
Coffee Shop University by Mario Kfoury takes us on an almost 10,000 year journey through the history of man's attempt to understand the Universe and his place in it. Through the life of the author, originally hailing from Beirut and now living in California, we examine and briefly look at all of the great philosophies of humankind, from the teaching of Buddha, Confucious, Lau Tsu, right through the history of man, up to today's new understanding being uncovered in the area of quantum physics. The author also casts a scathing eye across the bastardisation of good teachings at the hands of organised religion. The ultimate conclusion appears to be that life is a never ending search for knowledge and social justice. Our lives and the future direction of humanity is in our own hands. We, as individuals can and should make a difference to our world.
As a starting point for examining the purpose of our life, Coffee Shop University is a useful tool. The author, Kfoury has clearly done his research well and I suspect there are very few philosophies or religions he has failed to cover in this book. The size of the book has meant that many important and interesting theories are given no more than a passing mention. As I said, if you are looking for something that lays out the full gamut of man's spiritual journey on this earth to allow you to find something of interest to further read about, then this would be a great book for that purpose. I did find Coffee Shop University an enjoyable read for two reasons; the author has similar beliefs to my own with respect to man's point in being and secondly because of the breadth of history he managed to cover, albeit it just touching the surface. A good, solid introduction to philosophy and worth the read.