The Universe Next Door – A Basic Worldview Catalog

The Universe Next Door A Basic Worldview Catalog

When The Universe Next Door was first introduced nearly thirty years ago, it set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews. In concise, easily understood prose, James W. Sire explained the basics of theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism and the new consciousness. The second edition was updated and expanded to include sections on Marxism and secular humanism, as well as a completely reworked chapter on what is now widely known as New Age philosophy rather than new consciousness. And the third edition offered further updating and revisions, including a thoroughly revised chapter on New Age philosophy and, perhaps most importantly, a new chapter on postmodernism. Now the fourth edition refines the definition of worldview itself, incorporating Sire's thinking and teaching during the past decade. (His recent work is showcased in a new book, Naming the Elephant, also published by IVP.) The Universe Next Door has been translated into several languages and has been used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature. With the publication of the fourth edition, this book will continue to aid students, teachers and anyone who wants to understand the variety of worldviews that compete with Christianity for the allegiance of our minds and hearts.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Excellent!
We used this book in our class on Western Heritage. It is really useful in explaining the differences in current world views as well as the development and historical aspects of our own.

5 Stars great book
this was a great book. it was very insightful. the author did a great job of defining and describng the most prominent worldviews held in todays world.

4 Stars An excellent resource
Very, very useful in understanding major worldviews–and, of course, what constitutes a worldview. Read it. It was one of my favorite college textbooks.

3 Stars A Read-Worthy, Christian Leaning Overview With Some Annoying Faults
The Universe Next Door

James W. Sire

This review is on the Second Edition of the book, copyright 1988. That being the case there may be major changes in the book that address some current trends in worldviews (I hope that's actually the case).

What's the Point of The Book?

To give us a basic overview and introduction to several worldviews beginning from the author's own worldview (Christian Theism) all the way through the New Age Movement. The author is not trying to indoctrinate us in every point found in the worldview or even the major divisions throughout but he wishes to underscore some major features and question some major problems.

The Good

This is tough because it could also be a "bad" and only that because of the date of the original publication (1976). The meat of the book comes in 219 pages with bibliographical notes that bring the count up to 241 (The remaining 5 pages are devoted to the index). Those biographical notes are a godsend for anyone wanting to dig further into the material and are stated as such by the author. This edition actually features a much appreciated rewrite of the New Age movement section in light of how much has happened from 76 to 88. The worldviews are given pretty fair treatment considering what the author is doing (overview and not in-depth apologetics). The language is fitting with the subject and as worldviews grow increasingly complex the author stands with that view and exposes us to the language being used.

The Bad

The theistic section should have covered different theistic worldviews. I know his purpose was to give an overview and finally summarize how each of these fall short but by ignoring alternate theisms he doesn't really underscore how Christian Theism stands out. In this book it seems that it's either Christian Theism or Naturalism and all that grows out of that. Failing to mention, say Islamic Theism, is a huge oversight and one that can leave the reader saying "fine, naturalism is wacky but why not believe in {X Creator God} instead of the Christian God?" I also think that the nihilism section may have consisted of some ungrounded generalizations for instance he opens that chapter with "Nihilism is more a feeling than a philosophy. Strictly speaking, nihilism is not a philosophy at all." After this he proceeds to show how nihilism leads to despair and despair is the teaching of nihilism that grows out of a naturalistic framework. If he established it up front I wouldn't be as critical.

The Ugly

The cover illustration is dated but that is to be expected with a 1988 title. The book could have been longer and still accomplished its overview goal while simultaneously shedding some light on alternate worldviews.

Star Rating

All my remarks aside, I still think this book is well worth reading as an introduction into worldviews and understanding that the author doesn't intend for the book to do any more. I would warn the reader that the section on Eastern Pantheistic Monism is utterly confusing and demands a second and third reading but that is no fault of the author. Some of the things being dealt with in that philosophy are so outside Westerners' thinking that he or she may have to saturate themselves with the words so as to understand what is wrong with them.

1 Star Where is the option to award less than one star?
This book is offered as a textbook to give college students the opportunity to explore various worldviews. Sire admits some bias toward his Christian Fundamentalist views, but claims he will attempt to repress them in the interest of fairness. Sire emphasizes that the book isn't meant as a decree of his personal worldview. Reading past the first chapter proves otherwise.

