Thinking of answers : questions in the philosophy of everyday life

In his acclaimed columns in the London __Times__ and __Prospect__, A. C. Grayling often responds to provocative questions posed by editors and readers. These questions serve as the basis for the essays in __Thinking of Answers__, among them searching examinations of the following: · Are human beings especially prone to self-deception? · 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 passionately believe theirs is a just cause, does this mean the idea of justice is empty? · Does being happy make us good? And does being good make us happy? As in his previous books on philosophy for the general public, including __Meditations for the Humanist__ and __Life, Sex and Ideas__, rather than presenting a set of categorical answers, Grayling offers suggestions for how to think about every aspect of the question at hand and arrive at one's own conclusion. Nobody can read __Thinking of Answers__ without being fully engaged, for Grayling challenges with his intellect and inspires with his humanity. 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 To Philosophical Questions, Grayling Offers Instead Suggestions For How To Think About Every Aspect Of The Question, And Arrive At One's Own Conclusions. Happiness And The Good -- Morality And Empathy -- Friendship -- The Moral And The Ethical -- The Entitlement To Moralise -- Ethics And Darwin -- Human Rights And Politics -- Poverty -- Is Beauty Subjective? -- Proving A Negitive -- Body And Soul -- Knowledge Of Harm -- Justice As Inspiration -- Apology And History -- Social Evils -- Fear Of Illness And Death -- Celebrity -- Health And Appearance -- Abstinence And Fasting -- Adornment -- Drugs And Laws -- Laughter -- Praise -- God -- Mortification -- Remorse -- Ethics In Business -- Profit -- Science And Religion -- Democracy -- History -- Love -- Stendhal On Love -- Science And Rationality -- Education And The Internet -- Knowing That And Knowing How -- Robots -- Gender And Sex -- Gender And Research -- Scientific Literacy -- Personal Identity -- Brain And Mind -- Climate Change -- Ape And Man -- Synecology -- Longevity -- Water -- Stem Cells -- Cities Unconscious Knowledge -- Political Rhetoric -- Hope -- Renaissance Portraits -- Shock Art -- The Byzantine Idea -- Free Speech And Political Correctness -- Altruism -- Plastic Surgery -- Appearance -- Education -- Intelligence Pills -- Genius -- Symbols -- Employment -- Confucius -- The Moral Worth Of Truth -- Relativism -- Doing Ill To The Bad -- Smoking -- Hypocrisy -- Parental Rights -- Money -- Shakespeare The Thinker -- Shakespeare's Humanism -- Haste And Speed -- Protest -- Philosophy In Education -- Goodness -- Human Beings -- Travelling -- Civil Liberties -- A Good World -- A New Ten Commandments -- Taking Action -- Waste -- Change -- Happiness -- Sport -- Philosophy -- Enlightenment -- Evil -- Prudery -- Inarticulacy -- The Case Of Ashley X -- Contrarianism -- Authority -- Eccentricity -- Religion -- Existence -- Self-deception -- The Meaning Of Life. A.c. Grayling. Includes Index. A.C. Grayling is a thinker who believes that philosophy is a natural part of everyday life. Here, in his most stimulating and enjoyable collection of essays to date, he tackles many of the most fundamental problems facing anyone who wishes to lead a considered life Features short essays that show us how to discover our own answers to life's challenges.