David Haines

I will premise this by noting that this is not a book review. My purpose in this short text is to explain how Ross approaches Aristotle’s Metaphysics, ousia and the question of Being in his classical introduction to Aristotle. Aristotle,[1] now in its sixth edition, and accompanied by a helpful introduction by John L. Ackrill, was not written for a beginner in philosophy.  Rather, notes Ackrill, it can be useful for general readers who use it to understand elements of Aristotle’s philosophy; for university students who use it as an introduction to research on Aristotle, and for professional philosophers (p. ix-x). This book gives a general overview of Aristotle’s thought. Ross begins with an historical introduction explaining who Aristotle was, what he wrote, and his views on the authenticity, integrity and composition of the numerous books that have been attributed to Aristotle. Following this introduction Ross goes on to introduce the reader to the important elements of …

Perspectives on the Doctrine of God. Edited by Bruce A. Ware. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2008. 273 pp. $24.99. ISBN 978-080543060-8.
            It is sometimes thought that there is only one evangelical view concerning theology proper (the doctrine of God); however, the deeper that one delves into the important theological treatises of evangelicalism, the more that one realises that this is just not the case. In reality, there are almost as many different views of God as there are good solid theologians. That being said, most of these differing views can be placed under two broad categories: Calvinist-Reformed and Arminian-Reformed. The purpose of a “Perspectives” book is to allow the reader to interact with the most prominent views as presented and defended by the theologians who hold to these views. In this book review we will be considering the book Perspectives on the Doctrine of God, edited by Bruce Ware. We will begin by considering the purpose of the book, and providing a…

The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. John H. Walton. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009. $16.00. ISBN 978-0-8308-3704-5.
            The origins of our universe, where we come from, and why we exist are some of the most difficult questions to answer, and some of the most highly debated questions that mankind has ever posed. Christians have frequently turned to Genesis 1 for an answer to these questions, and, seemingly, with good reason, for the first chapter of Genesis seems, to the modern mind, to answer the questions concerning the creation of the universe, of all that exists, of humanity, and the questions concerning mans purpose in this world. In The Lost World of Genesis One John Walton argues that what seems evident to the modern mind was anything but evident to the minds of those who originally received the teaching of Genesis 1. In this book review we will begin by explaining the purpose of this book, followed by a brief outline of i…

This is simply a preliminary thought as I work through Aristotle's thoughts.
In Metaphysics Lambda, books 4 and 5 Aristotle examines the causes and principles of sensible substances. His discussion is a little bit confusing, but he seems to conclude that, in one sense, all sensible substances have the same principles and elements, and this by analogy, but in in another sense, all sensible substances do not have the same principles and elements.
In the first sense, all sensible substances have the same elements by analogy, in the sense that all sensible substances are composed of (what was then considered to be the elements) water, air, earth and fire. In the same way, all sensible substances have the same principles by analogy, in the sense that all sensible substances are composed of form, privation, matter, a proximate first mover (for example, man gives birth to man) and the first mover which moves all things. Therefore, since both the elements and the principles are causes of t…

In the Beginning God: A Fresh Look at the Case for Original Monotheism. By Winfried Corduan. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013. 368 pp. $19.99. ISBN 978-0-8054-4778-1.
            The idea that human religions developed, progressively, from some form of animism or polytheism into the predominant theistic religions has been the predominant view of historians and historians of religion for some time now. Evolutionary theory is applied to the development of human society and religion, and, in this way, we are told that humankind evolved from the least complicated religious views to the most complicated and developed religious views. Though the evolution of religion has been a predominant view, there have also been those who have proposed that, on the contrary, the original religion of mankind was Monotheism, and that this Monotheism was eventually corrupted, degrading into the various polytheism and animistic religions. In his recent book, “In the Beginning God”, Winfried Corduan, a w…