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The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions is a theological remix of the old Cole Porter song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." In alternating chapters, the (mostly) liberal Marcus J. Borg and the (mostly) conservative N.T. Wright consider the major questions of the historical-Jesus debate that has dominated biblical studies in the 1990s. Borg and Wright agree that Jesus was the Christian messiah and preached the Kingdom of God, but they disagree about the Virgin birth, the purpose of Jesus' death, the issue of his bodily resurrection, and the question of his divinity. The Ping-Pong structure of this book and the fastidious politeness with which the authors treat one another sometimes give The Meaning of Jesus a tomato/tomahto, potato/potahto bounciness, but the project is nevertheless worthy: this is a simple, clear orientation to some of the most important biblical questions of our time, and a record of a lively and loving friendship between two of the best Christian scholars alive. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
Was Jesus born of a virgin? Did he know he was the Messiah? Was he bodily resurrected from the dead? Did he intentionally die to redeem humankind? Was Jesus God?
In The Meaning of Jesus two leading Jesus scholars with widely divergent views go right to the heart of these questions and others, presenting the opposing visions of Jesus that shape our faith today.
In alternating chapters, Marcus Borg, the most popular revisionist voice on Jesus and a member of the Jesus Seminar, and N. T. Wright, the most prominent standard–bearer for the traditional stance and an outspoken critic of the Jesus Seminar, present their views of who Jesus was, what he taught, and what he did.
Candid, spirited, and thoughtfully debated, this compelling discourse will stimulate fresh ideas and intense dialogue among anyone concerned with what it means to be a Christian today.
Customer Reviews:
informational dialogue.......2007-03-28
this is a book for serious people interested in finding out more about the "liberal" and the conservative view of contamporary christian belief.
For those who want their mind blown about Jesus.......2006-11-23
The book is presented by two acclaimed authors who both graduated from Oxford, but have differing views. Marcus Borg is a liberal in his theological thinking and N.T. Wright is rather conservative in his views. Both square off in a dual fashion to address critical issues related to the historical Jesus in eight parts.
The first section deals with how we have come to know about Jesus. Both use the New Testament, especially the Gospels, and other historical documents to come to their conclusions about who Jesus is. Interestingly enough, they both draw from the same material but come to extremely different conclusions about who Jesus was. Borg thinks of Jesus in terms of pre and post Easter. The pre-Easter Jesus as a person who was a "mystic" and the post-Easter Jesus, the Messiah, the one we talk about in Church tradition. Wright thinks of Jesus as someone who knew He was the messiah and that Jesus was the person and the divinity in one. Borg does not place a lot of historical value to the Gospels pointing out that the Gospels are embellished while Wright would say that they indicate pretty closely to what happened.
Next Wright and Borg spend time discussing what Jesus did and taught. Wright presents Jesus as a prophet who was there to usher in God's kingdom and made a call to the early Judeans to abandon their current view and join him. Wright believes that Jesus knew who He was in terms of the Messiah and that Jesus knew His role in God's plan while Borg's discusses Jesus as a Jewish mystic, healer and exorcist.
Moving on, the authors deal with the death of Jesus and what it meant. Borg presents two important issues regarding the death of Jesus. First Borg indicates that Jesus did not see himself as the way to God, or that He did not know that salvation was going to be made possible through His death and second Borg believes that Jesus died as a martyr because He stood up against the current structure of the time. Wright paints a picture where as Jesus death was planned by Jesus and He was very aware of His role in salvation. Wright points out that Jesus knew that only through great suffering could salvation be bought for all and Jesus knew this. Wright does note that while Jesus prepared His own death, he did it unwillingly. Jesus did not want to die, but He knew that it was His duty to do so for us.
Next we find something that the writers can agree on, that the resurrection of Jesus is a central key to Christianity. Both agree that without resurrection there would be no Christian movement. Both agree that something happened after the death of Jesus that caused the disciples to continue to teach of Jesus, and at this point the agreements end. Wright believes in the resurrected Christ. He believes that Jesus did rise from the dead. Borg presents a risen Jesus of almost myth, an apparition if you will. He indicates that the disciples and even other believes have had Jesus experiences that have lead to the forward movement of Christianity.
After the resurrection, we then need to address a fundamental question, which in my opinion should not even be a question. Was Jesus God? Borg indicates that Jesus did not see Himself as divine and that after Easter, Jesus becomes one with God. Wright agrees in some respect with Borg in that he does not think that Jesus thought He was God. Instead, Jesus thought He was the anointed one of God called to fulfill the God's promises to Israel.
