The Essential Mary Midgley

Mary Midgley author David Midgley editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:19th May '26

Should be back in stock very soon

This paperback is available in another edition too:

The Essential Mary Midgley cover

Feared and admired in equal measure, Mary Midgley has carefully yet profoundly challenged many of the scientific and moral orthodoxies of the twentieth century.

The Essential Mary Midgley is a must-have anthology of the very best of Midgley's philosophy, whose work is described by the Financial Times as 'common sense philosophy of the highest order'. Incorporating carefully selected excerpts from Mary Midgley's bestselling books, including Wickedness, Beast and Man, Science and Poetry, and The Myths We Live By, this second edition includes some of her best work from the last twenty or so years, including The Solitary Self, Are you an Illusion?, and What Is Philosophy For?

The Essential Mary Midgley presents a superb introduction to her work, covering the topics that she returned to frequently, such as the roots of human nature, reason and imagination, the myths of science, the importance of holism in thinking about science and the environment and the nature of the self.

Expertly edited and introduced by David Midgley, this second edition includes a new Foreword by Rachael Wiseman.

'She has, perhaps, the sharpest perception of any living thinker of the dangerous extremism that lurks behind so much contemporary scientistic discourse.' - Bryan Appleyard, The Sunday Times

'One of the sharpest critical pens in the West.' - Times Literary Supplement

'The value of Mary's thinking is that she questions the assumptions and investigates what she calls 'philosophical plumbing' and the role of different ideas in helping map our world...Having the whole of Mary's thinking summarised in one volume is enormously valuable, enabling the reader to access the essence of her approach.' - The Science and Medical Network Review


'She has, perhaps, the sharpest perception of any living thinker of the dangerous extremism that lurks behind so much contemporary scientistic discourse.' - Bryan Appleyard, The Sunday Times

'One of the sharpest critical pens in the West.' - Times Literary Supplement

'The value of Mary's thinking is that she questions the assumptions and investigates what she calls 'philosophical plumbing' and the role of different ideas in helping map our world...Having the whole of Mary's thinking summarised in one volume is enormously valuable, enabling the reader to access the essence of her approach.' - The Science and Medical Network Review

ISBN: 9781032957821

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 1130g

583 pages

2nd edition