The Meaning of Life: A Reader

Klemke, E. D. [Editor]; Cahn, Steven M. [Editor];

ISBN 10: 0195327306 / ISBN 13: 9780195327304

Published by Oxford University Press, 2007

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 0195327306-4-36697688

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Meaning of Life: A Reader
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195327306
• ISBN 13: 9780195327304
• Binding: paperback
• Edition: 3rd Edition
• Condition: Fair
• Weight: 14 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

Featuring nine new articles chosen by coeditor Steven M. Cahn, the third edition of E. D. Klemke's The Meaning of Life offers twenty-two insightful selections that explore this fascinating topic. The essays are primarily by philosophers but also include materials from literary figures and religious thinkers. As in previous editions, the readings are organized around three themes. In Part I the articles defend the view that without faith in God, life has no meaning or purpose. In Part II the selections oppose this claim, defending instead a nontheistic, humanistic alternative--that life can have meaning even in the absence of theistic commitment. In Part III the contributors ask whether the question of the meaning of life is itself meaningful.
The third edition adds substantial essays by Moritz Schlick, Joel Feinberg, and John Kekes as well as selections from the writings of Louis P. Pojman, Emil L. Fackenheim, Robert Nozick, Susan Wolf, and Steven M. Cahn. The only anthology of its kind, The Meaning of Life: A Reader, Third Edition, is ideal for courses in introduction to philosophy, human nature, and the meaning of life. It also offers general readers an accessible and stimulating introduction to the subject.

About the Author

E.D. Klemke is Professor of Philosophy at Iowa State University. Steven Cahn is Professor of Philosophy at The Graduate Center, City University of New York.