The discussion then turns to Jesus and His birth. Wright indicates that Jesus' birth has gotten far more press than it should have. Wright believes that the focal point of Christianity is the death and resurrection. Wright does not believe that Mary's virginity is of large consequence to the person of Jesus, but he does believe that she was a virgin at the time of Jesus' birth. Borg claims that the birth is not historically factual. He points to differences in the stories as presented by Luke and Matthew as reasoning for the story to be more embellishment than truth. These two writers use this story as an example of imagery more than history.
Next is the discussion of the return of Christ. Borg believes that the end time theology has come from the church as a whole and not from Jesus. Borg also says that he does not believe that a physical Jesus will return to this Earth. Wright contends that end times discussion have come from Jewish tradition and transformed into beliefs of something that is not as impending as we sometimes believe. He believes that in the end there will come a time when heaven is shown to us and that Jesus will be a living being that we can see and touch, the dead will rise and we will all share in Jesus' new world for us.
Finally, Borg and Wright discuss the implications of their versions of Jesus and what that means for the Christian life. Wright focuses his attention on worship and missions as the centerpieces of the Christian way. Borg calls for a life for Christians that is full of God, a life where each and every moment is an experience with a God who is accessible to us all. Borg writes that he thinks Jesus is the epitome of what it is like to have a life that is full of God.
I believe that the authors have come to their beliefs based on the ways they view the sources of evidence regarding Jesus. Borg is very literal about the sources of Jesus and looks at the historical value of the written words about Jesus. He tries to eliminate any such embellishment or literary device that could have been used to mask the true evidence of the historical Jesus. Wright on the other hand, leaves open that embellishments and literary devices can have historical value and could have happened they way they were written. I believe that given these filters the authors use to aid them in their research, this is why we have two acclaimed authors who studied under the same New Testament professor at Oxford with very different thinking.
This is a good book to get you thinking about who Jesus is, but it can be difficult to read if you have not had some study in New Testament background. It is generally not a good read for the lay person.
Great introduction to the issues.......2006-11-07
As others have noted, this book is a fantastic introduction to the major issues and attitudes in the "who was Jesus?" debate. Both Borg and Wright were excellent choices for each view. The tone between the two is cordial and the debate, such as it is, relatively gentle and mutually respectful.
I agree with other reviewers that Wright's case is by far the stronger. Borg's entire argument rests on the supposed late dating for the Gospel of Mark, which he says was the first Gospel written. He then states that sayings which appear in later Gospels, esp. John, were "read" back into the mouth of Jesus by the church as it developed the idea of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and saviour of the world.
Peel back those layers, Borg says, and you will find a simple Jewish peasant, who performed what he calls "paranormal" healings, railed against social injustice and initiated a movement based on equality and inclusiveness.
In short, Borg sees Jesus as a first century version of a 21st century American liberal. To him, anything which makes Him look more like the Jesus of orthodox Christianity is simply mythology. These myths are fine, so long as modern Christians reinterpret them in the light of modern ideas of tolerance and pluralism, in his view. To Borg, Jesus is "his" way to know God, but not the only way.
On the issue of the resurrection, Borg sees it as occuring in the hearts of believers, as they became aware of Jesus' closeness to God and the importance of carrying on his mission of inclusiveness an social justice. He says that it is irrelevant whether the body of Jesus was revived in any way. "He rose in our hearts, and that's what is important" is an apt way of phrasing this stand.
Wright defends the Jesus of the historical creeds of the church, the one who knew he was going to die for the sins of humanity, who was the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, and who literally rose from the dead.
So, who's right? As someone who majored in biblical studies in college, I can offer some opinions on that question. First, it can be said with confidence that most so-called "New Testament scholarship" is simply guesswork. No one knows for sure which Gospel was written first. The current favorite is Mark, but a close look at the reasons for that position reveals them to be faulty.
Traditionally and logically it has long been believed that Matthew was written first. This is the option I favor, for reasons too lengthy to cover here. If this is so then the foundation on which Borg builds his house of cards crumbles.
In the end, however, it's simply anyone's guess.
Second, Borg writes from the assumption that the New Testament wasn't divinely inspired, and bases his views on this premise. For example, he says that Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane as recorded in John was obviously invented by the church, since no one was around to hear it.
This is only a problem if one discounts the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the writing of John. An omniscient God could certainly have led John to pen a correct account of that prayer.
Borg is quick to call apparent problems in the text fictional statements invented decades later and placed in the trxt as true. An example: since the trial of jesus was held in secret, he says that the details about it recorded in the Gospels have to be mere speculation.
Besides the answer from divine revelation mentioned above, there are other alternatives to Borg's position. There could have been eavesdroppers outside the building. One or more of the persons present may have spilled the beans afterwards.
