The Reason of Things

The most important question we can ask ourselves is: what kind of life is the best? This is the same as asking: how does one give meaning to one's life? How can one justify one's existence and make it worthwhile? How does one make experience valuable, and keep growing and learning in the process - and through this learning acquire a degree of understanding of oneself and the world? A civilized society is one which never ceases debating with itself about what human life should best be. Some would, with justice, say that if we want ours to be such a society we must all contribute to that discussion. This title is, with appropriate diffidence, such a contribution. It consists of a collection of Grayling's regular "Last Word" columns in "The Guardian". Topics include suicide, deceit, luxury, profit, marriage, meat-eating, liberty, slavery, protest, guns and war.