The human mind can understand truth only by thinking; as is clear from Augustine.--Saint Thomas Aquinas Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the central figures in the history of Christianity; and this book is one of his greatest theological works. Written as an eloquent defense of the faith at a time when the Roman Empire was on the brink of collapse; it examines the ancient pagan religions of Rome; the arguments of the Greek philosophers and the revelations of the Bible. Pointing the way forward to a citizenship that transcends worldly politics and will last for eternity; this book is one of the most influential documents in the development of Christianity. One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian thought; "The City of God "is vital to an understanding of modern Western society and how it came into being. Begun in A.D. 413; the book's initial purpose was to refute the charge that Christianity was to blame for the fall of Rome (which had occurred just three years earlier). Indeed; Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction. However; over the next thirteen years that it took to complete the work; the brilliant ecclesiastic proceeded to his larger theme: a cosmic interpretation of history in terms of the struggle between good and evil. By means of his contrast of the earthly and heavenly cities--the one pagan; self-centered; and contemptuous of God and the other devout; God-centered; and in search of grace--Augustine explored and interpreted human history in relation to eternity.
#464541 in Books BLOOMSBURY 2007-09-25 2007-09-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.98 x .91 x 5.95l; 1.10 #File Name: 1596913878240 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A big fan of Garry am IBy Keith HalonenSo I read this book even though I am not such a big fan of "the boardroom." Poor Garry has been getting himself arrested lately for being the leader of Russia's opposition party. Did he not see those photos of Putin barechested and packing heat? That could have been interpreted as a clue. I understand he's left the country to live somewhere else in one of the world's 180+ nations that accord (relative) freedom to its citizenry. This book is incisive and though many authors and pundits have drawn analogies between the decisions and actions that characterize great chess play and those that shape history in the real world; I am impelled to insist that the one thing that benefits most – above all others – from keen chess savvy... is chess. An 18-inch board with 64 squares and six different types of interacting "characters" can hardly be compared to the complexities of living life. Granted that many players; like Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer and Ludek Pachman (just to name a very few) become politically involved in a dramatic way. Chess; as its conducted at the world-class level; is intensely characterized by political intrigues; and many great players are paid to endorse chess products (computers; sets; books) just like athletes in the more physical sports; and – yes – chess has been the artificial intelligence benchmark for computer programmers for decades. But it certainly doesn't stand alone as a template for understanding and coping with life. Greatly admire the author. Humbled by his chess prowess. The book was OK. Well worth the read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Get Inside the Mind of the Greatest Chess Player of All Time!By Calvin TerlizziThis book is part memoir/bio. He does compare life to chess in a lot of ways when it comes to making decisions but you will learn some personal stuff about the author. It was interesting to hear the details of some of Garry Kasparov's matches (e.g. his second match against Karpov came down to a single must win game to retain the title). I enjoyed this book.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Part self-help book; part Kasparov's philosophy on life chess.By F. MoyerI think this book is intended to be a self-help book for professionals - using chess anecdotes to illustrate the points it raises. I am a chess player; and was actually more interested in Kasparov and his chess anecdotes. For those more interested in self-help; information is there - but it is quite general and; if you are not a chess player; you will probably not care for this book. As for me; I think I should have bought his autobiography instead (assuming he wrote one). Still; a quick read with interesting philosophy wrapped around chess-analogies.
