Knowledge is a great treasure, but there is one thing higher than knowledge, and that is understanding, says philosopher Anthony Grayling in The Mystery of Things (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), published this week. These essays on science, the arts and history examine what they offer to our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. “For the working parts of the day”, Grayling concentrates on Descartes’ Philosophical Essays and Correspondence (Hackett, 2000) because he is writing a biography of the great thinker. He reviews books, and is reading Edward Said’s essays Power, Politics and Culture (Bloomsbury) and Michael Cook’s A Brief…
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