The Challenge of Things: Thinking Through Troubled Times

Every contentious issue you can think of—nationalism, religion, abortion, drugs, wave-particle duality—gets an interesting, bite-size rehash in this collection of essays. British philosophy prof Grayling (The God Argument) amasses short opinion pieces and book reviews he wrote for magazines and newspapers, and the result is a grab-bag of topical articles, historical ruminations, and ideological obsessions. His general perspective is mildly left-wing on economics and government, libertarian on social issues such as drugs and prostitution, cantankerously atheistic (“without brainwashing of the young religion would wither and die of its own absurdity”), and dyed-in-the-wool green (“the world is so utterly drunk [on oil] that it has become insane—lusting for the ghastly poison”). Grayling’s opinions on current affairs are energetic and colorfully phrased, but, as when he denounces short-selling in the market and voices his worries about China’s rise, not always convincing. More substantial are philosophical ruminations that consider the promise and pitfalls of brain imaging in the study of the mind; the link between science and artistic creativity; the bizarre concepts of quantum mechanics; and the tectonic shifts in civic outlook charted in ancient Greek drama. Grayling is an elegant and erudite writer, and though these pieces are too quickly tossed off to convert everyone, they make for an engaging browse. Agent: Felicity Bryan, Felicity Bryan Agency. (Dec.)