Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalogue

Written by James W. Sire

When The Universe Next Door was first introduced nearly thirty years ago, it set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews. In concise, easily understood prose, James W. Sire explained the basics of theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism and the new consciousness. // The second edition was updated and expanded to include sections on Marxism and secular humanism, as well as a completely reworked chapter on what is now widely known as New Age philosophy rather than new consciousness. And the third edition offered further updating and revisions, including a thoroughly revised chapter on New Age philosophy and, perhaps most importantly, a new chapter on postmodernism. // Now the fourth edition refines the definition of worldview itself, incorporating Sire's thinking and teaching during the past decade. (His recent work is showcased in a new book, Naming the Elephant, also published by IVP.) // The Universe Next Door has been translated into several languages and has been used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature. With the publication of the fourth edition, this book will continue to aid students, teachers and anyone who wants to understand the variety of worldviews that compete with Christianity for the allegiance of our minds and hearts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Jan 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781596440562

James W. Sire

James W. Sire (PhD, University of Missouri), formerly a senior editor at InterVarsity Press, is an active speaker and writer. He has taught English, philosophy, theology, and short courses at many universities and seminaries. He continues to be a frequent guest lecturer in the United States and Europe. His InterVarsity Press books and Bible studies include The Universe Next Door (a worldviews textbook), Scripture Twisting, Discipleship of the Mind, Chris Chrisman Goes to College, Why Should Anyone Believe Anything at All?, Habits of the Mind, Naming the Elephant, Learning to Pray Through the Psalms, Why Good Arguments Often Failand A Little Primer on Humble Apologetics.

Reviews for Universe Next Door

[orfishome · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hard to read in many places because of its philosophical depth but could be an invaluable resource text. I particularly liked his summary of Marx's beliefs and Decartes' fatal error in reason.

[keith.benjamin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While this book was required reading in at least one class, it is a book I didn't mind re-reading. While it's very clear and easy to understand, it does not oversimplify the heavy issues of worldviews. Every Christian ought to not simply read this book, but study it. This needs to go hand in hand with the Bible as an introduction to worldviews, and apologetics.

[nielsengw_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

James Sire caught me with my proverbial pants down (so to say) with his Universe Next Door. Ostensibly, it goes through the six to ten (depending on how you count and group them) major philosophical schools and examines each one for strengths and flaws. He indeed covers the whole spectrum, from theism to nihilism to naturalism to existentialism to postmodernism. And his dutiful explanations of each school are decent; I’ll give him that. But sadly, it’s the last chapter that wallops you on the side of the head. After a competent exploration of the world of philosophy, he dumps all but one into a bucket labelled “Not Worth Your Time.” The conclusion he brings the book to is to that to live a “well-examined” life, one must be a Christian theist. That left a sour taste in my mouth. That is not to say that Christian theism isn’t a worthy worldview for some people. But simply dismissing billions of people as not living a good life is both insulting and deflating. If you must read this one, stop just before the end—trust me, you’ll feel a lot better about it.

[adewoye-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A clear and readable introduction to the subject of Worldviews. It discusses a number of Worldviews and explains their key features, all from a Theistic (and that's a worldview, too) perspective.

[jengel_17 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although a Christian publishing, Sire gives balanced views on many worldviews/metanarratives from pantheism/naturalism/existentialism/nihilism/postmoderism (you get the idea). Recommended for college folk.

[iacobus_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read the first edition of this book as an undergraduate, and it provided a valuable guide to the concept of worldview - that people arrive at different conclusions about the world because they have different basic assumptions. UND is a book about Western world views - you'll need to read missiological literature for an examination of Islamic, animist or other world views. Eastern Pantheistic Monism is included by Sire because (presumably) it had a big influence on Western culture during the 1960s and into the New Age movement.

The strength of this book is that it serves as an introduction. Although some complain that it is overly academic, I think that anyone who has studied the sciences or humanities at a tertiary level should be able to pick their way through the worldviews. As an introduction, the book orients the reader to where people might be coming from, and provides the mental tools to be able to begin to identify worldviews and why they are unacceptable from a Christian and from a rational point of view.

I am sure there are shortcomings in Sire's presentation of each of the worldviews. Each of them would need a large book to examine it and its relationship to Christian theism. If the book has any weakness, it is in the way it is used by its readers.

Caveat 1 - each worldview presented has many more nuances than Sire is able to present. To think, for example, that every existentialist is exactly as Sire describes them is simplistic. Sire does no more than provide a framework or a basis from which we can view and learn about those worldviews.

Caveat 2 - Don't think that Christians have nothing to learn from other worldviews, or from their practitioners. For example, many Christians may fail to see the apparent pointlessness of life in many situations (despite Ecclesiates), whereas nihilistic writings may alert us to this viewpoint. Or, again, we may fail to appreciate the interconnectedness of the created order and our fellowship with it. Pantheism can alert is to this without our needing to become pantheists.

Caveat 3 - humility is an antedote to our incredulity as we read about the worldviews of others. Many people think that a Christian worldview is just as incredulous. We should not pit arrogance against arrogance, or triumphalistic certainty against triumphalistic certainty. Christians (of the evangelical kind) have no monopoly on truth - we merely know who is the Truth, and that he has revealed some of it to us. That is no call to discard that revealed truth, but to constantly audit our grasp of that truth. Looking at other perceptions of reality is one tool in that process.