Sire is the living, breathing antithesis of the term "impartial". The book's alleged premise is a smokescreen. Its true objective being to convert young readers to his warped, narrow version of Christianity. Though initially skeptical of the author's ability to be objective, in light of his religious convictions, I determined to keep an open mind and trust that Sire, as a professed Christian, possessed intellectual integrity. Honesty is one of the main tenets of the religion, after all. Reading beyond the introduction brought me back to reality. The first chapter,(Christian) Theism, is given preferential treatment, understandably. If I were writing a book on various belief systems, I wouldn't honestly be able to avoid presenting my own in a positive light. Sire stated in the introduction, however, each worldview would include a description of its strengths and weaknesses. Interestingly, no "weaknesses" in theism are mentioned. His bias gradually progresses from tepid criticism to total vilification of the "absurd" world views that conflict with his own. His arguments are not only invalid, but snide and arrogant, weakening his stance, word by patronizing word. He uses psychological manipulation to instill spiritual panic in the reader from the start. Sire writes "those who do not have faith in the…Lord…must feel – alienation, loneliness, even despair" and "…the loss of a center to life [God] is like the chasm in the heart of a child whose father has died." He clearly insinuates the tragic fate of the reader witless enough to reject Christian Theism. His words "…we live either the examined or the unexamined life…the examined life is better" epitomize his hypocrisy. It is soon apparent he hasn't researched the worldviews he presents. He doesn't want readers to thoughtfully examine issues of consciousness, rather follow his lead…to the letter. His certitude in the authenticity of his worldview falters as he denies its vulnerabilities, its contradictions. Sire refers to disagreements in the early Church as "family squabbles." Historians take a slightly stronger view. What Sire flippantly refers to as "family squabbles" were used to justify the torture and execution of countless people, Christian and otherwise. To list all examples of exaggeration, distortion, and haphazard research, would require a book in itself. Therefore follows a scattering of the book's myriad sins.

Deism, given a generous evaluation compared to other views, writes Sire, is a "reduction" in theism, implying inferiority. "A deeper study of the deists would…lead to the conclusion that they were simply inconsistent and didn't realize it." Apparently men like Locke, Jefferson, Lincoln, Voltaire, and Tennyson did not have the mental capacity to realize the inconsistency of their worldview. Sire then attempts to explain naturalism, claiming it to be a step toward nihilism. Subsequent worldviews are declared progressive shifts away from God, toward nihilism. As Deism originated in Theism, then Theism itself, as a matter of course, must then be the origin of nihilism. Sire, however, fails to make this connection.

Sire refers to Christian ethics as "traditional morality", the source of all modern values. In truth, most of the stories contained in the Bible are revisions of stories written thousands of years before. The Ten Commandments were taken from the Law Code of King Hammurabi. "Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself", was a teaching of Confucius – five hundred years before Jesus preached the Golden Rule. The chapter on nihilism contains the most laughable fallacy. Sire suggests parallels between Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and nihilism. Adams was an atheist, not a nihilist. Sire refers to the characters' search for the "Ultimate Question of Life", answered by a supercomputer as "42." A new quest to find the ultimate question answered by "42", results in "What is 6×9?" Thus, Sire goes on to declare that "the most rational discipline in the universe [mathematics] has been reduced to absurdity." With a modicum of research he would have discovered that 6 x 9 at base 13, rather than the conventional base 10, indeed equals 42. Sire states that "to read….Douglas Adams is to begin to feel….the pangs of human emptiness, of life that is without value…purpose …meaning…" Quite the opposite, Adams' British satirical look at modernity has a large, diverse, and emotionally stable fan base.

Particularly offensive is his suggestion that the supposed nihilistic worldviews of Nietzsche and Ernest Hemingway brought about their insanity and deaths. Modern scholars attribute Nietzsche's mental illness to syphilis, cancer or brain degeneration. Hemingway, a severe alcoholic suffering from bipolar disease, had a family history of suicide. It would have been surprising if he had not taken his life. Neither man was a nihilist, as a real research would have shown. The description of Eastern Pantheistic Monism is full of inconsistencies. He refers to Zen Buddhism as a monistic religion. It is non-theistic. Buddha taught that the path to enlightenment was found in the self, rather than external gods. The New Age movement is treated as though it is one collective acid trip. He presupposes that all students of New Ageism subscribe to uniform beliefs. An exploration of New Ageism cannot at once be so narrowly condensed and taken seriously. The connection he makes between the New Age movement and drug use is intentionally misleading, intended to prevent the reader from doing their own research. His treatment of Postmodernism is similar. A single chapter on Postmodern thought cannot scratch the surface of this enormously multifaceted philosophical body. Once again, Sire illustrates the pseudo research that formed the basis for this book.

Sire's book is little more than the immature ranting of a small minded evangelist, so incapable of genuinely defending his beliefs, he resorts to trite, invalid arguments with irrational leaps from statement to conclusion. His position would have been credible and better reached its intended audience, had he portrayed the contrasting worldviews honestly and fairly. Presenting his subject objectively, without disguising it as a dispassionate survey would have merited a more positive review. I would have no grounds for this strong objection to this book and its author had it been upfront about its theme – a dissertation on Christian fundamentalism's superiority as a world view and its uncompromising truth. Sire has no less right than anyone to express his views freely, whatever they may be. It would be undefensable to state otherwise. However, Sire's work is no more than a deceitful sermon incognito admonishing and attempting to discredit any opposition, regardless of how remote, to Christian Fundamentalism. Ironically, I will close with Sire's own words. It is indeed "not what you say you believe, but how you act you believe" that is your true worldview.

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