Reading as a Philosophical Practice

“Robert Piercey has written an important, engaging, and accessible book about books – specifically, about why we should all read more books. He argues that reading is a philosophical practice as conceived by Alasdair MacIntyre and that we should think about the benefits of the practice in terms of this conception rather than in the narrower frames of reference currently employed by the disciplines of literary aesthetics and literary criticism. Piercey has the enviable ability to both make an original contribution to academic scholarship across several disciplines and provide an intelligent and lively read for those that care about books outside the academy. To use his own term, this is a book for everyone who has a reading life, whether or not they are aware of it.” — Rafe McGregor, Senior Lecturer, Edge Hill University, UK “Drawing on rich historical and academic sources, Rob Piercey presents a clear and convincing case as to how reading can be philosophical. At a time when many of us have been brought back to our reading roots, Reading as a Philosophical Practice is the perfect companion in a time of COVID.” — Todd Mei, Associate Professor, Philosophy, University of Kent, UK Robert Piercey’s Reading as a Philosophical Practice is a humane and generous book—that rare work that doubles as a rewarding scholarly inquiry and an accessible guide for the general reader. Sailing resolutely against the prevailing sentiment that books are an anachronism, Piercey believes that the practice of reading and the reading life offer a precious space of reflection for the cultivation of what is meaningful, and an indispensable element in the constitution of one’s own self. A work clearly written by someone who loves his theme, Piercey elevates the existential claim that books—as a kind of being—have upon us. — John Arthos, Associate Professor of English, Indiana University