Borg reads anti-Semitism into the text even where there is no evidence for it. An example he cites is Pilate's washing his hands before the crucifixtion. He says this scene was put into the text to infer that Pilate was reluctant to kill Jesus, laying the blame more on the Jewish people.
This is pure assumption on his part. I have no trouble believing the account is factual. As hard as Pilate was in his governing style, it is entirely possible that he was so impressed with Jesus that he was truly reluctant to sentence him to death. The hand washing may have actually occured, as an attempt on his part to assuage a guilty conscience.
History records similar events. Attila the Hun spared Rome from being destroyed after meeting with Pope Leo 1. The Muslim sultan Melek-el-Kamel was so impressed with St. Francis of Assisi in their 1219 meeting that he permitted the Christian monk to preach to his troops. Even members of the Mafia show reverence for the Catholic church. It would seem that cruel, hard men are often reluctant to harm someone they perceive as especially pious.
Wright points out these sorts of errors in Borg's approach to the Bible, citing reasons to believe in the accuracy of its accounts. By American standards his tone is incredibly civil, given how much he and Borg disagree. I suspect this is simply due to the emphasis on civility still prominent in British culture.
All in all, this volume is a fine way to begin a study of the differing views of Jesus. I give it a strong recommend. I also recommend the book "Will the Real Jesus please Stand Up?" as a follow up reading.
the best intro to the Jesus debate.......2006-04-04
There are a ton of books out there dealing with the nature of Jesus. Which one to choose? This one.
Here two Christians offer different understandings of what Jesus was like. Wright is pretty orthodox. He says Jesus was God and paid for humanity's sins. Wright also believes in a resurrection at the end of time. Borg, on the other hand, is a revisionist. He says Jesus wasn't God but a window through which we see God. For Borg, when we see Jesus, we see what God is like. Borg doesn't have as robust a view of resurrection and is silent on the question of the afterlife.
This debate was easy to read and each topic was covered thoroughly. With all the Jesus books out there (including the books both Wright and Borg have written) I'd start with this one first. There are fringe liberals who would disagree with Borg and ultra right-wings who would disagree with Wright, but if you're looking for a "consensus" view--a view of what most traditionalists and revisionists think of Jesus and the Christian life--this is the book.
Also recommended: What Jesus Really Meant and The Gospel of Arnie
Awful.......2006-03-22
Wright was way too easy on Borg. It is nice that these guys are friends and get along, but Wright should have pointed out how sloppy Borg's scholarship is. He has a late dating for the writing of the Gospel of Mark, then builds a house of cards on top of that to bolster his contention that the Gospels were largely fiction. Wright should have done a better job showing how the synoptic Gospels were almost certainly written before 60 AD.
Borg is entitled to his opinions, but to call him a Christian is pretty bizarre. His views are typically the opposite of historic Christianity. If you hold to the following beliefs offered by Borg, you could be a Hindu, a Buddhist, an atheist, or an agnostic. But if words mean anything, one thing you could not be is a Christian.
* The Bible is not inspired by God at all, it is just the "product of two ancient communitites."
* "A major task for Christians in the 21st century is grateful and enthusiastic affirmation of religious pluralism. This means accepting a relative status for Christianity, but a relative status as one of the magnificent first-magnitude stars in the constellation of the world's religions."
* "Here in Jesus, I see more clearly than anywhere else what god is like. This affirmation can be made with one's whole heart while still affirming that God is also known in other traditions."
* "I and most mainline scholars do not think Jesus said these things. He did not speak like this." [in reference to various Gospel quotes of Jesus]
* "Do I think Jesus thought of himself as divine? No. Do I think he had the mind of God - that is, did he know more than his contemporaries because, in addition to having a human mind, he had a divine mind? No. Do I think he had the power of God? That he could, for example, have called down twelve legions of angels to protect himself, as Matthew 26:53 reports he said? No."
* "if you think you're the Messiah, you're not. . . . I don't think people like Jesus have an exalted perception of themselves." Note to Mr. Borg: If Jesus was the Messiah, what is wrong with him thinking He was the Messiah? Is it wrong for God to have an exalted perception of himself?
* " . . . candor requires that we acknowledge that the early Christians (and Jesus himself, if he had an apocalyptic eschatology) were wrong about the end being near"
The only reason the church should discuss Borg's views is to show that many people outside the church believe these false teachings, and here is why they are wrong . . .
Borg "metaphorizes" anything he doesn't like, and typically anything that is supernatural (Jesus Seminar "scholars" usually start with the assumption that miracles can't happen, so any miracles in the Bible are dismissed).
