Philosophy for Life: Applying Philosophy in Politics and Culture

by Rupert Read, M. A. Lavery (Editor)

Overview

Philosophy for Life is a bold call for the practice of philosophy in our everyday lives. Philosopher and writer Rupert Read explores a series of important and often provocative contemporary political and cultural issues from a philosophical perspective, arguing that philosophy is not a body of doctrine, but a practice, a vantage point from which life should be analysed and, more importantly, acted upon.
Â
Philosophy for Life is a personal journey that explores four key areas of society today:  Politics, Religion, Art, and the Environment. Taking tangible examples from modern politics, from climate change to the war on terror, and culture, from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy to the poetry of T.S. Eliot, Read shows that philosophy is already an active part of today's world. This captivating and timely book offers a philosophical response to some of the key questions facing today's society and encourages us to use philosophy as a kind of therapy. Philosophy for Life shows that we can improve our perspective on the world and our place in it by doing philosophy everyday.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826495600
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/30/2007
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.38(d)

About the Author

Rupert Read is Reader in Philosophy at the University of East Anglia. He is editor of The New Wittgenstein (Routledge, 2000), The New Hume Debate (Routledge, 2000) and Kuhn (Polity, 2002). He has published articles in a number of philosophical journals and mainstream newspapers. He is also a Green Party City Councillor in Norwich. M. A. Lavery is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, UK. He has previously published on literature and philosophy, including a recent article in The International Journal of Applied Ethics.

Table of Contents

Introduction
 
I. Environment
1. We are part of our ecosystem
2. The Cost of Growth: Climate Change, Crisis and Chaos
3. If you are anti-war, you should be pro-animal rights
 
II. Religion
4. Religion Without Belief
5. Which is worse: Death or Dying?
6. (How) Is Forgiveness Possible?
 
III. Politics
7. How I learned to love Noam Chomsky
8. Rings, Power, Fear and Politics
 
IV. Art
9. Eliot for Art's Sake
 
Conclusion
Suggestions for Further Reading
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Although the language of philosophy can sometimes be arcane, Rupert uses examples from everyday life to show how his subject is part of today's world." Reviewed by Molly Scott-Cato in Greenworld, Spring 2008

From the Publisher