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Parfit

Biography and Memoir

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Audio only

Parfit

A Philosopher and His Mission to Save MoralityBy David EdmondsNarrated by Zeb Soanes

Parfit

Length13h 14m

About this audiobook

This audiobook narrated by Zeb Soanes paints an entertaining and illuminating portrait of a brilliant philosopher who tried to rescue morality from nihilism Derek Parfit (1942–2017) is the most famous philosopher most people have never heard of. Widely regarded as one of the greatest moral thinkers of the past hundred years, Parfit was anything but a public intellectual. Yet his ideas have shaped the way philosophers think about things that affect us all: equality, altruism, what we owe to future generations, and even what it means to be a person. In Parfit, David Edmonds presents the first biography of an intriguing, obsessive, and eccentric genius. Believing that we should be less concerned with ourselves and more with the common good, Parfit dedicated himself to the pursuit of philosophical progress to an extraordinary degree. He always wore gray trousers and a white shirt so as not to lose precious time picking out clothes, he varied his diet as little as possible, and he had only one serious non-philosophical interest: taking photos of Oxford, Venice, and St. Petersburg. In the latter half of his life, he single-mindedly devoted himself to a desperate attempt to rescue secular morality—morality without God—by arguing that it has an objective, rational basis. For Parfit, the stakes could scarcely have been higher. If he couldn't demonstrate that there are objective facts about right and wrong, he believed, his life was futile and all our lives were meaningless. Connecting Parfit's work and life and offering a clear introduction to his profound and challenging ideas, Parfit is a powerful portrait of an extraordinary thinker who continues to have a remarkable influence on the world of ideas.

Audiobook details

GenreBiography and Memoir, Philosophy

Length13 hrs 14 mins

Narrated byZeb Soanes

FormatAudiobook

Publish dateApr 18, 2023

LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1Opening Anno, Dedication, Preface

13Chapter 12 - Moral Mathematics

2Chapter 1 - Made in China

14Chapter 13 - The Mind's Eye in Mist and Snow

3Chapter 2 - Prepping for Life

15Chapter 14 - Glory! Promotion!

4Chapter 3 - Eton Titan

16Chapter 15 - The Blues and the Bluebell Woods

5Chapter 4 - History Boy

17Chapter 16 - The Priority View

Show all chaptersShow less

6Chapter 5 - Oxford Words

18Chapter 17 - Derekarnia

7Chapter 6 - An American Dream

19Chapter 18 - Alpha Gamma Kant

8Chapter 7 - Soul Man

20Chapter 19 - Climbing the Mountain

9Chapter 8 - Teletransporter

21Chapter 20 - Lifeboats, Tunnels, and Bridges

10Chapter 9 - A Transatlantic Affair

22Chapter 21 - Marriage and Pizza

11Chapter 10 - The Parfit Scandal

23Chapter 22 - Incompatible with Life

12Chapter 11 - Work, Work, Work, and Janet

24Chapter 23 - Parfit's Gamble, Closing Anno

About the author

David Edmonds

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