Life Revisited

A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Purpose of ExistenceBy Laurent Grenier

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Length2h 12m

About this audiobook

4.9/5 on Goodreads. Discover how the author's insightful exploration of life's biggest questions, drawing on philosophy, psychology, and natural sciences, can help you navigate the many challenges of our times with a new and inspired clarity of purpose. "I enjoyed reading Laurent Grenier's essay 'Life Revisited.' Seeking to understand the world around us continues to challenge, especially how we humans fit in. The author's effort in weaving together basic science and philosophy expresses human creativity in its highest form." - Addy Pross, Emeritus Professor of chemistry and author of the popular book “What is Life: How Chemistry Becomes Biology” (Oxford UP, 2016). "After spending some time going through 'Life Revisited,' I can honestly say I found it compelling. A number of things stood out (for example, and I'm paraphrasing, everything, nonliving and living, is profoundly interconnected; in the face of current existential threats challenging humanity, we should prefer a proactive, if qualified optimism to a passive defeatism or dispirited cynicism; life is a far-from-equilibrium homeostatic process that is both autonomous and unified, notwithstanding its complexity and dependency on the environment; etc.), but my general takeaway is this: I really liked the author's perspective. In short, all very good stuff." - Adam Frank, physics professor and researcher, and author of many popular scientific essays, including "The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience (MIT Press, 2025)." “Excellent work that successfully articulates a sensible, intelligible, coherent and plausible multidisciplinary synthesis, which notably integrates perspectives from philosophy, far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics, the theory of evolution, psychology and ethics.” - Santiago S. Borboa, PhD in Philosophy. “A quality text in many respects, solid and coherent, read with delight.” - Clovis Fauquembergue, philosophy professor. “A very well-structured and argued book. It is very clear and nuanced, written in a style that is easy to read, even when dealing with complex matters. It is aimed at an educated audience, interested in science and philosophy: readers who, like the author, are trying to find their way in the world amid a bewildering welter of things. I took pleasure in reading it.” - Patrick Imbert, PhD in Semiotics. “I rarely encounter a book that bridges disciplines as effectively as this one. Grenier manages to weave philosophy, psychology, evolutionary theory, and even thermodynamics into a seamless whole that feels both rigorous and readable. What impressed me most was the clarity. Often, when philosophers dip into science, the result is either superficial or filled with jargon. Grenier avoids both pitfalls. He respects the sciences enough to treat them with accuracy, but he also knows how to communicate them to a general audience. The chapters on ethics were my personal favorites. They make a strong case that our understanding of existence isn’t complete until we come to grips with how we ought to live. That grounding in values elevates the whole book. It’s not just an intellectual exercise; it’s a call to live with purpose. I will be recommending this to colleagues and students alike. It belongs in the classroom and on the bedside table of anyone wrestling with meaning.” - Anders Bowman, philosophy professor and reviewer on Goodreads.

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