What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sea Within: Waves and the Meaning of All Things
- GenresPhilosophy
112 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 2006
5 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Peter Kreeft
201 books1,084 followersPeter Kreeft is an American philosopher and prolific author of over eighty books on Christian theology, philosophy, and apologetics. A convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, his journey was shaped by his study of Church history, Gothic architecture, and Thomistic thought. He earned his BA from Calvin College, an MA and PhD from Fordham University, and pursued further studies at Yale. Since 1965, he has taught philosophy at Boston College and also at The King’s College. Kreeft is known for formulating “Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God” with Ronald K. Tacelli, featured in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. A strong advocate for unity among Christians, he emphasizes shared belief in Christ over denominational differences.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 7, 2015
If, like me, you enjoy finding meaning in the world around us (and other than discussions of meaning itself) then this book will give you immense joy. A beautiful personal reflection on the ocean (in all its forms) and the way the waters speak to the transcendent.
Creative prose, lovely reflections, one of my favorites.
Creative prose, lovely reflections, one of my favorites.
August 20, 2025
Peter Kreeft is an incredible teacher. This book has put words to my own experience of the sea. Definitelly recommend to any lovers of the sea or any forms of nature for that matter.
December 22, 2007
Peter at his sparkling best. Clearly articulated perspectives on how we find meaning for ourselves - as we cannot find meaning for anything else unless we first know ourselves, indeed love ourselves.
January 6, 2023
I am usually a big fan of Dr. Peter Kreeft, yet this book not only left me flat, it left me baffled at why Kreeft would even write it. Dr. Kreeft is a professor of Philosophy at Boston College and is the author of nearly 60 books. Being a fan, I have read many of them, and this is the first to leave a sour taste in my mouth, or should I say a sour thought in my mind.
It is well known that Kreeft, even at his age, is an avid surfer. In fact it has been said he takes some speaking engagements just for the opportunity to surf. It was strange reading a 70-year-old man talking about the sea having orgasms and the sea as mother and child. For a man who has built a career as a Christian apologist, as a convert to Catholicism who defends the faith, this book reads as if he spent too many days in the sun at the beach and has embraced a naturalistic religion or 'spirituality' of nature not fitting with his body of previous work.
The advance promotions I encountered about this book made it sound like a mystical journey with Peter Kreeft, and to be honest that sounded really cool. However it ended up being a series of ramblings that tried to appeal to everyone. Kreeft uses terms like 'Orenda', an Iroquois term, or 'Toa', then the 'Sea as Koan', The 'Third Eye' and others. What do these terms have to do with the sea or Christianity?
It should be noted that Kreeft, for all his writing production, has published only one article in a peer-reviewed journal. "Zen In Heidegger's 'Gelassenheit'" was published in 1971 in the International Philosophical Quarterly, the philosophy journal published by Fordham University. So maybe all the hype and popularity of him as an author is not all that warranted.
My only personal encounter with Kreeft was via e-mail last year when I was trying to verify a fact in one of his other books. His response was short, brisk and arrogant. Maybe the great man was too busy writing this tripe to respond to a writer from a University Newspaper. Of course when you charge $1500 USD a day for speaking engagements, plus travel and board, maybe you think you can get away with almost anything. I once heard of a Led Zeppelin quote, about Zepellen 4 AKA 'Coda', that the reason the band's name was not on the album's original release was because with their popularity they believed they could crap on a recording and it would sell because it was Zeppelin. That is how I feel about this book. This book reads like a personal indulgence into ramblings of an old man, and though many will criticize me for my critique of Kreeft, I cannot recommend this book to you in good conscience.
(First Published in Imprint 2007-05-04 as 'Hate It' in the 'Love it / Hate It' Book review column.)
It is well known that Kreeft, even at his age, is an avid surfer. In fact it has been said he takes some speaking engagements just for the opportunity to surf. It was strange reading a 70-year-old man talking about the sea having orgasms and the sea as mother and child. For a man who has built a career as a Christian apologist, as a convert to Catholicism who defends the faith, this book reads as if he spent too many days in the sun at the beach and has embraced a naturalistic religion or 'spirituality' of nature not fitting with his body of previous work.
The advance promotions I encountered about this book made it sound like a mystical journey with Peter Kreeft, and to be honest that sounded really cool. However it ended up being a series of ramblings that tried to appeal to everyone. Kreeft uses terms like 'Orenda', an Iroquois term, or 'Toa', then the 'Sea as Koan', The 'Third Eye' and others. What do these terms have to do with the sea or Christianity?
It should be noted that Kreeft, for all his writing production, has published only one article in a peer-reviewed journal. "Zen In Heidegger's 'Gelassenheit'" was published in 1971 in the International Philosophical Quarterly, the philosophy journal published by Fordham University. So maybe all the hype and popularity of him as an author is not all that warranted.
My only personal encounter with Kreeft was via e-mail last year when I was trying to verify a fact in one of his other books. His response was short, brisk and arrogant. Maybe the great man was too busy writing this tripe to respond to a writer from a University Newspaper. Of course when you charge $1500 USD a day for speaking engagements, plus travel and board, maybe you think you can get away with almost anything. I once heard of a Led Zeppelin quote, about Zepellen 4 AKA 'Coda', that the reason the band's name was not on the album's original release was because with their popularity they believed they could crap on a recording and it would sell because it was Zeppelin. That is how I feel about this book. This book reads like a personal indulgence into ramblings of an old man, and though many will criticize me for my critique of Kreeft, I cannot recommend this book to you in good conscience.
(First Published in Imprint 2007-05-04 as 'Hate It' in the 'Love it / Hate It' Book review column.)
October 26, 2024
Some of the loveliest prose I've ever read. It gets weird at points (one chapter is about how the sea is a lover, a beautiful woman who you desire carnally, and the very next chapter is about how the sea is your mother and you are her baby. ?????) But this guy sure loves the ocean. And God. So much about God in here, which was fine until he started getting preachy. So many good quotes, though. Beautifully written - almost five stars.
May 23, 2025
I would like it because I like most of Kreeft’s work and I love and lie two blocks off the Pacific. but this book seems free free floating drivel. To be fair, I have reread several times and have ended up in the same place….in another world I don’t quite grasp
February 11, 2020
i have no idea why i read this
July 28, 2025
Kreeft’s a wizard. He made me fall in love with the ocean all over again.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews