Question Authority

Mark Kingwell is a professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine.

Praise for Question Authority“A master of words who is well-versed in philosophy, political science, sociology, and psychology, [Mark Kingwell] writes with deep affection and hope for humanity and openly shares his darkest and brightest moments along life’s bumpy road. Though this is a serious book requiring thoughtful reading, Kingwell’s wit will make readers laugh out loud at him and at themselves.”—Karen R. Koenig, New York Journal of Books"A very timely and important book."—Ottawa Review of Books"That Kingwell does it with concise, clear-headed, thoughtful, rigorous writing, as well as personal stories woven into the book makes for an excellent, challenging and, yes, funny read."—The RecordPraise for Mark Kingwell“Mark Kingwell is a beautiful writer, a lucid thinker and a patient teacher . . . His insights are intellectual anchors in a fast-changing world.”—Naomi Klein, author of Doppelganger“Fail Better . . . is a ballpark ramble of memoir, lore and nostalgia. Its north star is baseball’s time-out-of-timelessness, its leisurely Zen gaps between actions.” —New York Times“Mark Kingwell… has written a delightful book about baseball that combines metaphysics, personal memoir and anecdotes, literary references, and a limitless appreciation for a pastime that has brightened his life… [Fail Better’s] insights ring true.”—New York Journal of Books“[On Risk] offers a slender, thoughtful, sometimes meandering disquisition . . . A host of cultural allusions—from Shakespeare to the Simpsons, Isaiah Berlin to Irving Berlin, Voltaire, Pascal, and Derrida—along with salient academic studies inspire Kingwell to examine the many contradictory ways that humans handle risk … An entertaining gloss on an enduring conundrum.”—Kirkus Reviews“Kingwell is dauntingly well-read . . . a gifted noticer . . . a lively writer [who] cites The Simpsons as often as Immanuel Kant. [Readers] are rewarded with neat, unexpected insights.”—Globe and Mail