"What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy" by Thomas Nagel

Simple, but easy-to-read book introducing learners and readers of all levels into the wonderful world of Philosophy, plus learning to reason and ask questions ranging from topics about Life to Knowledge.

Anyone of any age can learn something on their own. Books like these are no exception and is possibly one of the more gentle introduction to the beautiful world of Philosophy. Given all the chaos and the "unthinkers" not willing to do their due diligence, such as reading and doing research before whining and crying wolf about it, subjects like these are becoming less and less common. Why? It's obvious that people and their emotions think it's an easier way to get what you want and to solve problems. Sure, some people can empathize with that, but is that the best way to approach problems? Why is questioning and reasoning with some and not others considered "unfair?" Life can be "unfair," does that mean you should stop living it insomuch as it's okay to tell someone to stop asking such question(s)? I tell you, people's rationale are deteriorating at an alarming rate, and it may as well be the new "pandemic," because psychologically, it's not getting better for people. We're at the point that they're beyond help.

Anyway, author Thomas Nagel has done a great job getting the reader to question and start with things about how we know that we know. In other words, we wouldn't know unless something happens to which we can determine, and/or derive, to a premise whether it is good or bad, right or wrong or just and unjust. You might be thinking that this is all we have, and while that's true, it's something to think about especially entities beyond this realm. No matter how imaginative it may sound, some people tend to think there's something beyond ourselves and this Life overall tending to affect, in a way, the things that happen and the choices we make, whether we made such choice or not. How can we reason about those things? That's what Nagel discusses in the very first chapter of this book.

Once the reader gets a feel of how all this thinking gets into play, and some of the things that are usually in question about philosophy, they then get introduced to other areas such as the meaning of life, justice, death, and learning to create your own reason(s) for having and doing things, plus knowing and doing what's right. (Having said "doing what's right" nowadays seem to translate to "doing what I want to do because it is my right/privelege" which is the wrong interpretation.) Author Nagel, while also chiming in his points and reasons under such topic(s), leaves the reader/learner to make of what they think about it.

The chapter talking about Death was somehow the most difficult to grasp, given that there isn't much said since many of us can speculate what happens after. Nagel did a nice job providing his take, but the information, plus our own interpretation, is rather "hallow" where we don't know much about it other than it's a guaranteed occurrance. What Nagel did, however, was to have the reader/learner reflect and realize that there's more to/in Life than sitting around worrying about what's to happen and when. Like taxes, death is imminent, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything; We must bring meaning to the things we do and the good we hope to contribute to the next generation. All in all, it's nothing to be feared, but a reminder to do the things you were set out to do and do the right thing, whether it makes you comfortable or not. Having said this means there's a lot to fix among the populace, and being that many people are doing just that, it's sad that others aren't willing to learn, grow, accept nor behave.

Last chapter titled "The Meaning of Life" sums up all topics discussed in the book. This is a great chapter to close the book with, and the behaviors and thinking of the average person today is testament to that. With people whining and complaining over not getting what they want, what is it that makes such behavior acceptable? Do these people have any goals in life? What does Life mean to these people? You can't run through Life crying and whining about things you can't control, so I often wonder if any of these people have some sort of set goal. Also, we don't care what anyone says: Hard work pays off. Debate and disagree all you like, but nothing feels more satisfying than being able to achieve things that many others are not able to for whatever reason. Make Life worth living.

For those who have a basic understanding and knowledge of philosophy will find this book to be a short refresher. Those who are well-versed in the subject won't find anything new other than adding this title to your library. It's time people learn to reason, ask questions and to think, despite how long it will take to get there. Nevertheless, this great book will get readers and learners of all levels started on a wonderful subject that will help us move forward and achieve more.

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he managed a personal blog made back in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming (software development) and video production, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, playing old video/DOS games, digital video archiving, and listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

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