As we stuff ourselves with plumped-up turkeys, unwrap the latest useless gadget, and gather round the family tree, what real relevance does the festive season have and why do we perpetuate it? The Xmas Files is designed to be a fun book, but one underpinned by an exploration of some real issues. The way we celebrate Christmas says a lot about the way we relate to each other, our society, and our values. Stephen Law takes a look at such things as Bertrand Russell's turkey, the existential angst of Santa, and peace on earth to produce a humourous, varied, and thought-provoking collection.
The Xmas Files: The Philosophy of Christmas
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Not just about Christmas. It is also a concise primer to some of the main issues in religious and moral philosophy, wrapped up in a seasonal context." THE HERALD "As Law reassesses the meanings behind the season, he does his damnedest to make the whole terrain accessible to the non-philosophy student." THE LIST "For the clever one in the family." BELFAST TELEGRAPH
About the Author
Stephen Law was a school dropout who became a postman in Cambridge, then took a degree in philosophy at Oxford, becoming a Junior Research Fellow at the Queen's College. He now teaches philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Stephen Law (Oxford, England) is a senior lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London; provost for the Centre for Inquiry UK; and the editor of Think: Philosophy for Everyone (a journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy). He is the author of numerous books for adults as well as children, including The Greatest Philosophers, Companion Guide to Philosophy, The War for Children's Minds, and Really, Really Big Questions, among other works.
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet.
|
|||
|
Video reviews
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
As the Christmas season approaches, we are reminded to think of others, and to put their interests before our own, at least momentarily. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
psychological egoism, supernatural miracles, cosmological argument Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Santa Claus, Aunt Gertrude, Peter Singer, Old Testament, Mother Teresa, Oxford University Press, Red Sea, Big Bang, David Hume, Bertrand Russell, John Smith, Marion Morrison, Alexander Waugh, Christmas Day, Jonathan Glover, Melanie Phillips, The Truman Show, Charles Dickens, Christmas Carol, Christmas Means, Ira Newman, New York, Perhaps God, Rowan Williams, Therefore Jesus New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
As the Christmas season approaches, we are reminded to think of others, and to put their interests before our own, at least momentarily. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
psychological egoism, supernatural miracles, cosmological argument Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Santa Claus, Aunt Gertrude, Peter Singer, Old Testament, Mother Teresa, Oxford University Press, Red Sea, Big Bang, David Hume, Bertrand Russell, John Smith, Marion Morrison, Alexander Waugh, Christmas Day, Jonathan Glover, Melanie Phillips, The Truman Show, Charles Dickens, Christmas Carol, Christmas Means, Ira Newman, New York, Perhaps God, Rowan Williams, Therefore Jesus New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 28
books:
See all 28 books this book cites
- God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics by C. S. Lewis on page 43, page 69, and page 88
- How are We to Live?: Ethics in an Age of Self-interest by Peter Singer on page 55, page 69, and page 150
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera on page 37, and page 43
- A Christmas Carol (Bantam Classic) by Charles Dickens on page 39, and page 44
- Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume on page 80, and page 88
See all 28 books this book cites
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