Keep in mind that you don't sell a lot of books saying that Jesus is God, He is the only way to salvation, etc. But saying you have new insights on Jesus - whether true or not - can get attention for you (i.e., the DaVinci Code, the Jesus Seminar, etc.).
If Borg and other pluralists are correct in saying that other religions also lead to God, then shouldn't they be sending "reverse missionaries" to countries where Christians are persecuted? After all, if Buddhism is a valid path to the one true God (even though, ironically, they don't believe in a creator God!), then shouldn't we tell the persecuted Christians in China to just become Buddhists so they can have a better life now? Wouldn't that be the loving thing to do? The same would go for Christians in Muslim and Hindu countries. There are 100 passages in the Bible saying Jesus is the only way to salvation. So Christianity is either correct or incorrect, but under no circumstances can Christianity and other religions be correct at the same time.
Customer Reviews:
The book I need to read about Jesus.......2007-07-04
After many confusing interpretations of the teachings of Jesus and dogmas from religions and false prophets making money and living a good material life under the umbrella of Christianity, this is a very simple to understand book, and it came into my hands at the right time. Wright explain life in times of Jesus and his teachings very clear and from a neutral point of view. I recommend it.
From the TV show.......2006-08-02
This book is a companion to a 1996 TV show. The first part (Jesus - Then and Now) consists of some modified versions of the original script, along with still photos from the show. It's well written, as you would expect a script to be, and the photos are great. Unfortunately there is nothing new here, although it is nicely packaged.
The second part (Reading the Gospels with Both Eyes Open) departs from the original show, but again, there is very little original thinking here. Wright discusses the discrepancies in gospel accounts, the Jesus seminar, the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating the gospels, the Jewish influences, etc.
There is no reference list nor any notes. The index is skimpy, but so too is the content.
Bottom line - this is a well written and nicely illustrated sketch of some aspects of Jesus' life. It will not appeal to scholars and is of limited interest to beginners who will find it too truncated.
In My Top Ten EVER!.......2005-11-12
This book is a MUST read. NO MATTER WHAT. PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT OVER AND OVER. Not only is it a tremendous intro to Tom Wright's academic works, The Original Jesus is a beautiful and refreshing book to fuel your tired search for Jesus Christ.
True scholarship in a user-friendly package.......2005-03-25
This is a brilliant, no-nonsense historical introduction to Jesus and the Gospels. The first half of the book is based on a BBC series on Jesus that the author was asked to write and produce. The second half goes into a bit more depth regarding the Gospels as sources of historical information about Jesus and his mission. The book is an easy read and is full of great photography and art that tie into its story line.
The author is widely respected by conservative and liberal theologians and historians alike, and I especially appreciate his even handed approach and deep understanding of the historical context in which Jesus lived and moved (though he really just scratches the surface in this work). This book is a popular-level treatment of material that he explores in much greater detail in "Jesus and the Victory of God" and other book in that series. Reading this book makes me eager to dig into those deeper texts.
nothing new under the sun.......2005-01-18
I regret that I coughed up mazuma for this here book. Unfortunately it doesn't consist any new views. What does the publication say ? "It is a true fact that Jesus has existed. How so ? Because the New Testament says so ! " This is the only proof the author gives. As far as the rest of his text goes, he just flags away the diskrepancies in the NT as unimportant. It is better to read the actual Gospels themselves, and make your own opinion of the Lamb.
Book Description
Virtually every structure that Wright built is represented in this extensive survey of his life's work. His genius at architectural design enable him to work out extremely complex buildings in his head and translate them on to paper in a matter of hours, as the famous story of his design presentation of Falling Water illustrates. His work continues to draw great admiration and interest to this day. His often tempestuous and sometimes tragic life and career are given full coverage in this book. Hundreds of photos, both archival and recent chart his amazing work and influence on all who followed. Thomas A. Heinz is a noted Chicago area architect as well as a writer and leading authority on the work of Wright. Among other works, he has written FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT INTERIORS AND FURNITURE (1994)
Customer Reviews:
FLW Survey.......2007-09-22
I recently went to NYC and decided to visit the Guggenheim Museum. Upon arriving from the subway, I had the unfortunate experience of seeing the entire Museum enclosed in scaffolding. However, I went in anyway and on the way out stopped by the gift shop and looked thru the FLW collection of books and discovered this book for less than $14. I thought the book was mispriced. How could such a beautiful book be so inexpensive in NYC? I had to have it.
This book is great for architects or non-architects. It goes thru his entire career without the winded explanations of each of his works. Each surviving work is photographed in color and identified by its original owner with a short highlight of what Wright accomplished. I enjoyed reading this book.
