i've finally finished tackling karen armstrong's the battle for god, which looks at the history of fundamentalism in christinity, judaism, and islam. it is a companion, of sorts, to her book a history of god, which takes a look at the overall history of the three faiths.

lots of good stuff. one of the more central themes in the two books is an exploration of the schism between mythos and logos. it helped me understand the flaws i saw as inherent in these belief systems, which i now see more as an impedence mismatch between religious and scientific thinking. of course, i'm (over)simplifying.

i highly recommend both books. also, here's an interview with the author, post-9/11, and another, pre-9/11.

i've started re-reading arthur c. clarke's childhood's end. it's amazing to think that it was written in 1953, because it really doesn't feel tainted with the sort of disney-tomorrowland-future normally associated with science fiction of that era. strikingly timeless.