Published: 03/09/2009
ISBN: 9781847081568
Granta Books
224 pages

Should You Judge This Book By Its Cover?

Julian Baggini

Another rapid-fire selection of short, stimulating and entertaining capsules of philosophy from the master of the genre. This time Baggini applies his philosophical scalpel to famous sayings, proverbs and pieces of homespun wisdom. Should you really do as the Romans do when in Rome and practise what you preach? Is the grass always in fact greener on the other side of the fence, and is there ever smoke without fire? Is beauty always in the eye of the beholder and is it actually better to be safe than sorry? Baggini’s approach is as witty and deeply thought-provoking as ever.

Baggini is good and witty on our contemporary misuse of proverbs

Steve Poole, Guardian

An entertaining and engaging look at the everyday phrases and aphorisms embedded in our language. Baggini explores the real meaning behind 100 familiar sayings and questions whether the wisdom is still relevant today ... This book encourages you to choose your words wisely and suggests that "a little learning" is not a dangerous thing

Psychologies

Baggini makes some compelling arguments

Will Metcalfe, Big Issue in the North

The Author

JULIAN BAGGINI‘s books include the Sunday Times bestselling How the World Thinks; How to Think Like a Philosopher; The Virtues of the Table; and the bestselling The Pig That Wants to be Eaten, all published by Granta Books. He has served as the Academic Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy and is a member of the Food Ethics Council. He has written for the Guardian, the TLS, the Financial Times and Prospect, among others, and for magazines, academic journals and think tanks. His website is microphilosophy.net.

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