Peter Steinberger – författare

Whether people praise, worship, criticize, or reject God, they all presuppose at least a rough notion of what it means to talk about God. Turning the certainty of this assumption on its head, a respected educator and humanist shows that when we talk about God, we are in fact talking about nothing at all-there is literally no such idea-and so all of the arguments we hear from atheists, true believers, and agnostics are and will always be empty and self-defeating. Peter J. Steinberger's commonsense account is by no means disheartening or upsetting, leaving readers without anything meaningful to hold on to. To the contrary, he demonstrates how impossible it is for the common world of ordinary experience to be all there is. With patience, clarity, and good humor, Steinberger helps readers think critically and constructively about various presuppositions and modes of being in the world. By coming to grips with our own deep-seated beliefs, we can understand how traditional ways asserting, denying, or even just wondering about God's existence prevent us from seeing the truth-which, it turns out, is far more interesting and encouraging than anyone would have thought.

Whether people praise, worship, criticize, or reject God, they all presuppose at least a rough notion of what it means to talk about God. Turning the certainty of this assumption on its head, a respected educator and humanist shows that when we talk about God, we are in fact talking about nothing at all-there is literally no such idea-and so all of the arguments we hear from atheists, true believers, and agnostics are and will always be empty and self-defeating. Peter J. Steinberger's commonsense account is by no means disheartening or upsetting, leaving readers without anything meaningful to hold on to. To the contrary, he demonstrates how impossible it is for the common world of ordinary experience to be all there is. With patience, clarity, and good humor, Steinberger helps readers think critically and constructively about various presuppositions and modes of being in the world. By coming to grips with our own deep-seated beliefs, we can understand how traditional ways asserting, denying, or even just wondering about God's existence prevent us from seeing the truth-which, it turns out, is far more interesting and encouraging than anyone would have thought.

By putting students in direct touch with the inner workings of the political system, The Real World of American Politics provides them with direct, concrete access to the nuts-and-bolts—the real world—of American government. In all the standard areas of American political practice, working documents provide serious insight into the stakes, values, and processes that drive and inform the political system. For example, looking carefully at the text of an actual bill deeply enhances learning about the legislative process, and the strengths and weaknesses of public opinion polling become clearer if a student has an opportunity to examine a real life survey instrument. Organized thematically to reflect the way that many introductory courses are taught, the documents are accompanied by brief, accessible, and informative introductory materials that place them in their proper historical, political, and theoretical contexts. Each section also includes study questions to guide student reading and inquiry. Whether used as the core text or in conjunction with a standard textbook, The Real World of American Politics is the only book on the market that takes students inside the political process as it actually unfolds. FeaturesA well-organized and carefully curated volume that includes a wide variety of on-the-ground documents composing a representative selection of raw materials, procedures, and outcomes characteristic of the political process itself.Brief, accessible, and informative introductory discussions that place each document in its proper historical, political, and theoretical context.Carefully chosen study questions, designed both to guide student inquiry and to suggest possible paper topics or exam questions, accompanying each document

By putting students in direct touch with the inner workings of the political system, The Real World of American Politics provides them with direct, concrete access to the nuts-and-bolts—the real world—of American government. In all the standard areas of American political practice, working documents provide serious insight into the stakes, values, and processes that drive and inform the political system. For example, looking carefully at the text of an actual bill deeply enhances learning about the legislative process, and the strengths and weaknesses of public opinion polling become clearer if a student has an opportunity to examine a real life survey instrument. Organized thematically to reflect the way that many introductory courses are taught, the documents are accompanied by brief, accessible, and informative introductory materials that place them in their proper historical, political, and theoretical contexts. Each section also includes study questions to guide student reading and inquiry. Whether used as the core text or in conjunction with a standard textbook, The Real World of American Politics is the only book on the market that takes students inside the political process as it actually unfolds. FeaturesA well-organized and carefully curated volume that includes a wide variety of on-the-ground documents composing a representative selection of raw materials, procedures, and outcomes characteristic of the political process itself.Brief, accessible, and informative introductory discussions that place each document in its proper historical, political, and theoretical context.Carefully chosen study questions, designed both to guide student inquiry and to suggest possible paper topics or exam questions, accompanying each document