65 pages • 2 hours read
James SireThe Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog
Nonfiction | Reference/Text Book | Adult | Published in 1976A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
In your view, what is the significance of the book’s title, The Universe Next Door? Reflect on why might Sire have chosen this title, citing passages from the text.
In Sire’s analysis, Christian theism is a consistent and satisfactory worldview; yet it was gradually modified and then discarded by many thinkers in the modern period. How does Sire account for this? Why does he believe it is necessary to return to a robust Christian theism? Is he correct?
On Page 61, Sire quotes an author who links naturalism with computer technology. Write two paragraphs analyzing the current controversy over Artificial Intelligence in light of the naturalist worldview, with particular reference to the naturalist view of humans as complex “machines.”
How does nihilism relate to existentialism, in Sire’s analysis? Why, according to Sire, do both philosophies fail to provide a basis for morality? Is Sire correct?
What were some of the sociocultural reasons for the embrace of Eastern pantheistic monism in the West? What have been the main obstacles to embracing Eastern philosophy?
Briefly discuss the ways in which postmodernism has affected or influenced the following fields: history, literary criticism, and religion/theology. Is Sire’s analysis of postmodernism correct? Why or why not?
What tools does Sire suggest to aid in the quest for living the examined life? What other tools might you suggest?
Discuss the sociocultural factors that led Sire to write the book in 1976. Do you think any of these factors still apply today?
How does Sire counter charges of bias in the book? How does he justify the Eight Basic Questions as a template for analysis? Is he successful? Why or why not?
On the last page of the book, Sire speaks of shaping “your personal worldview” (285). In your analysis, how might a “personal worldview” differ from or be related to the broad historical worldviews profiled in the book?
