Books › 36 arguments for the existence of God
36 arguments for the existence of God
a work of fiction
402 pages
A deeply intellectual yet emotionally expansive exploration of the messy collision between rational thought and the raptures of faith.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like stepping into a vibrant, late-night seminar where the brightest minds are wrestling with the universe's biggest questions. The pace is steady and contemplative, allowing the reader to fully absorb the intellectual weight of the clash between faith and reason. Yet, the mood is far from dry; it is infused with a spiritually expansive energy and the rapturous, sometimes tormenting, emotional realities of its characters. The prose bridges the gap between rigorous philosophical debate and the intimate enchantments of fiction, making complex ideas feel deeply personal. It is a perfect fit for readers who devour campus novels and crave stories that explore the limits of rationality, celebrating the messy, deeply human search for meaning and purpose.
- Mood
- contemplative
- intellectually expansive
- thought-provoking
- spiritually searching
- Tone
- intellectual
- philosophical
- earnest
- inquisitive
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- faith versus reason · the search for meaning · intellectual infatuation · the limits of rationality · religious rapture
- The writing
- Intelligent and enchanting, blending rigorous philosophical debate with the intimate, emotional textures of human experience.
- The arc
- Moves from a place of intellectual certainty into a messy, expansive exploration of spiritual infatuation and the deeply human need for meaning.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love campus novels and philosophical fiction that wrestles with big ideas about faith, reason, and the human soul.
Content notes
- existential questioning
- religious tension
About the book
After Cass Seltzer's book becomes a surprise best seller, he's dubbed "the atheist with a soul" and becomes a celebrity. He wins over the stunning Lucinda Mandelbaum, "the goddess of game theory," and loses himself in a spiritually expansive infatuation. A former girlfriend appears: an anthropologist who invites him to join in her quest for immortality through biochemistry. And he is haunted by reminders of the two people who ignited his passion to understand religion: his mentor and professor--a renowned literary scholar with a suspicious obsession with messianism--and an angelic six-year-old mathematical genius who is heir to the leadership of a Hasidic sect. Each encounter reinforces Cass's theory that the religious impulse spills over into life at large.36 Arguments for the Existence of God plunges into the great debate of our day: the clash between faith and reason. World events are being shaped by fervent believers at home and abroad, while a new atheism is asserting itself in the public sphere. On purely intellectual grounds the skeptics would seem to have everything on their side. Yet people refuse to accept their seemingly irrefutable arguments and continue to embrace faith in God as their source of meaning, purpose, and comfort. Through the enchantment of fiction, award-winning novelist and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca Newberger Goldstein shows that the tension between religion and doubt cannot be understood through rational argument alone. It also must be explored from the point of view of individual people caught in the raptures and torments of religious experience in all their variety.Using her gifts in fiction and philosophy, Goldstein has produced a true crossover novel, complete with a nail-biting debate ("Resolved: God Exists") and a stand-alone appendix with the thirty-six arguments (and responses) that propelled Seltzer to stardom.From the Hardcover edition.
Description from Open Library.
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