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Michael Hauskeller
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The Meaning of Life and Death: Ten Classic Thinkers on the Ultimate Question Hardcover – September 19, 2019

by Michael Hauskeller (Author)
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What is the point of living? If we are all going to die anyway, if nothing will remain of whatever we achieve in this life, why should we bother trying to achieve anything in the first place? Can we be mortal and still live a meaningful life? Questions such as these have been asked for a long time, but nobody has found a conclusive answer yet. The connection between death and meaning, however, has taken centre stage in the philosophical and literary work of some of the world's greatest writers: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Soren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, Herman Melville, Friedrich Nietzsche, William James, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Marcel Proust, and Albert Camus.

This book explores their ideas, weaving a rich tapestry of concepts, voices and images, helping the reader to understand the concerns at the heart of those writers' work and uncovering common themes and stark contrasts in their understanding of what kind of world we live in and what really matters in life.

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  1. Print length
    254 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bloomsbury Academic
  4. Publication date
    September 19, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.62 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1350073636
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1350073630
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Well written, richly informative, and deeply meaningful, this volume will be an excellent primer for anyone seeking a clear and concise understanding of these thinkers’ ideas on the meaning of life and death. The volume is remarkable for demonstrating that when it came to trying to understand the essential questions of life, little changed over the 200 years this book covers, a span of time that embraces the industrial revolution. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.” -CHOICE

“Drawing on ideas from some of the world's most intriguing thinkers, Hauskeller invites us on a philosophical journey, in which we consider different aspects of life and death. Bringing together exciting philosophers such as Wittgenstein and Nietzsche, and renowned literary figures such Tolstoy and Proust, the book offers a new set of perspectives on the time-honoured question of the meaning of life and death.” ―Havi Carel, Professor of Philosophy, University of Bristol, UK

“Highly recommended. Hauskeller has made a wise selection of work by philosophers and fiction writers about the connection between death and meaning in life. The book as a whole represents many of the main ideas in this area of such deep existential interest.” ―John Martin Fischer, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and University Professor, University of California, USA

About the Author

Michael Hauskeller is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Liverpool, UK and the author of of Biotechnology and the Integrity of Life (2007), Better Humans? Understanding the Enhancement Project (2013) Sex and the Posthuman Condition (2014), Handbook of Posthumanism (2015) and Mythologies of Transhumanism (2016).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Academic (September 19, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 254 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1350073636
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1350073630
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.62 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Michael Hauskeller

Michael Hauskeller

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
25 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Yueqing Yu
5.0 out of 5 stars amazingly good
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2024
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the author’s writing is very organized, informative and insightful with highly consistent logic.
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oliver hallich
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommendable guide to eminent philosophers'and writers'positions on the meaning of life
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2019
This is a highly recommendable, informative and even entertaining survey of classic thinkers'and writers' views on the perennial questions of the meaning of life and death. Hauskeller binds together philosophical and literary perspectives on the topic by exploring the positions of philosophers such as Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard as well as those of poets such as Melville and Proust. His style is easily accessible and free from philosophical jargon. The book will serve as a reliable guide to eminent thinkers'and poets' answers to the questions "What is the point of living?" and "Does death give meaning to life?". Moreover, it offers a concise and well-informed introduction to these thinkers'and writers'philosophical and literary works in general.
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Top reviews from other countries

Kosi Danokeke
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in Canada on July 30, 2022
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Amazing
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Roger.
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2021
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Gives a great, and philosophical view on the meaning of living and of death. This book isn’t aimed at the suicidal looking for accomplices to validate their morbidity, but a gathering on the ideas of past minds on the meaning (not the ‘point’) of life while situated in a chaotic and uncaring universe. A good read.
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jim mccullough
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and stimulating.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2020
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The author provides us with an insightful view of how some preeminent philosophers, approached these most important topics. Will certainly be reading more of the work he discusses.
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JRL
4.0 out of 5 stars Christmas gift solved
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2019
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I started reading this book yesterday evening and couldn't put it down. That's saying something for a book of philosophy. It’s a wonderful read which I thoroughly enjoyed: perceptive, unstuffy, thought-provoking, morally engaged as well as accessibly and stylishly written. My only quibble is the absence of an index.
It has solved my problem of what gift to give a number of my friends for Christmas.
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Moira mcmorran
5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2019
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Bought this for my husband as it was written by a friend of ours ,he is enjoying the challenge .Thank
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