My greatest surprise was finding out that part of the Imperial Hotel was reconstructed else ware in Japan before it was demolished. Heinz took "color" photographs of it!
Okay but several photos are reversed.......2007-08-10
Several photos are reversed in the paperback edition sold here. Very sloppy if you asked me (but it is cheap.) Otherwise some nice photos.
Another poor title from Mr. Heinz.......2007-04-10
Many rave reviews of books by Mr. Heinz seem to be "ringers", perhaps written by the publisher or Mr. Heinz himself. How can you tell a "ringer"? Just by clicking on the reviewers name (like "Dave Anderson" below) and discover that the only review he has written in seven years is for Mr. Heinz's book! Coincidence? Another favorite is to plant one from "a reader". Be wise, people!
Almost Perfect.......2006-08-28
Just got this book - actually the 2002 B&N edition but seems about identical to the edition here. Marvelous photos - considerably better quality than those in Heinz' far more expensive book with all the Wright building locations in detail. Yes, wish EVERY Wright building were here, but close. Have found a few errors in index, etc. but pretty darned good. I'd like to have seen that auto showroom in Manhattan, for example. Well, Heinz doesn't claim to have included everything in this one. Some sort of listing by nation and then state, at least, would have been helpful. Yes, some buildings are referred to with no photo, and then at least one, the Rosenbaum house in Alabama, is in the "Decorative Arts" section but not the main color section (as far as I've found so far).
One silly error: Anderton Court Shops, p. 340 is surely in reverse, as is so clear with the shops' signs backwards! Wonder how that got by.... Will have to check if that Fallingwater photo was corrected for this edition.
All in all a marvelous book with exquisite photos and very well written with stimulating text (for this sort of book - not aiming at the true FLW scholar but just fine for the serious afficianado, which I sure am!).
Incidentally, the first house I ever lived in was on the street in Rochester where the Boynton house is situated - so I have a slightly personal connection with the genius, I've always felt. Great photos of the house here but I'm not so happy the exterior one shows the rear (and doesn't identify it as such, either).
Ken Goldberg, Cleveland, OH
Not Complete, But An Excellent Choice.......2005-02-13
Contrary to what some of the previous reviewers have stated, this book is not a complete reference to all of FLW's buildings, at least not pictorially complete. Instead, the most complete one-volume reference on FLW is Storrer's _The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion_.
That having been said, this is an excellent addition to the Storrer book because all of the pictures are in color, many of them very large and covering an entire page, whereas the Storrer book only has black and white.
For the price, this is an excellent buy, in my opinion, and it was even better when I bought it severeal months ago because at that time Amazon was bundling it for only about $16 with the Storrer book.
For those people who can't spend the almost $80 for the Storrer book, this is a good deal.
Book Description
Frank Lloyd Wright devoted his revolutionary creativity to refining his famed Prairie style, especially in Racine, Wisconsin, called "invention city" for all the innovative products developed there. After 1900, Racine witnessed the most significant stages of the architect's career. Award-winning photojournalist Mark Hertzberg, Director of Photography for the Racine Journal Times, presents a well-researched compendium of warm, lively and revealing anecdotes from people who lived in Wright's private homes and worked in his public buildings. Special attention is devoted to the SC Johnson Administration Building, the subsequent Research Tower, and the Wingspread residence—Wright's last and largest Prairie home and built in a unique pinwheel design. Other important commissions discussed and photographed include the Hardy and the Keland houses, the unrealized Roy Petersen House, the YWCA, and the airport lounge/café project. Hertzberg also briefly discusses the Monolith and the Johnson homes, Wright's dreams for affordable housing.
Customer Reviews:
An in-depth analysis of Wright's architectural achievements .......2004-11-08
Wright In Racine is an analysis of all the Racine, Wisconsin architecture projects of the celebrated and often controversial Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), well-known for his revolutionary designs that spurred an awakening in American architecture. Full-color photographs and an extensive discussion of Wright's amazing designs for private homes, public buildings, and affordable housing tie together all of Wright's diverse works with a commen search for vision and expression. Written by award-winning photojournalist Mark Hertzberg, Wright In Racine is enjoyable to browse through for its own sake and especially recommended for anyone interested in an in-depth analysis of Wright's breathtaking and groundbreaking architectural achievements in Wisconsin.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book and Wright Brothers' process.......2003-05-14
I always had the idea that the Wright brothers were a couple of untrained bicycle mechanics who more or less stumbled onto a successful airplane. Or at least that it was their perseverence, not their process, that finally triumphed. This book completely put these ideas to rest. It shows how the Wright brothers' success was due to taking some basic correct ideas, applying a step-by-step thinking process, and a lot of hard work.
