The Edge Of Reason: A Rational Skeptic In An Irrational World
by Julian Baggini /
2016 / English / Kindle, EPUB
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An urgent defense of reason, the essential method for
resolving—or even discussing—divisive issues
An urgent defense of reason, the essential method for
resolving—or even discussing—divisive issues
Reason, long held as the highest human achievement, is under
siege. According to Aristotle, the capacity for reason sets us
apart from other animals, yet today it has ceased to be a
universally admired faculty. Rationality and reason have become
political, disputed concepts, subject to easy dismissal.
Reason, long held as the highest human achievement, is under
siege. According to Aristotle, the capacity for reason sets us
apart from other animals, yet today it has ceased to be a
universally admired faculty. Rationality and reason have become
political, disputed concepts, subject to easy dismissal.
Julian Baggini argues eloquently that we must recover our reason
and reassess its proper place, neither too highly exalted nor
completely maligned. Rationality does not require a sterile,
scientistic worldview, it simply involves the application of
critical thinking wherever thinking is needed. Addressing such
major areas of debate as religion, science, politics, psychology,
and economics, the author calls for commitment to the notion of a
“community of reason,” where disagreements are settled by debate
and discussion, not brute force or political power. Baggini's
insightful book celebrates the power of reason, our best
hope—indeed our only hope—for dealing with the intractable
quagmires of our time.
Julian Baggini argues eloquently that we must recover our reason
and reassess its proper place, neither too highly exalted nor
completely maligned. Rationality does not require a sterile,
scientistic worldview, it simply involves the application of
critical thinking wherever thinking is needed. Addressing such
major areas of debate as religion, science, politics, psychology,
and economics, the author calls for commitment to the notion of a
“community of reason,” where disagreements are settled by debate
and discussion, not brute force or political power. Baggini's
insightful book celebrates the power of reason, our best
hope—indeed our only hope—for dealing with the intractable
quagmires of our time.