Comparative Religion, Philosophy 

When THE UNIVERSE NEXT DOOR was first introduced, it set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to world views. In concise, easily understood terms James W. Sire explained the basics of theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism and the new consciousness. But much has happened in the decade since the book was first released. Chief among the changes is the recognition that the new consciousness, which many felt was a passing fad, has firmly entrenched itself as New Age philosophy--with actress Shirley MacLaine as its leading exponent. In response to this and other developments, Sire has undertaken the task of revising the entire work, adding sections on Marxism and secular humanism, as well as completely rewriting the chapter on the New Age and updating bibliographies. The result is a fresh, up-to-date version of the classic introduction to world-view thinking. THE UNIVERSE NEXT DOOR has been translated into several languages and has been used as a text at over 100 colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature. - from Amzon