First, it explains how they started with an idea that was somehow missed by many of the other pioneers: flying experience is vitally important. This was combined with another idea: that airplanes were basically the same whether powered or gliders. To those who have studied aeronautics to any extent, this is not surprising, but many others seemed to be of the idea that powered airplanes and gliders were completely different beasts. Thus, while others were building bigger, more powerful, and more expensive machines, the Wrights were experimenting with actually flying gliders, to learn how to fly them.
This had two good results: (1) they actually learned how to fly, so that when they built the final plane they knew how to fly without crashing the first time a gust of wind came up; (2) not having that engine to pull them through the air and having to depend on gliding, they discovered one of the most important facts of all flight: lift-to-drag ratio. (This means how much drag a wing generates for a given amount of lift.) Low L/D meant their glider didn't go very far; thus, to get longer glider flights, they HAD to figure out a way to increase L/D.
At this point, the engineering process kicked in, and they realized they didn't have the foggiest notion of how to increase L/D. Thus, they realized they had to do lots of experiments with airfoils to see which had the highest L/D: the wind tunnel was born (or at least weaned). The book provides two dramatic pictures of two of their gliders: the angle of the ropes holding it down (plus the angle of attack of the wings) tells the entire story of their successful L/D increase (high-angle ropes=high L/D, low-angle=low L/D).
In short, this book tells this entire fascinating story, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, though it has been a few years. Hmmm ... I need to take a trip down to the basement and re-read it.
The perspiration side of invention.......2003-02-02
It is difficult to imagine that there was a time when renowned scientists were saying that "heavier than air" flight was impossible. It is also difficult to imagine that who prove them wrong were two non-scientists bicycle-makers.
Peter L. Jakab, et al. relates the story of how the Wright Brothers did it. More than that, they show us WHY they succeeded where so many others failed. From the moment they decide to build a flying machine to their historic first flight, we follow how the the Wright Brothers's identified the tecnical challenges that needed to be addressed, and how they systematically solved them one after another.
You will learn why the Wright Brothers' background in bicycle helped understand the critical problem of stability, how they carried systematic experiments and how they were conducted to reject widely accepted data in favor of their own as their expertise grew.
The authors' objective is to shed some light on the process of invention and they definitely succeed in doing so. In addition, if you ever wondered why do planes fly at all, you will learn it there with just the right amount of mathematical equations.
So why not give it five stars? Just because there are some unnecessary repetitions on the skills and unique approaches of the Brothers, I would give it 4.5 stars if it was possible.
Overall, a very well documented, interesting, and instructive read. I highly recomment it.
80 percent fascinating, 20 percent repetitive fluff.......2003-01-03
This book gives the reader a real sense of how amazing the Wright brothers' accomplishment really was. It shows the reader how poorly developed the technology was at the time and how the Wrights figured out the solutions to the problems that had prevented powered flight. Unlike many biographies, the book focuses on the scientific problem of powered controllable flight generally and the technological solutions that the Wrights developed. If you're interested in aircraft or the history of technology, this book is fascinating.
When it focuses on the facts, the book is well written. But it is filled with unnecessary repetition and generalizations aimed at supporting the central theme of the book -- that the Wrights used the scientific method to solve the problem of powered flight. That may very well be true, but there are more persuasive ways to make a point. In fact, the introductory and closing material in each chapter bogs down the text to such an extent that it detracts from the fascinating subject. That's why this book is 80 percent fascinating, 20 percent repetitive stuff.
A new appreciation for the Wright brothers.......2001-07-04
I purchased this book at the Museum of Flight in Seattle (an excellent place for both the general public and aviation buffs). I had no previous knowledge of the Wright brothers beyond what I'd been taught in school and found this book to be fascinating. As a mechanical engineer and a backyard mechanic, I gained a entirely new appreciation for the Wright brothers' abilities and the depth of their knowledge.
The author focuses, as he says in the title, on the process that the brothers went thru to invent the first airplane, while the book does not spend much time on the Wright brothers personalities or feelings, the reader does come to understand them thru the thorough descriptions of their work and quotations from their communications with others who were interested in flight and their family.
The Wright brothers were much more than bicycle shop owners with an interest in flying. They were truly inventors of the first class. For example, I was unaware that the Wrights constructed a wind tunnel at their bicycle shop for methodical testing of airfoil shapes, and in the process found that two of the mathematical constants used in the equations of lift and drag were incorrect. Nor did I appreciate their grasp of moving in three dimensions and their solutions for avoiding problems in turning a flying airplane. The author also does a good job of explaining the difference in approach and knowledge between the Wright brothers and the others who were also attempting to construct airplanes.
