Parliament of Minds

Michael Tobias is a writer, director, and producer of more than 100 films. Among his many books is A Parliament of Souls: In Search of Global Spirituality. J. Patrick Fitzgerald is Honors Professor of Philosophy and Television Productions at Seminole Community College. David Rothenberg is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Editor of Terra Nova: Nature and Culture.

"This book is easy and pleasant to read. It's a rare collection of the heart-felt thoughts of relaxed philosophers presented in ordinary spoken English." — Metapsychology"This book gathers reflections and insights from a remarkably varied number of philosophers, cutting across gender, race, age, cultural, and spiritual perspectives. We are treated to discussions out of the classroom and far from the textbooks on topics that probe the frontiers of philosophy as it is practiced now and as it should be pursued in the century to come."No collection of interviews with philosophers now available comes anywhere close to the breadth and variety this collection represents." — Edward F. Mooney, editor of Wilderness and the Heart: Henry Bugbee's Philosophy of Place, Presence, and Memory"A Parliament of Minds is a sweet and important book: as good an introduction to the state of philosophy now and in the future as can be imagined. The philosophers interviewed—among them some of the best minds in the world—are various, vigorous, and lively. Beyond their differences they share a touching and slightly bizarre optimism about the future of philosophy and its relevance to the concrete difficulties of real people." — Crispin Sartwell, author of Act Like You Know: African-American Autobiography & White Identity"An unexpectedly new yet deeply traditional form—the interview—provides a stunning introduction to the subject of philosophy, whose living substance bears true fruit only in dialogue." — David Appelbaum, editor of Parabola

• Acknowledgments IntroductionMichael Tobias, J. Patrick Fitzgerald, David Rothenberg Philosophy at the Beginning of a New MillenniumRobert Cummings Neville Democracy, Ethics, and the Relevancy of PhilosophyDavid A. Crocker Aristotle in the WorkplaceMartha Nussbaum The Complex Bridges between China and the WestTu Wei-Ming Trumping Cynicism with ImaginationJohn J. McDermott The Trials and Tribulations of Philosophy and FarmingMarjorie Grene Islam and the Philosophy of HopeSeyyed Hossein Nasr The Marriage of History and CultureJoseph Margolis Global Dialogue, Global PeaceAshok Gangadean The Science of Gender IssuesNancy Tuana The Liberation of IdentityLewis Gordon Wild Thinking: Philosophy, Ecology, and TechnologyDavid Rothenberg Prospects for DemocracyJohn Stuhr The Passing of Philosophical FadsPeter Caws Crashing the Tea PartyYoko Arisaka All We Need Is LoveEsa Saarinen The Anatomy of BeautyTom Huhn Global Culture and Its Discontents K.Anthony Appiah Politics without Reason?Michael Halberstam Ambassador of DialogueLewis Hahn A Dialogue on Global Thought and SpiritualityAshok Gangadean, Karan Singh, Ewert Cousins, and Robert Muller About the Editors Index