The Stone Reader, Simon Critchley
The Stone Reader, Simon Critchley
List: $39.98 | Sale: $27.98
Club: $19.98

The Stone Reader
Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments

Author: Simon Critchley, Peter Catapano

Narrator: Marguerite Gavin, Sean Pratt

Unabridged: 26 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 12/01/2015


Synopsis

The Stone Reader provides an unparalleled overview of contemporary philosophy.

Once solely the province of ivory-tower professors and college classrooms, contemporary philosophy was finally emancipated from its academic closet in 2010, when The Stone was launched in The New York Times. First appearing as an online series, the column quickly attracted millions of readers through its accessible examination of universal topics like the nature of science, consciousness and morality, while also probing more contemporary issues such as the morality of drones, gun control and the gender divide.

The Stone Reader presents 133 meaningful and influential essays from the series, placing nearly the entirety of modern philosophical discourse in the listener's reach . The audiobook, divided into four broad sections-Philosophy, Science, Religion and Morals, and Society-opens with a series of questions about the scope, history and identity of philosophy: What are the practical uses of philosophy? Does the discipline, begun in the West in ancient Greece with Socrates, favor men and exclude women? Does the history and study of philosophy betray a racial bias against non-white thinkers, or geographical bias toward the West?

These questions and others form a foundation for listeners as the audiobook moves to the second section, Science, where some of our most urgent contemporary philosophical debates are taking place. Will artificial intelligence compromise our morality? Does neuroscience undermine our free will? Is there is a legitimate place for the humanities in a world where science and technology appear to rule? Should the evidence for global warming change the way we live, or die?

In the book’s third section, Religion and Morals, we find philosophy where it is often at its best, sharpest and most disturbing-working through the arguments provoked by competing moral theories in the face of real-life issues and rigorously addressing familiar ethical dilemmas in a new light. Can we have a true moral life without belief in God? What are the dangers of moral relativism?

In its final part, Society, The Stone Reader returns to its origins as a forum to encourage philosophers who are willing to engage closely, critically and analytically with the affairs of the day, including economic inequality, technology and racial discrimination. In directly confronting events like the September 11 attacks, the killing of Trayvon Martin, the Sandy Hook School massacre, the essays here reveal the power of philosophy to help shape our viewpoints on nearly every issue we face today.

About Simon Critchley

Simon Critchley is Hans Jonas Professor at the New School for Social Research. His books include Very Little . . . Almost Nothing, Infinitely Demanding, The Book of Dead Philosophers, and The Faith of the Faithless. Recent works include a novella, Memory Theatre, a book-length essay, Notes on Suicide and a book on David Bowie. He is series moderator of "The Stone," a philosophy column in the New York Times and coeditor of The Stone Reader.


Reviews

Goodreads review by William2 on July 15, 2022

These essays may at times seem too truncated and the editorial policy of the New York Times, where they first appeared in a column called The Stone, may be partially at fault. However, for someone who quickly glazes over at the massed abstractions of the Great Systematizers, I find the better essays......more

Goodreads review by robin on June 03, 2024

Education For Grown-Ups The American philosopher Stanley Cavell aptly defined philosophy as "education for grown-ups". This recent collection of essays, "The Stone Reader: Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments" (2016) shows how philosophical thinking may be practiced by reflective individuals who do not......more

Goodreads review by James on August 19, 2016

Beginning in 2010 The New York Times's online format began publishing a series devoted to contemporary philosophy called The Stone. It proved so popular it was soon included in the paper's print edition. It's devoted to examining a wide range of contemporary issues from the context of philosophical......more

Goodreads review by Ryan on May 17, 2016

I finally finished this book, Phew.... It is wise to know when one is ignorant said Socrates in Plato's dialogue, "The Apology" and this book reaffirmed my ignorance in many thought provoking philosophical debates. The desire to finish this book was motivated by the Japanese word "Kaizen" , a Desire......more