01540    a2200229   450000500170000000800390001702000220005603700360007804000070011404100080012107200160012907200130014507200210015807200210017910000230020024500220022325000060024526000320025130000100028352010000029399900170129320250526161932.0250430042016GB                   eng    a9781138687943qBC  bTaylor & FranciscGBP 16.99fBB  a01  aeng7 aQDTQ2thema7 aHPQ2bic7 aPHI0000002bisac7 a636.009942bisac1 aRaimond Gaita986910aPhilosopher's Dog  a1  aOxfordbRoutledgec20160922  a194 p  bIn this beautifully written book Raimond Gaita tells inspirational, poignant, sometimes funny but never sentimental stories of the dogs, cats and cockatoos that lived and died within his own family. He asks fascinating questions about animals: Is it wrong to attribute the concepts of love, devotion, loyalty, grief or friendship to them? Why do we care so much for some creatures but not for others? Why are we so concerned with proving that animals have minds? Reflecting on these questions, and drawing on the ideas of Descartes, Wittgenstein and J.M. Coetzee, Gaita pleads that we ask ourselves what it means to be creatures of ‘flesh and blood.’ He discusses mortality and sexuality, the relations between storytelling, philosophy and science and the spiritual love of mountains. An arresting and profound book, The Philosopher’s Dog is a triumph of both storytelling and philosophy. This Routledge Classics edition includes a substantial new introduction and afterword by the author.  c10551d10551