Ultimate Questions [Hardcover]

We human beings had no say in existingwe just opened our eyes and found ourselves here. We have a fundamental need to understand who we are and the world we live in. Reason takes us a long way, but mystery remains. When our minds and senses are baffled, faith can seem justifiedbut faith is not knowledge. InUltimate Questions, acclaimed philosopher Bryan Magee provocatively argues that we have no way of fathoming our own natures or finding definitive answers to the big questions we all face.

With eloquence and grace, Magee urges us to be the mapmakers of what is intelligible, and to identify the boundaries of meaningfulness. He traces this tradition of thought to his chief philosophical mentorsLocke, Hume, Kant, and Schopenhauerand shows why this approach to the enigma of existence can enrich our lives and transform our understanding of the human predicament. As Magee puts it, There is a world of difference between being lost in the daylight and being lost in the dark.

The crowning achievement to a distinguished philosophical career,Ultimate Questionsis a deeply personal meditation on the meaning of life and the ways we should live and face death.

Bryan Mageehas had an unusually multifaceted career as a professor of philosophy, music and theater critic, BBC broadcaster, and member of Parliament. His books, which have been translated into more than twenty languages, includeThe Story of Philosophy. He lives in Oxford, England. Magee's writing always makes very easy reading. ---Anthony Kenny,Standpoint [Magee] writes with relaxed fluency. ---Rowan Williams,New Statesman [Bryan Magee] writes with grace and offers a thoughtful summation of human experience. Living and dying in a world we accept we do not understand may not sound easy, but if Magee is any guide, the reward of doing so is endless and profound wonder. ---Julian Baggini,Independent Magee is refreshingly comfortable lc.