Thinking of Answers: Questions in the Philosophy of Everyday Life

The essays in this book, drawn mainly from A. C. Grayling's columns in 'Prospect', the 'Dubliner' and 'The Times', are in fact responses to questions set by editors and readers. If beauty existed only in the eye of the beholder, would that make it an unimportant quality? Are human rights political? Can ethics be derived from evolution by natural selection? If both sides in a conflict can passionately believe that theirs is the just cause, does this mean that the idea of justice is empty? Does being happy make us good? And does being good make us happy? Are human beings especially prone to self-deception? As in his previous books of popular philosophy, including the best-selling iThe Reason of Things and The Meaning of Thingsi, rather than presenting a set of categorical answers Grayling offers instead suggestions for how to think about every aspect of a question, and arrive at one's own conclusions. As a result 'Thinking of Answers' is both an enjoyable and inspirational collection.

Review: 'A rollicking defence of Freedom and Enlightenment in the style of Tom Paine or William Godwin' Spectator (on Towards the Light) 'Grayling upholds some principles that should be tattooed inside the eyelids of any politician who claims to be a liberal democrat: that liberties are indivisible and universal; that free speech is "the fundamental civil liberty"' The Times (on Liberty in the Age of Terror)

Author Biography: A.C. Grayling is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a multi-talented author. He believes that philosophy should take an active, useful role in society. He has been a regular contributor to The Times, Financial Times, Observer, Independent on Sunday, Economist, Literary Review, New Statesman and Prospect, and is a frequent and popular contributor to radio and television programmes, including Newsnight, Today, In Our Time, Start the Week and CNN news. He is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum at Davos, and advises on many committees ranging from Drug Testing at Work to human rights groups.

Promotional Information: Thinking of Answers is the new, provocative book by A. C. Grayling in the vein of his most popular best-selling titles The Meaning of Things and Towards the Light A. C. Grayling is a weekly columnist for The Times, writes across the national press and is constantly in the media spotlight; on publication, he will be engaged in much publicity