In his acclaimed columns in the London Times and Prospect, A. C. Grayling often responds to provocative questions posed by editors and readers. These questions serve as the basis for the essays in Thinking of Answers, among them searching examinations of the following:
- Are human beings especially prone to self-deception?
- If beauty existed only in the eye of the beholder, would that make it an unimportant quality?
- Are human rights political?
- Can ethics be derived from evolution by natural selection?
- If both sides in a conflict passionately believe theirs is a just cause, does this mean the idea of justice is empty?
- Does being happy make us good? And does being good make us happy?
As in his previous books on philosophy for the general public, including Meditations for the Humanist and Life, Sex and Ideas, rather than presenting a set of categorical answers, Grayling offers suggestions for how to think about every aspect of the question at hand and arrive at one's own conclusion. Nobody can read Thinking of Answers without being fully engaged, for Grayling challenges with his intellect and inspires with his humanity.