Making Sense Philosophy behind the Headlines

by Baggini, Julian

• ISBN13: 9780192805065
• ISBN10: 0192805061
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In Making Sense, Julian Baggini examines the philosophical issues and disputes that lie behind such news stories as the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, the war against terrorism, the siege at Waco, genetically modified foods, and advances in human therapeutic cloning. Baggini, founding editor of the highly popular Philosopher's Magazine, shows how we can use the techniques of philosophy and the insights of its greatest practitioners to understand the issues behind the headlines. He explains the proper role of philosophy in such inquiries, showing both the limits and the reach of the philosophical analysis of current affairs, and also argues that applying philosophy to news stories can and should inform our wider understanding--what we know, believe, and value. Baggini covers themes such as war, truth, morality, the environment, religious faith, the ending of life, and the meaning of value. He weaves philosophy and current affairs to create a compelling narrative that challenges how we make sense both of the world around us and of our own beliefs.

Author Biography

Julian has both an academic and journalistic background. He was awarded a PhD in philosophy from University College London in 1997 for his thesis on personal identity. However, he decided not to then embark on an academic career and focused instead on The Philosophers' Magazine. He has published as a freelance, with his reviews and comment pieces appearing in, among others, the Independent, Independent on Sunday, Times Educational Supplement and New Humanist. He also has a regular column in The Skeptic

Table of Contents

Introduction: Philosophy behind the Headlines	1	(262)
1. Truth, lies, and videotape: The problem of knowledge	15	(34)
2. Doing the right thing: Ethics and private life	49	(36)
3. Ballot bores: Rethinking politics	85	(28)
4. Hawks and doves: The morality of war	113	(30)
5. Test-tube trouble: Science under fire	143	(28)
6. Green thinking: Conceptualizing the environment	171	(26)
7. Cult friction: Faith and reason	197	(24)
8. Bread and circuses: Calculating value	221	(22)
9. From conception to coffin: When to end life	243	(20)
10. The rest of life: Philosophy beyond the headlines	263	(26)
Afterword: The 2003 Iraq war	289	(8)
Further Reading	297	(2)
Illustration Sources	299	(2)
Index	301