What a pleasure it was to read The Love of Wisdom by Steven B. Cowen and James S. Spiegel. The Love of Wisdom is an introductory resource of philosophy from a Christian worldview. It is a more accessible read than some of its counters, yet without losing its fine academic quality. The lay individual would find this book enjoyable as well as the individual who has a Ph.D. listed with their name. It has fun, cultural references that are relatable to the subject matter, such as paralleling the movie Matrix with Philosophical Idealism to better understand the ideologies. I (Michael) am presently reading through Philosophical Foundations (another great resource on an overview of philosophy from a Biblical perspective). In my opinion, The Love of Wisdom is a wonderful segue into Philosophical Foundations.
Helpful Tools
As mentioned, The Love of Wisdom is a very accessible tool including philosophical words which are defined and placed into scenarios to better understand the concept explained. Each section also has questions for reflection which helps to better refortify what was read. Also included is a brief history of different philosophical figureheads. Helpful illustrations are also included as well as a glossary of terms and a section for further reading on each topic. The topics themselves are intended to be a broad overview to whet your appetite to delve into further reading, which is why the recommended reading for each topic is highly beneficial. One of my favorites of the useful tools was the cultural references that brought a pragmatic approach to the book. I know there was someone who reviewed this book, complaining about the cultural plugins. I personally found the references refreshing, and useful tools to dialogue with the culture on subject matters that normally seem dry or difficult to grasp.
A Staircase to Wisdom
Perhaps the best way I can describe this book is as a staircase to wisdom. Each section builds upon the other in cohesive order to arrive at a greater knowledge base of wonderful insights gleaned. While reading, it reminded me of The Truth Project from Focus on the Family that begins with foundational questions itself, such as, “What Is Truth?” then builds upon this foundation to climb to further subjects to improve your outlook from a Biblical worldview.
The Love of Wisdom is sure to leave you with an awe of wisdom, knowing that we are barely scratching the mind of God.
I received this book for free from B&H Academic and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
