--- product_id: 1820728 title: "The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World (A Bradford Book) Paperback – February 13, 2009" brand: "owen flanagan" price: "188 zł" currency: PLN in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.pl/products/1820728-the-really-hard-problem-meaning-in-a-material-world-bradford store_origin: PL region: Poland --- # The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World (A Bradford Book) Paperback – February 13, 2009 **Brand:** owen flanagan **Price:** 188 zł **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World (A Bradford Book) Paperback – February 13, 2009 by owen flanagan - **How much does it cost?** 188 zł with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pl](https://www.desertcart.pl/products/1820728-the-really-hard-problem-meaning-in-a-material-world-bradford) ## Best For - owen flanagan enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted owen flanagan brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World (A Bradford Book) Paperback – February 13, 2009 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/419rBt1ZuOL.jpg) ![The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World (A Bradford Book) Paperback – February 13, 2009 - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31KfWD6ZXlL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brilliant, uneven, an excellent read *by B***E on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 2, 2008* This is a remarkably brilliant book that I found tremendously thought provoking. I'm not a philosopher, although I did study some in undergrad and grad school, so I am woefully unqualified to comment on the more technical portions of the work. But I admired the way the author tackled some 'really hard problems' that often get overlooked by those who adhere to 'logic' and 'science' rather than 'religion' (all of which are ultimately 'faith-based', but that's another issue). For instance, the whole question of 'why is there something rather than nothing' is something that he takes on quite seriously from a non-religious perspective, and while I found his argument to be somewhat less than satisfying I really have to give him credit for trying.There are quite a few typos, grammatical errors, etc. that caught me by surprise, given the learned nature of the work - some more detailed editing would have helped. And I couldn't help but note the culturally chauvinistic allusion to the 'odd' hindu beliefs associated with marriage and a few other condescending remarks toward the great unwashed masses - a fairly common thing among philosphers sometimes I'm afraid. And while I recognize he couldn't attack every 'really hard problem' there was an occasional lapse into the assertion of unexamined (at least in this book) assumptions that felt kind of weak to me. But on the whole, an excellent book! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Flanagan empowers his readers to summon up their own wisdom *by R***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 22, 2007* Owen Flanagan endeavours to find meaning in a material world - no less. And what a quest it is! Never mind his conclusions, Flanagan's book trumps the not-so-intelligent works of design theorists by its sheer breadth of argument, imaginative approach and evocative style, empowering its readers to summon up their own wisdom in answering the one really hard question that life has in store for us: supposing that consciousness is nothing but an emergent property of a functioning brain, what does that mean? Who else would have the philosophical wherewithal to draw on the Dalai Lama's interlocutory exploration of Western science to shed light on our own culture's tentative grappling with the findings of neuroscience and evolutionary biology? Flanagan's graceful treatment of the Dalai Lama's so-called caveat - not finding something does not prove it does not exist - is a first, as is his discussion of this modern Tibetan philosopher's stance on the neuronal-correlates-of-consciousness view. Any reader who prefers to think for himself of herself about the meaning of life - instead of being lectured on it ex cathedra - should read Owen Flanagan's work. ### ⭐ The self beneath the rejection of soul *by S***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 15, 2008* The author does better on attack than defense. On attack in his previous books he has been incisive and clear. He could clearly state why he finds the apparatus of the conscious self unnecessary and he could be outraged that fellow profesionals might accept determinism in the psychology lab but abandon it at home.Here, trying to defend the application of determinism to the self "at home," he runs straight into the logical conundrums this involves. His strategy is to try to wind us all together in strings of wispy theory that he hopes, like a spider's web, will entangle us and render us defenceless. No such luck.Reason either is or is not subject to determinism. If it isn't, then no product of the human mind need be. If it is, it isn't qualified to consider the alternatives of everything being--not being--determined. The existence of science predicated on the demand that all hypotheses be capable of disproof demands that the process not be determined. The methodology of science guarantees that the self is not determined.To me, this sad book reveals the vacuity at the core of the supposedly-determined self. Read it as a warning of what is happening to students fed on a diet of physicalism and natural selection.Take me for a Christian, a creationist? Think again. There's a growing tide of resistance among scientists (I'm a science writer) to physicalism's implications. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pl/products/1820728-the-really-hard-problem-meaning-in-a-material-world-bradford](https://www.desertcart.pl/products/1820728-the-really-hard-problem-meaning-in-a-material-world-bradford) --- *Product available on Desertcart Poland* *Store origin: PL* *Last updated: 2026-05-26*