Things That Bother Me: Death, Freedom, the Self, Etc. // Galen Strawson
2018, New York Review of Books, 240 pages
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"Galen Strawson is one of the cleverest men alive."
—Ian McEwan
"In this collection of essays, Strawson enables lay readers to see a philosopher at work….Strawson’s skill at argument, highly personal views, and immense learning make this book ideal for anyone interested in philosophy. Comparable to Thomas Nagel’s The Last Word."
—Library Journal, starred review
"Galen Strawson’s Things That Bother Me is, despite its title, no collection of complaints. Rather, Strawson invokes the notion of being bothered in the largest sense, engaging with the ideas, or conditions of living, that will not leave him alone. He is that most unlikely of thinkers, the pragmatic philosopher…The book is accessible and intelligent, written for a diverse range of readers, engaged in both the author’s personality and his ideas."
—David Ulin, 4Columns
"I found Things That Bother Me captivating, not only for its philosophical insightfulness but also for its wit and pathos. Strawson, by not hiding behind the façade of the impersonal point of view, manages to draw a reader close, even while discussing some rather abstruse topics. It is a rare and wonderful philosopher who can make almost anybody be bothered by the things that bother him."
—Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away
For more information: https://www.nyrb.com/products/things-that-bother-me?variant=53194548231