The Weight of Things

Jean Kazez received a PhD in philosophy from the University of Arizona in 1991. She divides her time between writing and adjunct teaching at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she lives with her husband and children.

What does it mean to have a good life? Is it a matter of choice or chance? In this engaging book, author Jean Kazez asks the perennial philosophical questions about what we should place at the center of our lives. Incorporating the views of both past and present philosophers, as well as examples from history, literature, media, and the news, this concise introduction to ethics and philosophy offers a unique opportunity for personal reflection.Contemplating the importance of happiness, morality, self expression, desire, religion, and family, The Weight of Things invites the reader to explore the difficult questions in our daily lives. Topics are animated by a colorful cast of characters, including fourth-century hermits, The Matrixs Neo, a Wal-Mart clerk, runaway slaves, and Lance Armstrong, among others. The Weight of Things is a fascinating and insightful search for answers.

The Weight of Things explores the hard questions of our daily lives, examining both classic and contemporary accounts of what it means to lead the good life.

Introduction.
1. This Mortal World.

2. Strange Lives.

3. Reason and Luck.

4. Is Happiness All That Matters?.

5. Necessities.

6. Puzzles of Diversity.

7. Hard Choices.

8. Trying to be Good.

9. The Religious Realm.

10. Taking Aim.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Acknowledgments.

Index