Richard Todd Devens

Tackling the Ethical Dilemmas of Life

I doubt that anyone can read this book and not find at least one topic to be very controversial for them. The topics were brought up with the intentions of being thought provoking regardless if you agree with the authors points of view.

I know I found myself questioning what I actually believe in, versus what I think I'm supposed to or feel obligated by society, to believe in.

I did find it a bit tedious to get through the whole book, not just because it was full exhausting questions, but because almost all of it was written in opinions and had very little to do with any facts. I finished the book none the less, and I'm glad I did. This is for the reader who isn't concerned about the facts of dealing with ethical dilemmas in life, and just wants to exercise your mind and questions what is and is not, than this is the book for you.

This book can be read in any order since the chapters are basically comprised of a different topic for each. Skip one, come back to it, read them out of order, it's all up to you which makes this a great read to be picking up every now and again.

I'd give this book 3/5. Definitely worth the price of the book, and worth the time I spent reading it. I know quite a few people who love this kind of book and would really have fun with all the thought provoking topics discussed.… (más)

When I received the press release for this book, I was excited to read it. The description led me to expect well-reasoned, researched, controversial arguments that provoked thought and debate. I did get the controversial aspect. The well-reasoned and researched aspects are absent throughout much of the book.

For instance, in the first chapter covering religion, Devens makes a statement that he knows nothing about religion or the Bible. I'm assuming this means he has never read the Bible, which makes a rational argument against the Biblical God a bit of a challenge. While I did agree with some of the points he made, for the most part it was nothing more than him ranting about all the problems in the world and using those as reasons we should not believe in God. There is nothing new or profound in any of this.

In another section he talks about athletes who are heckled and might want to react violently. He says, "If some lowlife who happens to be, perhaps, a truck driver or factory worker (and drunk at the same time) is saying that they stink..." This is only one example of Devens' propensity toward equating lowlifes with blue collar workers, as if lawyers and accountants never get drunk and/or behave rudely. I would invite Devens to step off his upper class cloud and take a closer look at the world around him.

Devens also makes several references to "bleeding heart liberals", blaming this group as a whole for absurd things such as wanting to punish a Good Samaritan for protecting someone in danger. As a liberal myself, I found this offensive. His comments prove his arguments are often irrational, a complete contradiction to the book's title. A rational argument would tackle the issue, rather than ridicule a specific group of people.

The entire chapter on prostitution is offensive to women. He looks at the issue from a male's perspective only, without ever addressing how the women end up on the street and/or what the lifestyle does to them. There is a huge distinction between a prostitute walking the street and a call girl working out of a brothel, yet Devens does not address this at all. He approaches prostitution as if it's only about a man's need for sexual release, going as far as to say it's important for men who happen to marry ugly women.

Finally, I have to mention the chapter on cannibalism. Devens makes an argument for the practice of eating criminals and lesser humans as a way to eradicate hunger. And I will leave you to think what you want about that.… (más)