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Synopsis
Unique and accessible explanations to some of life's biggest questions, obtained through a series of irresistable mental challenges
Library Journal
In brief chapters presented with a mix of narrative and arch dialog, such philosophical issues as the ethics of meat eating, the existence of God, and the nature of common errors in reasoning are presented as "mental exercises" for the reader. Law (philosophy, Univ. of London) is the editor of Think, a British journal whose mission is to bring philosophy into popular public view. This collection reflects that effort to popularize theory and make it accessible to an audience with no technical background. Each "exercise" offers a bit of historical staging and glimpses at some of the traditional arguments, but none really serves in lieu of reading any of the thinkers-from Plato to Wittgenstein-or of taking an introductory philosophy course. Daniel Postgate's illustrations are both useful and humorous, extending a verbal presentation that sometimes becomes tiresome in its hyperbolic characterizations of the fictional discussants. Chapter endnotes most often cite chapters within recently published anthologies rather than primary sources. Best suited for audiences in public and high school libraries.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.