The Confiding Stone draws on the freedoms of speculative fiction in order to critically examine the seductions of power and vision. In the tradition of H.G.Wells ' The Time Machine, the story generates a vision of an alternate world in which a sophisticated civilization, already in danger of collapse, is rocked by contact with its past. King Henlone, a deeply flawed product of royal privilege, in a desperate attempt to save the city and his position, initiates a series of events that soon spin out of control. A startling truth is revealed to the inhabitants of the city, which challenges the...

The appeal of philosophy has always been its willingness to speak to those pressing questions that haunt us as we make our way through life. What is truth? Could we think without language? Is materialism everything? But in recent years, philosophy has been largely absent from mainstream cultural commentary. Many have come to believe that the field is excessively technical and inward-looking and that it has little to offer outsiders.

The 25 interviews collected in this volume, all taken from a series of online interviews with leading philosophers published by the cultural magazine...