Life, Death, and Meaning: Key Philosophical Readings on the Big Questions

Benatar, David (Editor)/ Boden, Margaret A. (Contributor)/ Feldman, Fred (Contributor)/ Fischer, John Martin (Contributor)/ Hare, Richard (Contributor)

ISBN 10: 1442258314 / ISBN 13: 9781442258310

Published by Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc, 2016

About this Item

3rd edition. 530 pages. 8.00x5.00x1.00 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # x-1442258314

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Life, Death, and Meaning: Key Philosophical Readings on the Big Questions
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1442258314
• ISBN 13: 9781442258310
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 3rd Edition
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.82 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

Do our lives have meaning? Should we create more people? Is death bad? Should we commit suicide? Would it be better to be immortal? Should we be optimistic or pessimistic? Since Life, Death, and Meaning: Key Philosophical Readings on the Big Questions first appeared, David Benatar's distinctive anthology designed to introduce students to the key existential questions of philosophy has won a devoted following among users in a variety of upper-level and even introductory courses.

While many philosophers in the "continental tradition"-those known as "existentialists"-have engaged these issues at length and often with great popular appeal, English-speaking philosophers have had relatively little to say on these important questions. Yet, the methodology they bring to philosophical questions can, and occasionally has, been applied usefully to "existential" questions. This volume draws together a representative sample of primarily English-speaking philosophers' reflections on life's big questions, divided into six sections, covering (1) the meaning of life, (2) creating people, (3) death, (4) suicide, (5) immortality, and (6) optimism and pessimism. These key readings are supplemented with helpful introductions, study questions, and suggestions for further reading, making the material accessible and interesting for students. In short, the book provides a singular introduction to the way that philosophy has dealt with the big questions of life that we are all tempted to ask.

About the Authors

Arthur Hubscher is president of the Schopenhauer Society and director of its archives.

David B. Suits is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA.

Richard Taylor is Emeritus Professor of Politics at Swansea University, Wales, UK. His previous publications include Film Propaganda: Soviet Russia & Nazi Germany (1998), The Battleship Potemkin (2001) and October in the BFI Film Classics series (2002). He is founding editor of the KINO Series.