What Philosophy Can Do

This book is a brilliant demonstration of what philosophy can do and how it is essential to human integrity and identity. Gutting's is a distinctly American voice: straightforwardly intelligent, generously sympathetic, but always forcefully critical, without ever being mean or scornful. Reading this book, one feels whole clouds of dogma and nonsense suddenly evaporate and one sees the landscape of a whole series of debates. Highly recommended. -- Simon Critchley, co-editor of The Stone Reader: Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments With this splendid book, Gary Gutting joins the great tradition of leading philosophers who venture from the ivory tower to speak with the public. Covering a range of topics-politics, science, religion (including atheism), art, and more-What Philosophy Can Do never condescends, never tries to evade the difficult. With wit and flair, Gutting shows how philosophical thinking permeates life's decisions and can enrich our overall personal sense of worth and happiness. -- Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University Clearheaded, sensible, and teacherly in the best sense, Gutting in What Philosophy Can Do accomplishes what American philosophy today too rarely attempts-he illuminates how leading academic thinkers see ideas such as science, happiness, work, God, evil, capitalism and education in a voice any open-minded reader can appreciate. -- Carlin Romano, author of America The Philosophical