tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post6006308680821963238..comments2024-02-21T17:37:37.993+00:00Comments on Tairis: Book Review: A World Full of GodsSerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15106896818087205418noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-5710145337943843452011-09-27T10:17:28.074+01:002011-09-27T10:17:28.074+01:00Thanks Faoladh. I think I've heard of Paper...Thanks Faoladh. I think I've heard of Paper's book but it's not one that's really appeared on my radar until now. I shall see if I can get a hold of it, once my budget allows another splurge.<br /><br />Ancestral Celt - I was kind of expecting the comparisons so it didn't grate too much for me. I got the impression that he was trying to accommodate a wider audience than just polytheists, so using a viewpoint that would be familiar to most readers made sense from that point of view. I do think it confused things a little at times, though. Sometimes it felt like he was trying to convince people out of monotheism, rather than discuss polytheism on its own terms; I think at times he wasn't too sure who his audience would be, so he tried to accommodate lots of different ones. That seemed particularly true towards the end when the focus really seemed to switch to justifying polytheism in terms of trying to show how illogical monotheism is. The book worked better when he was focusing more tightly on polytheism itself.<br /><br />I do think I got some good from the book overall, which probably makes me feel more positive about the book than I otherwise would, and more forgiving of its flaws. But yes, his presentation and criticism of opposing arguments, and then proceeding to use the exact same kinds of arguments to 'prove' his own viewpoint was probably the biggest bugbear for me. It undermined a lot of what he was trying to say, which was a real shame.Serenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15106896818087205418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-86806130043950366682011-09-26T17:55:05.239+01:002011-09-26T17:55:05.239+01:00I was frustrated by this book.
I had trouble en...I was frustrated by this book. <br /><br />I had trouble engaging with the author's style of writing; the constant comparison to monotheistic beliefs, disputing their argument, but then using the same argument <em>for</em> polytheism did not sit well with me; and, overall, I felt I gained nothing from it.<br /><br />I hope to see better in the future on the polytheist point of view.An Gàidheal Pàganachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18110240914563016337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-39599439048016983232011-09-26T16:19:54.114+01:002011-09-26T16:19:54.114+01:00*sigh* "…and which is currently in print in E...*sigh* "…and which is currently in print <i>in English</i> is…"faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-72504835148397636282011-09-26T16:18:59.002+01:002011-09-26T16:18:59.002+01:00As far as I am aware, the only other book about po...As far as I am aware, the only other book about polytheism by a living polytheist, and which is currently in print is Jordan Paper's <i>The Deities Are Many</i>.<br /><br />There are a few other books that are also on the subject that may be worth perusing, such as Alice and Irvin Child's <i>Religion and Magic in the Life of Traditional Peoples</i>, but they tend to be anthropological studies of The Other. The main exception seems to be David Leroy Miller's <i>The New Polytheism</i>, but that one is out of print, and anyway he starts his premise from Hillman's archetypal psychology (not that I've had a chance to read the book in depth, so I am forced to rely on internet reviews for an overview of the substance).<br /><br />Anyway, good review.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.com