In this lyrical and beautifully written book, Raimond Gaita tells inspirational, poignant, sometimes funny but never sentimental stories of the dog, cats and cockatoos that lived and died within his own family. He asks fascinating questions about animals: Is it wrong to attribute the concept of love, devotion, loyalty, grief or friendship to them? Why do we care so much for some creatures but not for others? Why are we so concerned to prove that animals have a mind?Reflecting on these questions, Raimond Gaita pleads that we seriously ask ourselves what it means to be creatures of ?flesh? and blood?. He discusses mortality and sexuality, the relations between storytelling, philosophy and science, our attitudes to insects and from his own experiences, the spiritual love of mountains.Drawing acutely on philosophers such as Rene Descartes, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Simone Weil, and writers such as Isak Dinesen, George Orwell and J.M. Coetzee, The Philosopher?s Dog is above all a book about our creatureliness and its place in the understanding of our humanity. An arresting book by a profound original thinker, this work is a triumph of both storytelling and philosophy.About the AuthorRaimond Gaita is professor of moral philosophy at King College, London and professor of philosophy at Australian Catholic University. He has contributed extensively to public discussion on matters of political and moral concern. His books include the prize-winning biography of his father, Romulus, My Father and A Common Humanity: Thinking About Love and Truth and Justice. A new edition of his Good and Evil: An Absolute Conception is in the offing.