"Philosophy for Life" is a bold call for the practice of philosophy in our everyday lives. Philosopher and writer Rupert Read explores a series of important and often provocative contemporary political and cultural issues from a philosophical perspective, arguing that philosophy is not a body of doctrine, but a practice, a vantage point from which life should be analysed and, more importantly, acted upon. "Philosophy for Life" is a personal journey that explores four key areas of society today: Politics, Religion, Art, and the Environment. Taking tangible examples from modern politics, from climate change to the war on terror, and culture, from Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy to the poetry of TS Eliot, Read shows that philosophy is already an active part of today's world. This captivating and timely book offers a philosophical response to some of the key questions facing today's society and encourages us to use philosophy as a kind of therapy. "Philosophy for Life" shows that we can improve our perspective on the world and our place in it by doing philosophy everyday.

Author Biography

Rupert Read is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, UK. He is editor of The New Wittgenstein (Routledge, 2000), The New Hume Debate (Routledge, 2000) and Kuhn (Polity, 2002). He has published articles in a number of philosophical journals and mainstream newspapers.