward makes the case that idealism is the philosophy that best explains what it is to be human, and therefore is the best philosophy to adopt. Now, unlike his other work, this one is not as easy for the layperson to follow, so I will not pretend or attempt to explain all the nuances of Ward's conclusion. It will need a few re-reads for full comprehension. At minimum, though, I can say that he refutes materialism, or the notion of who we are, what we think, etc., are all simple by-products of neuroscience, not necessarily with any purpose, and that our mind is nothing more than a reflection of the same; i.e. there is no mind separate from the physical structure of the brain, as much as it may appear to be otherwise. Ward mostly argues against Gilbert Ryle's notions as expressed in the latter's  The Concept Of Mind . What was perhaps most satisfying in this book was how often Ward approaches his hypothetical arguments with Ryle with humor such that I found myself laughing (and thinking to myself that I did not think it was possible to laugh so much reading a philosophy book, much less one on the mind-body debate).To conclude, Ward argues persuasively (at least to me, for now) that minds are in many ways more real than the things that minds perceive and relate to, as they are primary in the acknowledgment of the rest of reality. He goes on to argue that if one accepts his thinking, then their is a strong case for a larger mind organizing and directing the rest of reality. He mentions God only in passing initially, and then directly at the end, but claims that his arguments are still valid and sound without reference to God. My one quibble with the book is that near the end as he wraps us his case with the possibility of a cosmic mind, he starts to sound too much like an Eastern mystic rip-off, kind of like Deepak Chopra. Fortunately, Wards arguments remain coherent (unlike Chopra's sometimes indecipherable nonsense).

Great little book, doesn't take too long to read. Ward presents concepts as easy to understand. I myself am unsatisfied with the reductive physicalist ontological theories popular in scientific discourse these days, and Ward makes a compelling case for indeed the exact opposite. I think he somewhat calls into question his own credibility at the end by devoting a whole section to what the Bible has to say on the matter (why should an ancient mythological text have any bearing on basic ontology and metaphysics, and their coherence??). However, if you kind of ignore that, it's actually a captivating read that offers an ontological framework which takes consciousness and morality seriously, instead of doing what's popular nowadays - dismiss them both as meaningless illusion.

A load of pretentious codswallop masquerading as reason and intelligence. Motivated by the usual narcissism of the religious who simply cannot face their own oblivion and therefore invent ways in surely they (ie the actual them) must continue to exist after death. They never confront that they just won't, which is the simplest and way most probable explanation.

My husband read it and thought it was an interesting read. Keith Ward is a well respected writer. Others may find it a good book too.