Overview

Three centuries ago, Voltaire published hisDictionnaire philosophique, taking in such idiosyncratic topics asadultery, mountains, nakedness, and others besides. In 1957, another French philosopher of more recent vintage, Roland Barthes,mused in hisMythologiesonthe masculine pursuits of wrestling, striptease and theCitroen DS. Since the dawn of philosophy, the world's great thinkers have been unable to resist the lure of applying their formidable brains not only to the meaning of life, but also to the meaning of coffee, trapped wind or efficient boiler installation. Now, from Wollstonecraft to Wittgenstein, Laozi to Locke, Aristotle to Arendt,Great Minds on Small Thingsbrings together their varied observations, alongside delightful black and white illustrations, in a highly entertaining and eye-opening miscellany that is guaranteed to make life's mundanities suddenly seema lotmore highbrow.

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9780715654965

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'A tour de force of philosophical frivolity that enlightens as well as entertains' * Philosophy Now *

'A tour de force of philosophical frivolity that enlightens as well as entertains' Philosophy Now

Author Information

Matthew Qvortrup is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Coventry University, Visiting Professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, and the acclaimed author of Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader. He regularly appears on broadcast media and writes for publications including Philosophy Now, Bloomberg Businessweek, The GuardianandThe Times.He also appears as a regular commentator for the BBC, on both radio and television.

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