Overview

In this beautifully written book Raimond Gaita tells inspirational, poignant, sometimes funny but never sentimental stories of the dogs, cats and cockatoos that lived and died within his own family. He asks fascinating questions about animals: Is it wrong to attribute the concepts of love, devotion, loyalty, grief or friendship to them? Why do we care so much for some creatures but not for others? Why are we so concerned with proving that animals have minds? Reflecting on these questions, and drawing on the ideas of Descartes, Wittgenstein and J.M. Coetzee, Gaita pleads that we ask ourselves what it means to be creatures of ‘flesh and blood.’ He discusses mortality and sexuality, the relations between storytelling, philosophy and science and the spiritual love of mountains. An arresting and profound book, The Philosopher’s Dog is a triumph of both storytelling and philosophy. This Routledge Classics edition includes a substantial new introduction and afterword by the author.

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9781138687943

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Reviews

'In everything that Raimond Gaita writes we sense a generous heart at work, as well as a lucid intelligence. The Philosopher's Dog is a book to give to the kind of person who asks what philosophy is for.' - J. M. Coetzee 'Fascinating … A thoughtful meditation on the relationship between humans and animals that crosses the boundary between the the philosophical and the personal and blends very well the anecdotal with the theoretical.' - The Sunday Tribune ' … very well written, charming, reflective and provocative.' - Journal of Moral Philosophy ‘Rai Gaita is a dog-lover, a philosopher and a gifted, sensitive writer. In this immensely readable and enjoyable book, he mixes the personal with the philosophical and the anecdotal with the profound to produce a series of illuminating reflections on what it means to be a creature and, more importantly, what it means to be fully human. It is a great pleasure to read and should not be missed by anyone who still hopes to find in the works of philosophers things that are both interesting and important.' - Ray Monk

'In everything that Raimond Gaita writes we sense a generous heart at work, as well as a lucid intelligence. The Philosopher's Dog is a book to give to the kind of person who asks what philosophy is for.' - J. M. Coetzee 'Fascinating ... A thoughtful meditation on the relationship between humans and animals that crosses the boundary between the the philosophical and the personal and blends very well the anecdotal with the theoretical.' - The Sunday Tribune ' ... very well written, charming, reflective and provocative.' - Journal of Moral Philosophy 'Rai Gaita is a dog-lover, a philosopher and a gifted, sensitive writer. In this immensely readable and enjoyable book, he mixes the personal with the philosophical and the anecdotal with the profound to produce a series of illuminating reflections on what it means to be a creature and, more importantly, what it means to be fully human. It is a great pleasure to read and should not be missed by anyone who still hopes to find in the works of philosophers things that are both interesting and important.' - Ray Monk

Author Information

Raimond Gaita is an Australian philosopher and writer. He is Professorial Fellow at the Melbourne Law School and Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, and Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy, King's College London. His books A Common Humanity and Beyond Good and Evil are both available from Routledge.

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