What If … ?

I am not a philosopher. Nor am I a scientist. I have no University degree (Philosophy was not on the curriculum in my 1940s boarding school). In fact the only pieces of paper I possess that prove I have a brain at all are my Oxford School Certificate (with Matriculation, I hasten to add), a driving licence and a diploma in journalism - and I'm not at all sure the latter qualifies me for anything other than writing attention-grabbing stories. My only real assets, of the intellectual kind anyway, are a sense of humour, an overwhelming desire, like Rudyard Kipling's elephant's child, to know WHY everything, and a common sense approach to problems and arguments which the cleverest people seem to argue and fight over forever and ever amen. I am not, therefore, appologising for my views because I am not trying, and couldn't possibly try, to convince serious philosophy academics about anything. I wouldn't dare. This book is for the rest of us - the everyday people bewildered by all the arguments raging around them, the Too Tired To Care people, home from work and the school run, frazzled from the supermarket dash for supper, the grappling with homework and tomorrow's lunch boxes - and finally, if they're lucky, the pint or the G & T in front of a late night movie. So take heart. Not all intelligentsia can be right at the same time.