Though not always recognized as such, G. K. Chesterton was a profound and original philosopher. Each of the essays in this book puts G. K. Chesterton into conversation with some well-known philosopher in order to stimulate the conversation about Chestertonian philosophy that has taken place in fits and starts since Chesterton’s day.
Essays by Landon Loftin, Peter Kreeft, Dale Ahlquist, Joe Grabowski, David Deavel, Julian Ahlquist, Louis Markos, Kevin Belmonte, Duncan Reyburn, Ted Janiszewski, Philip Irving Mitchell, Wojciech Zaluski, and Edward Stengel, covering philosophers from Aristotle to William James, and from Kierkegaard to Nietzsche!
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“Very few professional philosophers would count G. K. Chesterston as a `philosopher, ‘ since he believed that true philosophy should be accessible, rooted in common sense, and not merely theorized, but lived. This, in my judgment, is what makes Chesterton a far better guide for pursuing what Socrates called the ‘examined life’ than much of what has found its way into the official journals of the profession. For this reason, Chesterton and the Philosophers is a welcomed contribution to better understanding the importance of Chesterton’s work and why he should be counted as one the great public intellectuals of the twentieth century.”
–Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy, Baylor University
“Chesterton and the Philosophers invites us to meet some of the greatest philosophers in history with G. K. Chesterton as our guide. We meet his closest friends, such as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas, and those with whom he disagrees passionately, such as Descartes, Hume, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, and Marx. Opening the pages of this book is an adventure in which Chesterton leads us on the quest for truth.”
–Joseph Pearce, author of Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G. K. Chesterton
“Any fan of Chesterton owes a debt to Loftin for reopening the question whether the profound thinker of Fleet Street qualifies to be called a philosopher–and for making a collection of essays that answer in the affirmative. The professional philosophers had excluded him from their club because he did not talk about them. But this was because Chesterton trained his powers of observation on what philosophy actually investigates: reality itself.”
–David W. Fagerberg, Professor Emeritus, University of Notre Dame
“This is a fine collection of essays placing the work of Chesterton in its proper context, as a valuable contribution to European philosophy which was both critical and sympathetic. Chesterton’s abiding concern is with human experience of reality, as something that is both immediately present and entirely other than our own expectations and preoccupations. Popular and academic philosophers alike still have much to learn from his essays, stories, and extended studies.”
–Stephen R. L. Clark, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Liverpool
