Ideas That Matter
The Concepts That Shape the 21st Century
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Ideas can, and do, change the world. Just as Marxism, existentialism, and feminism shaped the last century, so fundamentalism, globalization, and bioethics are transforming our world now. In Ideas that Matter, renowned philosopher A.C. Grayling provides a personal dictionary of the ideas that will shape our world in the decades to come. With customary wit, fire, and erudition, Grayling ranges across the gamut of essential theories, movements, and philosophies -- from animal rights to neurophilosophy to war crimes -- provoking and elucidating throughout.
Ideas are the cogs that drive history, and in explaining the most complex and influential ones in laymen's terms, Ideas that Matter will help every engaged citizen better understand it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Grayling (The Choice of Hercules) winnows a universe of ideas, ideologies, and philosophies into a personal dictionary for understanding the new century. With topics chosen according to the author s interests and for their intrinsic significance, the alphabetically organized list leaps from the antediluvian Afterlife ; War to the contemporary Artificial Intelligence ; Internet. Each self-standing entry includes a concise introduction intended as a starting point for further investigation by the reader, but the author eschews references and includes only a brief bibliography. While some readers will question the inclusion or omission of specific concepts why Vegetarianism but not global warming? the list is largely conventional if abstract and rather coolly academic. Grayling s dictionary will appeal to readers looking for a perspective of the 21st century s big ideas as seen from the ivory tower.
