Book description
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.
 He is a philosopher engaged in what he rightly praises, adding
value to life, in a way that is not too taxing' 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.
