Why Things Matter

"Black makes the thoroughly convincing argument that, if the foundation of values cannot be located in a realm beyond the physical, it has to be found within the world of the physical- within the material world itself. This necessitates a redefinition of the physical world that allows there to be a place for 'subjects'... [this book] is a timely publication. It carries an optimistic message for it shows that, when Man finally turns his scientific eye on the human subject, he finds embedded in this human core the living template from which religion, science and the values of love and care took origin." - Kenneth Wright, British Journal of Psychotherapy, 2012, Vol.28, No.2

"Black makes the thoroughly convincing argument that, if the foundation of values cannot be located in a realm beyond the physical, it has to be found within the world of the physical- within the material world itself. This necessitates a redefinition of the physical world that allows there to be a place for 'subjects'... [this book] is a timely publication. It carries an optimistic message for it shows that, when Man finally turns his scientific eye on the human subject, he finds embedded in this human core the living template from which religion, science and the values of love and care took origin." - Kenneth Wright, British Journal of Psychotherapy, 2012, Vol.28, No.2

"The rigour of Black's thinking, combined with his deep sense of wonder and subtle appreciation for the varieties of human experience, makes this book a valuable contribution to the psychology of meaning. The thoughtful reader and reflective psychotherapist will greatly benefit from it" - R. J. Chisholm, Self & Society

"David Black's chosen task encompasses how it may be that in a world dominated by scitific objectivist Weltanschauungen, there mayu still be both reason and need for the values that we associate with the religious life... As I would aver that we have no fixed notion of the healthy individual, we are left with reading such works as David Black's Why Things Matter and playing with ideas such as his that some admixture of values, aesthetics and intersubjective living... make life worthwhile. For me, reading David Black's volume mattered!" -Howard H. Covitz Ph.D., ABPP, American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 2014