The Impulse to Philosophise (Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements, Series Number 33)

What impulses lead us to ask philosophical questions and pursue philosophical enquiry? In a series of stimulating essays fourteen distinguished thinkers examine philosophy and their own engagement with it. Titles such as "How philosophers (who lose their faith) redefine their subject," "Philosophical plumbing," "Putting into order what we already know" and "Is philosophy a 'theory of everything'?" indicate the range of topics and the lively and provocative ways in which they are tackled. The Examined Life Re-examined / Colin Radford -- Trouble With Leprechauns / Martin Hollis -- On Why Philosophers Redefine Their Subject / Stuart Brown -- Some Philosophers I Have Not Known / Frederic Raphael -- The Roots Of Philosophy / John White -- Re-engaging With Real Arguments / Alec Fisher -- Can Philosophy Speak About Life? / İlham Dilman -- Congenital Transcendentalism And 'the Loneliness Which Is The Truth About Things' / Frank Cioffi -- Philosophical Plumbing / Mary Midgley -- Beyond Representation / Anthony Palmer -- Scenes From My Childhood / Bryan Magee -- Metaphysics And Music / Michael Tanner -- Philosophy And The Cult Of Irrationalism / Brenda Almond -- Is Philosophy A 'theory Of Everything'? / G.m.k. Hunt. Edited By A. Phillips Griffiths. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 233-238). Contents......Page 4 Proem......Page 6 The Examined Life Re-examined......Page 10 On Why Philosophers Redefine their Subject......Page 50 The Roots of Philosophy......Page 82 Can Philosophy Speak about Life?......Page 118 Philosophical Plumbing......Page 148 Beyond Representation......Page 162 Scenes from my Childhood......Page 174 Philosophy and the Cult of Irrationalism......Page 210 Is Philosophy a 'Theory of Everything'?......Page 228 References......Page 242 Notes on Contributors......Page 248