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Philosophers and the Meaning of Life by Paul W. B. Marsden
£19.95
Out of stock
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781788360982
Published:
01 Jun 2025
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
350 pages
Dimensions:
235x156x48mm
Weight:
0.450kgs
Author:
What is 'the meaning of life'? This book aims to summarise and discuss 3,500 years of philosophy on the topic in order to make these ideas accessible to the layperson. It aims to cover the most important thinkers who addressed the meaning of and in life in their work, and from their ideas emerges a possible model of a 'Best Self'.
Every human wonders what the meaning of their life is. The billions of souls that have ever lived have struggled to understand and justify their existence. In the past 3,500 years, philosophers have grappled with this question and tried to make sense of it. No one has ever summarised and analysed the ideas, musings, views and solemn pronunciations of over 200 philosophers to search out answers to the question.
This book is written in plain language in order to illuminate a path for anyone else to follow and attempts to break down the traditional barriers into accessing the Buddha in India; Confucius in China; Kamija in Japan; Marx and Bakunin in Russia; Kant and Nietzsche in Europe; Al-Kindi Ibn Sina (Avicenna) in the Middle East; Equiano in Africa; Lame Deer in North America; Zambrano in Latin America; Aboriginal and Maori philosophy in Australasia; and many others.
By analysing these themes, a model emerges towards a 'Best Self'. But why seek to be a better version of you? This book explores the debt we owe to our ancestors and the urgent need for best selves in order to overcome the climate crisis and explore other worlds, so that we may preserve humanity for millennia to come.
About the Author: Paul Marsden has led an eventful life from humble origins born to working class parents in a council house in Cheshire. He was elected in 1997 as one of the youngest Labour MPs in the Blairite government. However, after 9/11 he crossed the floor of the House of Commons to the Liberal Democrats. He resolutely opposed the war in Iraq and held an independent voice in his new party to the point of regular rebellion that made him re-cross the floor, becoming the first MP to do so since Winston Churchill. After retiring from politics in 2005, he worked as Policy Director for an anti-animal testing charity before returned to working as a senior manager in civil engineering and construction projects on Quality Management Systems, IT, and digital innovation. He recently introduced artificial intelligence to planning and programming on a £5bn rail improvement megaproject. He contributed to the 2001 book Voices for Peace, wrote a local history on the Black Friars of Shrewsbury in 2006, and authored Digital Quality Management in Construction in 2019.
| Number of pages | 350 |
|---|
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| Rest of the World | £45.00 | £60.00 |
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