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  • The Challenge of Things

  • Thinking Through Troubled Times
  • By: A. C. Grayling
  • Narrated by: Philip Franks
  • Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)

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The Challenge of Things

By: A. C. Grayling
Narrated by: Philip Franks
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Summary

A. C. Grayling's lucid and stimulating books, based on the idea that philosophy should engage with the world and make itself useful, are immensely popular.

The Challenge of Things joins earlier collections like The Reason of Things and Thinking of Answers but this time to collect Grayling's recent writings on the world in a time of war and conflict. In describing and exposing the dark side of things, he also explores ways out of the habits and prejudices of mind that would otherwise trap us forever in the deadly impasses of conflicts of all kinds.

Whether he is writing about the First World War and its legacy, free speech, the advantages of an atheist prime minister, or the role of science in the arts, his essays are always enlightening, enlivening and hopeful.

©2015 A. C. Grayling (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
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Thought-provoking, bite-sized philosophy

Accessible chunks of philosophical thought, as applied to the struggles and questions of the modern day. As someone relatively new to the subject, I found it engaging. The narrator, however, often quickened his speech to a speed not suited to absorbing more complex areas, which was rather frustrating.

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Pleasure and learning

I'm glad I've listened to this book. I have learned things which everyone should know, and which I, for one, was very ignorant about. Especially the bit about China. The subjects I knew more about are approached in a very intellectually stimulating way. The narrator is impeccable. Audiobooks have been a revelation for me.

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