From Potter, co-author of The Rebel Sell, comes an attempt to explain our modern existential search for meaning in a hollow world. As I read Potter’s summaries of Hume and Thales I pictured my first-year philosophy prof—mad eyebrows dancing a jig on his forehead, who knows what in his Thermos—skimming the history of philosophy in two classes per week over eight months. To condense his lessons into 271 pages makes succinct look a tad oversimplified, though Potter’s pop-culture knowledge is far superior: Readers will appreciate the Mad Men and Monty Python references. These, plus charming anecdotes about Rousseau’s unhappy childhood and Socrates’ Joseph Howe-like trial, make for a good read. Pick up this book if you want to understand what the heck that sophomore King’s student is droning on about; The Authenticity Hoax is certainly more captivating.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.