A Good Life

Framed by the story of a son finding his late father’s journal, a meditation on love, meaning, and morality by the author of The Philosopher and the Wolf.   Myshkin was born on a certain day and died on a certain day—and some things ... Read more

Framed by the story of a son finding his late father’s journal, a meditation on love, meaning, and morality by the author of The Philosopher and the Wolf.   Myshkin was born on a certain day and died on a certain day—and some things happened to him in between. These things presented him with ethical questions, and this book is a record of his attempt to answer those questions.   Discovered in 2054 by his son after Myshkin's death in the Florida Keys, A Good Life is one man's reckoning with the life he has led and the choices he made. It is at once a philosophical handbook for living and a page-turning narrative, following one man's life (birth, death, education, religion, morality, illness, and so on) told through a philosophical lens. It is a riveting examination of the ethical questions we face, and the decisions we must make, and a defense of the idea that at the beating heart of morality we find love. Sometimes profoundly funny, sometimes deeply serious, A Good Life is as readable as a novel and as provocative as the best philosophy. It is the finest work to date by a charming and brilliant thinker.   “A lovely writer, funny and moving.”—Observer Less