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The ancient Greek philosopher Plotinus insisted that philosophy should be concerned with nothing less than “what matters most”. This collection of philosophical conversations seeks to honour Plotinus’ vision by addressing questions related to the art of living.
Much has been written about the “art of living” and it typically conjures up ideas of therapy, meditation, peace, happiness, and so on. But what about the art of living in the midst of all the spectacular messiness generated by an aggressive, anxiety-ridden, acquisitive and lustful species? The conversations that make up this book explore the questions that matter most to us as citizens of increasingly fractious societies and inhabitants of an increasingly fractured planet. They invite us to think anew about the complexities and challenges involved in living a good life in a world characterized by uncertainty and change.
— Kieran Setiya, author of Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way
I kept hearing these conversations in my head long after putting What Matters Most down. Unlike so many philosophy books, it never strays from what is morally and intellectually urgent. Ancient questions given modern relevance – this book is a field guide for how to think in the twenty-first century.
— Andy West, author of The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Philosophy
Dialogue is the lifeblood of philosophy, and What Matters Most captures the fun and immediacy of the subject in a masterful collection of thoughtful, urgent conversations on some of the most pressing issues of the moment. An invaluable window onto philosophy and its applications, this is a book that, through its many voices, models clearer and more careful ways of thinking.
— Arianne Shahvisi, author of Arguing for a Better World: How Philosophy Can Help Us Fight for Social Justice
Introduction, Anthony Morgan
Part I: Living together
1. What is “we”? – Dan Zahavi with Luna Dolezal
2. Polarization and talking across difference – Elizabeth Anderson with Alexis Papazoglou
3. Misinformation and the right to know – Lani Watson with Aidan McGlynn
4. A decolonial ecology – Malcom Ferdinand with Romy Oppermann
5. Listening to animals – Eva Meijer with Adam Ferner and Darren Chetty
6. Relationality and political responsibility – Lewis Gordon with Olúfemi O. Táíwò
Part II: Living with technology
7. Misunderstanding the internet – Justin E. H. Smith with Alexis Papazoglou
8. Artificial bodies and the promise of abstraction – Peter Wolfendale with Anthony Morgan
9. Will artificial intelligence transform ethics? – Shannon Vallor with John Zerilli
10. The algorithmic is the political – Annette Zimmermann with Matthew Lord
11. Intelligence and the future of AI – Stephen Cave with Sage Cammers-Goodwin
12. We and the robots – John Danaher with Anthony Morgan
Part III: Living under oppression
13. The politics of gender and identity – Finn Mackay with Jana Bacevic
14. Submission and emancipation – Manon Garcia with Kate Kirkpatrick
15. Madness, identity, and recognition – Mohammed Abouelleil Rashed with Helen Spandler
16. Reimagining Black men – Tommy Curry with David Livingston Smith
17. Responsibility and structural injustice – Maeve McKeown with Alasia Nuti
18. Disobedience and seeing like an activist – Erin R. Pineda with Robin Celikates
Part IV: Living in the end times
19. A world beyond capitalism – Martin Hägglund with Lea Ypi
20. Derrick Bell and racial realism – Timothy Golden with Darren Chetty
21. Spinoza in the Anthropocene – Beth Lord with Chris Meyns
22. Animals, pandemics, and climate change – Jeff Sebo with Lauren Van Patter
23. The task of thinking in the age of dumping – Michael Marder with Sofia Lemos
24. Why misanthropy? – Ian James Kidd with Anthony Morgan