Highly recommended, Dave Reichert
Serious analysis of the Wright brothers' true genius........1998-05-22
Please, don't patronize the Wright Brothers by praising them as "inspired tinkerers." Thoughtful people know them as dedicated thinkers, but this book goes deeper to reveal their protean genius. The author shows in detail how they painstakingly solved the theoretical physics of flight, long before they built their first wind-tunnel model. Some tinkerers! A good book for the science-minded, but interested lay readers will enjoy it too. A nice piece of writing and essential for all flight collections.
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Indra's Pearls: The Vision of Felix Klein
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ASIN: 0521352533 |
Book Description
Felix Klein, a great geometer of the nineteenth century, rediscovered an idea from Hindu mythology in mathematics: the heaven of Indra in which the whole Universe was mirrored in each pearl in a net of pearls. Practically impossible to represent by hand, this idea barely existed outside the imagination, until the 1980s when the authors embarked on the first computer investigation of Klein's vision. In this extraordinary book they explore the path from some basic mathematical ideas to the simple algorithms that create delicate fractal filigrees, most appearing in print for the first time. Step-by-step instructions for writing computer programs allow beginners to generate the images.
Customer Reviews:
Great mathematics and graphics.......2005-12-09
The mathematician Felix Klein (1849-1925) made some great discoveries that can now be well understood by using computer graphics. Felix Klein is known for his work in non-euclidean geometry and for his work on the connections between geometry and group theory.
Some fairly simple mathematical ideas and algorithms reveal an endless universe of fractals. The book includes step-by-step instructions for writing computer programs allowing readers to perform further explorations.
How mathematics can be used to create physical beauty.......2003-08-11
As a long-time reviewer of mathematics books, there was a time when I grew very bored with books written for the general mathematical audience. For years, it seemed mandatory that all contain a section on basic fractals and the Mandelbrot and Julia sets. It was not that the topics were not interesting, I found them fascinating, it was just that the explanations were all so similar that it became tedious to read them. Therefore, when I looked at the coverage of this book, I felt a pang of negative nostalgia, thinking that what I would find would be a repeat of what I had read so many times.
Well, I am happy to report that my pang was unfounded. The first chapter covers the language of symmetry, and some of the enormous number of forms in which it appears, which sets the stage for the fractal operations. A large part of the book is devoted to the patterns that are simultaneously symmetrical under two Mobius maps, which makes the analysis of fractals in this book different from what I have seen in others. Indra's necklace is a limit set formed by a chain of tangent circles, and is quite beautiful.
Very high quality figures are heavily used throughout the book to demonstrate the results of the operations. They are also beautiful, and in my opinion, some are works of art. Other mathematical operations that are used in the generation of the results are: matrix operations, group theory, non-Euclidean geometry, continued fractions, formal language theory, tiling of surfaces and function theory. The incorporation of so many different areas of mathematics really spices up the book, and makes it more enjoyable for a wider audience of mathematicians. It cannot be said that it is written for a general audience, the level of mathematics is beyond the non-mathematician, and one probably has to have the skill set of a junior or senior undergraduate math major in order to understand the explanations.
Mathematical results are very beautiful in their internal consistency and the power of the ideas. In this book, you also see some of the physical beauty that can be created by applying mathematics in the appropriate way
Discrete groups made easy.......2002-10-04
[this review shall replace the already existing one]
Indras pearls provides a very well-made introduction to the basics of the theory of discrete groups acting on the complex plane. The whole discussion on the related limit sets had been accomplished in such a hand-by-hand method.
The reader starts from complex numbers and after he is led into the deepest concepts: Möbius trasformations, limit sets of discrete groups (Schottky, Fuchsian, ...).
These limit sets are related to another interesting topic in today maths: complex dynamics on the Riemann sphere (Julia sets, ...).
As known, computer experiments had been fundamental for supporting complex dynamics and the successive success of this latter topic helped to promote and increase the interests for discrete groups too: in fact this book evinces already strong interest in the visualization and in the study of the properties of such limit sets since '80s, due to the efforts of the same authors.
One of the major points of attraction in Indra pearls is that all the theory had been helped by displaying a lot of detailed and colorful pictures which, aside the historical biography of the mathematicians that contributed to this theory, set this book as one of the masterpieces in this topic, for his lucid
and fresh approach to basic concepts.
