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A Call to Sanity: The Collision Between the Existence of God and the Non-Existence of God from a Rational Atheistic Perspective
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Average Rating:  out of 12 Reviews
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Price: $26.49
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Sale: $18.96
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Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
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EAN (European Article Number): 9781412030960
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Jason Scott Yeldell
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Publisher: Trafford Publishing
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Edition: 2nd
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Dewey Decimal Number: 211
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Publication Date: 2006-07-14
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Reading Level: 400
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Description: Written for the everyday person, yet scientifically and logically sound enough to be appreciated by the PhD., A Call to Sanity - Addresses the many misconceptions of Modern Rational Atheism.
- Confronts the many uncontested myths of religion.
- Explains how and why the belief in a "God" is dangerous when making daily life choices regarding politics, health and social issues.
- Aids those struggling with religion and the belief in an almighty "God" by explaining what they need to think about before deciding which philosophical route to take in life.
Mr. Yeldell also delves into the psyche and explains the mentality of those who believe in a "God" and how and why they disregard the apparent overwhelming evidence for the non-existence of a "God" or a supernatural realm. A Call to Sanity is clearly written, sprinkled with dabs of humor and wit and offers logical arguments that debunk creationism, intelligent design, "God's" existence, pseudo science and claims of a supernatural realm.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Almost Perfect Book on Atheism |
Date: 2008-05-18 |
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Details: I purchased A call to Sanity after reading all of the reviews and web articles I could find.
First: The reviews for this book range from greatness to mediocre. I actually find the book leaning more toward greatness.
As stated by others, the book is very very easy to read and contains arguments that are superbly explained ad exemplified. Yeldell seems to have taken a road less treveled by authors on this subject and focused alot on many topics that are glossed over or not explained at all.
I particularly loved how Mr. Yeldell took the time to offer a potential falsification of each one of his arguments. (this shows that although Mr. Yeldell is a a "New Kid" on this block), he understands the weight of this issue and how it is to be approached! This is to be commended. I also liked how he provided the reader with mini "science lessons" on issues regarding Physics, Genetics and Evolution before he delves into an argument involving such. This is subtle but extremely helpful (especially to those not learned in the theories). Yeldell handles this well.
Lastly: I read other review comments regarding the formatting issues with the book. I actually liked the spacing of the book. Coupled with his explanatory style, It makes the book very easy to read.
There are a few minor grammatical errors ive noticed (very few) but I guess this is to be expected by an author without the budget of a Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins. The complaints regarding this are overblown.
Mr. Yeldell's first entry into this arena is a good one. Instanly, he shows that its possible to catapult yourself into a serious debate (with the intelligencia of the world) as long as you have the intellect and know how.
I look forward to Mr. Yeldell's next book on this topic. |
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Review Summary: Good, bad and ugly |
Date: 2008-05-14 |
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Details: Having read many titles on nonbelief, A Call to Sanity will not be my prime recommendation. It is poorly written (e.g. "God must of did it", p. 308), bloated (double spaced with wide margins it contains only about half the words one would expect in the format), poorly edited (blame it on the publisher?) and with enough exclamation marks to last a lifetime it's like an attempted symphony written by a rapper. There undoubtedly are better primers (Science and Nonbelief by Taner Edis springs to mind). Yeldell is clearly new at the game both in terms of his subject matter (he misses half the point on the date of Christmas, for example, and muddles through some elementary issues) and writing style (there isn't any). The claim that the book is "...scientifically and logically sound enough to be appreciated by a PhD..." is moot. He's a new kid (with attitude) on the nonbelief block and a poor match against better-known authors.
Yet the book has some merit. The author touches on subjects often glossed over or omitted by others. His bonus section on fallacies is somewhat crude but handy, and his counter-arguments (with weaknesses exposed) to every point he makes adds a useful touch. If he learns from his mistakes his next book should be well worth considering - I for one will hold thumbs for him (proverbially speaking).
