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 "The Reason of Things and The Meaning of Things", 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. It’s easy to read and jump in and out of and it does a great job of showing why philosophy is so relevant to the way we live our lives – and how our lives are enriched and our horizons stretched merely by taking some time to actually think about stuff. As Socrates said, the unexamined life is not worth living, and this book helps prompt perhaps a little more of that examination.
Selected by Matt Lloyd
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