In addition, the presence of amusing comic-strips, explaining some topological concepts on manifolds (for example), guarantees the easy-learning for the reader and also the approach, as imaginaed and completely accomplished by the authors. In this direction, it is clear how passion had been squandered by authors.
The goal has been reached: finding an easy way to introduce the harsch theory of discrete groups.
Interested readers will be rewarded and also excited.
No doubts: this book strikes and it will be a corner-stone for present and future.
Discontinuous Groups now made easy !.......2002-09-24
Indras pearls provides a very well-made introduction to the basics of the theory of discontinuous groups acting on the complex plane. The whole discussion about limit sets had been accomplished in such a hand-by-hand method.
That is, the reader starts from complex numbers and, after, he is taken into deepest concepts as Möbius trasformations and so to discontinuous groups (Schottky, Fuchsian, ...).
Limit sets of kleinian groups are related to another interesting topic in today maths: complex dynamics on the Riemann sphere (Julia sets, ...). The success of this latter topic helped to increase the interests for discontinuous groups too. Indra pearls also witnesses and resumes the last twenty years of efforts spent for studying the properties of the limit sets.
One of the major points of attraction in Indra pearls is that all the theory had been helped by displaying a lot of detailed and colorful pictures which, aside the historical biography of the mathematicians that contributed to this theory, set this book as one of the masterpieces in this topic, for his lucid
and fresh approach to basic concepts.
In addition, the presence of amusing comic-strips, explaining some topological concepts on manifolds, guarantees the easy-learning of the approach, achieved by the authors. In this direction, it could be evinced that authors were really enjoyed while writing.
The goal has been reached: finding an easy way to introduce the harsch theory of discontinuous groups.
Interested readers will be rewarded about their choice and also excited.
Book Description
This volume's contributors—dynamic and progressive African American church leaders—advocate the prophetic powers of black theology, preaching, and evangelism in support of community and economic development, ministerial and lay leadership, and enhancement of church life. Among the writers are Charles G. Adams, Randall C. Bailey, James H. Cone, James A. Forbes, Jacquelyn Grant, Obery Hendricks, Asa G. Hilliard, Dwight N. Hopkins, Cecil Murray, and Gayraud Wilmore. All were presenters in 2004 at the first Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, established to reinvigorate the social justice agenda of America's black churches.
Customer Reviews:
A Writer from another time.......2007-02-12
Wright Morris is an American writer from another era, both in terms of his style of writing, his organization of materials, and his orientation toward the world. This book is in the style of High Modernism, but gently applied. Each chapter is written with the voice of a different character, and we return, in the novel, again and again to the character's voices. In the process, we learn more about them, and the central events which displaced them in their world. One is quaint: a kiss stolen on a porch in Nebraska forty years ago. That one kiss set this world on its end, and was a watershed mark in the lives of three people. This book is charmingly quaint, and its repetition, meant to add knowledge, never quite evolves beyond a few central points. That said, for those with the patience for a quiet read, will find much to like in The Field of Vision.
Average customer rating:
|
Wright in Hollywood: Visions of a New Architecture
Robert Sweeney
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Wright, Frank Lloyd
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ASIN: 026219337X |
Book Description
The textile-block system was a fascinating experiment that Frank Lloyd Wright conducted from about 1922 to 1932 as part of his quest to find a new system of construction using a standardized building material based on the idea of twentieth-century machine technology. Robert Sweeney has meticulously researched the textile block system, providing a case-by-case account of each project, commenting on Wright's clients, collaborators, and contractors, and positioning Wright's experiment firmly within the larger historical context of concrete block technology. Sweeney traces the forms of several of the early concrete block projects to Wright's own earlier work, clarifies an array of important technical challenges the architect faced, and notes the numerous block shapes required for execution
The concrete block experiment was firmly rooted in the concept of architectural simplification that Wright established at the outset of his career. It was begun in Hollywood, where he was living at the time, but was part of a larger vision with global application. Wright pursued the concept with a sense of mission, designing approximately thirty projects through the decade. Sweeney shows, however that this technical evolution can be explained in just three designs: the canonical Millard house of February 1923; and in two unexecuted projects, the Community Playhouse, "Little Dipper," for Aline Barnsdall, and in designs for a resort hotel for the Arizona desert.
Although Wright began with structure, Sweeney points out that he was primarily interested in form: technology of assembly was only a path to architectural creation. As the structural system matured - a process coinciding with the evolution of the minimalist International Style in Europe - the buildings became increasingly architectonic; forms were simplified, and the initial fascination with ornament all but disappeared.
Robert L. Sweeney is Executive Director of the R. M. Shindler House in Los Angeles. His comprehensive annotated bibliography on Wright was published in 1978.
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