Making Sense: Philosophy behind the Headlines

by Julian Baggini

In Making Sense , Julian Baggini examines the philosophical issues and disputes that lie behind such news stories as the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, the war against terrorism, the siege at Waco, genetically modified foods, and advances in human therapeutic cloning.
Baggini, founding editor of the highly popular Philosopher's Magazine , shows how we can use the techniques of philosophy and the insights of its greatest practitioners to understand the issues behind the headlines. He explains the proper role of philosophy in such inquiries, showing both the
limits and the reach of the philosophical analysis of current affairs, and also argues that applying philosophy to news stories can and should inform our wider understanding--what we know, believe, and value.
Baggini covers themes such as war, truth, morality, the environment, religious faith, the ending of life, and the meaning of value. He weaves philosophy and current affairs to create a compelling narrative that challenges how we make sense both of the world around us and of our own
beliefs.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Indonesian Literature

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Julian Baggini is a British philosopher and the author of several books about philosophy written for a general audience. He is the author of The Pig that Wants to be Eaten and 99 other thought experiments (2005) and is co-founder and editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. He was awarded his Ph.D. in 1996 from University College London for a thesis on the philosophy of personal identity. In addition to his popular philosophy books, Baggini contributes to The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, and the BBC. He has been a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time.

Reviews

[Donald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is unfortunately rather dull. At the best of times Baggini has a plain style, but he's worth reading when he focuses on particular subjects. This book, instead, uses a variety of news stories as an excuse for excursions into different areas of philosophy. But none of them are analysed very deeply. This is clearly supposed to be introductory, but I can't imagine anyone who knew nothing at all about philosophy finding this interesting enough to want to learn more. The obvious disadvantage about building this around news stories is that it now reads pretty dated.

Also, at one point Baggini confuses Dr Spock (real baby care expert) with Mr Spock (fictional science officer), a mistake which I feel a fair number of the intended readership of this book would find rather embarrassing.

[Steve Dewey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be clear and insightful, giving both sides of a story or argument. In particular I found the way it was structured helped me understand the construction of philosophical arguments (at least within the Western analytic tradition).

[Heather Browning]

A great overview of some of the philosophical issues behind current news stories, covering issues such as the role of science, right to life, ethics of war and right to privacy. The language is simple and easy to understand, avoiding philosophical jargon to make the arguments accessible to all readers. As the author suggests, the main function of the book isn't to tell you what to think about these issues, but to encourage individual thought and rational debate, which I think is achieved. I didn't agree with all his arguments, but thinking through why I didn't and how I would frame my own rebuttals helped clarify my own point of view.

[Ali Al-Birminghami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book highlights the role that philosophy can play in unravelling controversial current affairs issues in order to make sound judgements about where the truth lies.

Baggini presents philosophy as a practical tool in critical thinking and applies it to several well known issues from GM foods to recent wars. Although his arguments are generally well thought out, his reasoning is occasionally marred by his bias towards atheism.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm considering using this book for my Intro to Philosophy course this spring.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

35 - 2013