The book can still be recommended to those deeply interested in the subject of nonbelief, but then standing next to more convincing writers on your bookshelf (Dawkins, Dennett, Harris et al). One should perhaps also already have a book or two on human genetics and its environment (Matt Ridley is recommended) and human prehistory (Peter Watson's "Ideas", Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" or even Bill Bryson's "Short History" will do). Only then will Yeldell's book be a useful addition, but only just.
Worth buying as an honest "lay man's" perspective on nonbelief, but don't expect too much. |
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Review Summary: A disappointment |
Date: 2008-04-20 |
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Details: I can now see why this book is currently out of print; it reads more like the ranting of an angry belligerent than the work of a published writer. The text is rife with exclamation points, italics, and bolded and underlined words, which made it seem entirely unprofessional and unscholarly. Indignant atheists (and I'm not saying that most of them are, by any means) looking to mock and ridicule the "other side" may love this book since the author tries to make it appear as though his opposition's ideas are ridiculously and laughably fallacious; in actuality, Yeldell's style of writing and inflated tone bring him down several notches on my scale. Writing on such a complex topic requires a certain level of poise, refinement, and even humility (to some degree), which are all things this book is sorely lacking. Please note that I am not saying the author of this book is unintelligent or uninformed; I merely think he has a skewed perception of what it takes to write a book that will make others want to seriously consider a topic. Overall, the writing comes across as juvenile (the wrong 'its' is even used at one point) and contentious - to the point where the book's actual content finds itself hopelessly trying to outweigh an over-inflated ego. Additionlly, the sparse amount of words on each page (the margins are huge, and so is the spacing) gives the reader the impression that Yeldell was attempting to make his book bigger, better, and thicker than what it actually is - a compilation of poorly-formatted, overly zealous arguments that bid the reader to question the sanity of the book's author. |
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Review Summary: A Good Starting Point |
Date: 2008-04-11 |
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Details: This is a good book for atheists, skeptics, and freethinkers in general. It is a good "primer" for theists who are interested in seeing the other side of the argument. It is mostly a personal refutation of religion and religionist thinking. I say it's a good starting book because it is extremely easy to read. The language is simple, the examples elegant. It is not technical like Dawkins and Stenger. It is not vitriolic like Hitchens, or geopolitical like Harris. These are all great authors, but may put off some readers. Yeldell keeps it simple.
I would like to give this book five stars, but as a previous reviewer so acutely stated, the editing and proofreading are simply atrocious. A couple of groaners include using "except" instead of "accept" and my personal pet peeve, when he uses the phrase "he could care less." Grr. Also, the book is printed in an odd double-spacing, making the book about a hundred pages longer than it needs to be. I have the second edition. I can't imagine what a mess the first ed. must have been. Hopefully, readers will contact Mr. Yeldell and the 3rd ed. will fix more of the problems.
This is a definite must-read. For athiests and skeptics, there is nothing new or eye-opening in it. It makes for a quick, satisfying read. For those still clinging to faith and fearful to delve into the darkness of freethinking, Yeldell gives them a fairly friendly, benign look at religion through the eyes of a rational atheist. |
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Review Summary: My expectations were higher |
Date: 2008-04-04 |
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Details: After reading the reviews about this book I decided to get a copy. The chapters are fairly short and easy to read. The book actually could have been much shorter but the typesetting and spacing have made the book larger than it needs to be.
Now on to the next part...
I consider myself an atheist, or better yet, a free-thinker, so the following statements should be read with that in mind. The positive reviews for this book are overblown. It is poorly written and really could have been improved with some proof reading. Continually writing things like "could of" instead of "could have" is amateurish. It takes away from being taken too seriously. Also, some of the author's arguments were either poorly expressed or lacked substance (and again, you could label me an atheist). So though I agree that religion is false, I can't really recommend this book as representative of my views.
The best part was the Bonus section titled: Logical Fallacies to Spot While Debating.
The book is not all bad, but considering the hefty price and my above critique, I'd just as soon get my money back. |
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