Superior Beings

From the reviews: "[Brams's] arguments, some of them quite complicated, are presented clearly and enough background information is given to enable the non-expert in game theory to follow what is going on." --H.N.V. Temperley, Nature (March, 1984) "Superior Beings is an extraordinary book... He [Brams] uses strikingly simple models and generally transparent logic to make some surprising inferences about superiority. His inquiry is carried out with great inventiveness and care, and his book is highly recommended to those interested in religion, philosophy, and the contribution of logical analysis." - D. Marc Kilgur, American Scientist (1984) "Brams has performed a service in deominstrating that rational analysis need not stop where issues involving faith and emotion begin." - Peter Bennett, New Scientist (1 March, 1984) "Does game-theoretic theory exist? This book is a fresh partial answer, modestly phrased and interestingly written. Readers will enjoy it and learn from it whether or not the believe in either God or von Neumann." - Dr. Paul R. Halmos, Indiana University "Professor Brams has boldly invaded an unexplored region where modern game theory and decision theory find applications to monotheistic theology. His carefully constructed arguments would have perplexed Maimonides, Aquinas, Luther, or the great Muslim thinkers... But it is hard to see how they can be ignored by contemporary theologians." - Martin Gardener "[Brams's] work can be highly recommended as collateral reading for introdcutory courses on mathematical modeling in the social, managerial and decision science-now perhaps even in theology." - William F. Lucas, American Mathematical Monthly (January, 1987) From the reviews of the second edition: "Brams analyses human interactions with the divine in order to effectively cast light on some of the toughest questions in philosophy and theology. ! Superior Beings represents a first step in applying game-theoretic analysis to religious issues and reading it brings up many questions and directions for future work. ! Overall, Superior Beings is an excellent book that tackles a challenging series of topics with grace and depth." (Angela Vierling-Claassen, MathDL, February, 2008)

(Bookdata)

Preface.- Preface from First Edition.- Preface to the Second Edition.- Acknowledgements.- List of Figures.- Introduction.- The Rationality of Belief in a Superior Being.- Omniscience and Partial Omniscience.- The Paradox of Omniscience and the Theory of Moves.- Omnipotence: Moving and Staying Power.- Immortality and Incomprehensibility.- Superior Beings: They May be Undecidable.- Appendix.- Glossary.- Bibliography.- Index.

(Bookdata)