Una aventura terriblemente seria

What are the limits of language? How can we bring philosophy closer to everyday life? What does it mean to be a good human being? These were some of the questions philosophers asked in Britain in the mid-20th century, a period overshadowed by war and the rise of fascism. In response to the current situation, thinkers such as Philippa Foot (creator of the famous trolley dilemma), Isaiah Berlin, Iris Murdoch, Elizabeth Anscombe, Gilbert Ryle, and J. L. Austin strove to achieve a new level of thoroughness and self-awareness about language to try to keep the philosophy faithful to everyday experience. A deadly serious adventure traces the friendships and rivalries, the shared concerns and passionate disagreements of some of Oxford's most innovative thinkers. Far from remaining locked in their ivory towers, the Oxford philosophers lived, cracked codes, became diplomats and soldiers in both world wars, and often drew on their experiences to create masterpieces of British modernism with an approach and style. totally original. Steeped in the dramatic history of the 20th century. A Deadly Serious Adventure is a revealing window into the rooms that changed the way we think about our world. By shedding light on the lives and intellectual achievements of a wide and lively cast of characters, Cambridge academic Nikhil Krishnan shows us how much we can still learn from Oxford philosophers. In our fractious post-truth world, his keen sense of responsibility for his words and his enthusiastic desire to do the little things well inspire us by his example.