Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Nagel goes through all the major areas of philosophy with a very light touch. The writing is almost Orwellian in its simplicity and directness
Let's talk about your first choice, What Does It All Mean? by Thomas Nagel.
I just dug through my bookshelves looking for this but I couldn't find it. I've had a number of copies of this book but I always seem to end up giving it away, which I think is a good sign.
Why is it such a good gateway into the subject?
It's perfect for someone who wants to find out what philosophy is all about. First of all, it's very, very short. Secondly, it's written in prose that is completely unpretentious, unpatronising and clear. It's the kind of book you could read in an evening, but at the same time you'd really have a flavour of what philosophy is. It's got the authority of him being a significant philosopher in his own right, but if you had no idea who he was it wouldn't matter. The writing is almost Orwellian in its simplicity and directness. As somebody who has tried to write clear introductory books, I know how difficult that is to pull off.
Nagel begins with the observation – which mirrors my experience as a teacher and as a father – that philosophy arises naturally out of the human condition. People start asking philosophical questions from an early age. And there is a history of over 2,000 years of people discussing these questions – thinking critically about how we should live, what the nature of reality is, what consciousness is. Nagel goes through all these major areas of philosophy with a very light touch.
“What does it all mean?” is a question that people who haven't studied philosophy often think the subject is about. They might be a little disappointed, if they study it formally, to discover that there is little talk about the meaning of life and so on. Do you think the title might give readers false expectations?
In the introduction to the book, Nagel writes, "There isn’t much you can assume or take for granted. So philosophy is a somewhat dizzying activity, and few of its results go unchallenged for long." He's not pretending philosophy is going to tell you what it all means. It's going to introduce you to the questions and help you think critically about them. If somebody comes to philosophy thinking they are going to come out after a few years understanding exactly how we should live and what reality is like, then they're naive. That's one of the things you learn from studying philosophy. As Socrates pointed out, true wisdom lies in knowing how little you know.
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Nigel Warburton has taught philosophy at the Open University since 1994. He was previously a lecturer at Nottingham University. He is best known for his introductory philosophy books and for his podcast series, Philosophy Bites. Featuring short interviews with the world's best philosophers on bite-size topics, the podcast has been downloaded more than 11 million times to date. His latest book is A Little History of Philosophy
This book is perfect for someone who wants to find out what philosophy is all about. First of all, it's very short. Secondly, it's written in prose that is completely unpretentious, unpatronising and clear. It's the kind of book you could read in an evening, but at the same time you'd really have a flavour of what philosophy is. It's got the authority of him being a significant philosopher in his own right, but if you had no idea who he was it wouldn't matter. The writing is almost Orwellian in its simplicity and directness. As somebody who has tried to write clear introductory books, I know how difficult that is to pull off.
Nagel begins with the observation – which mirrors my experience as a teacher and as a father – that philosophy arises naturally out of the human condition. People start asking philosophical questions from an early age. And there is a history of over 2000 years of people discussing these questions – thinking critically about how we should live, what the nature of reality is, what consciousness is. Nagel goes through all these major areas of philosophy with a very light touch.
“What does it all mean?” is a question that people who haven't studied philosophy often think the subject is about. They might be a little disappointed, if they study it formally, to discover that there is little talk about the meaning of life and so on. Do you think the title might give readers false expectations?
In the introduction to the book, Nagel writes, "There isn’t much you can assume or take for granted. So philosophy is a somewhat dizzying activity, and few of its results go unchallenged for long." He's not pretending philosophy is going to tell you what it all means. It's going to introduce you to the questions and help you think critically about them. If somebody comes to philosophy thinking they are going to come out after a few years understanding exactly how we should live and what reality is like, then they're naive. That's one of the things you learn from studying philosophy. As Socrates pointed out, true wisdom lies in knowing how little you know.
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