Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to a More Meaningful Life

How should we live? According to philosopher and biologist Massimo Pigliucci, the greatest guidance to this essential question lies in combining the wisdom of 24 centuries of philosophy with the latest research from 21st century science.In Answers for Aristotle, Pigliucci argues that the combination of science and philosophy first pioneered by Aristotle offers us the best possible tool for understanding the world and ourselves. As Aristotle knew, each mode of thought has the power to clarify the other: science provides facts, and philosophy helps us reflect on the values with which to assess them. But over the centuries, the two have become uncoupled, leaving us with questions -- about morality, love, friendship, justice, and politics -- that neither field could fully answer on its own. Pigliucci argues that only by rejoining each other can modern science and philosophy reach their full potential, while we harness them to help us reach ours.Pigliucci discusses such essential issues as how to tell right from wrong, the nature of love and friendship, and whether we can really ever know ourselves -- all in service of helping us find our path to the best possible life. Combining the two most powerful intellectual traditions in history, Answers for Aristotle is a remarkable guide to discovering what really matters and why.


Author: Massimo Pigliucci
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 10/02/2012
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.90w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780465021383
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/20/2012 pg. 54
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2012
Choice 03/01/2013

About the Author
Massimo Pigliucci is the K. D. Irani professor of philosophy at the City College of New York. The author or editor of thirteen books, he has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Philosophy Now, and the Philosophers' Magazine, among others. He lives in New York City.