Philosophy, while usually an exalted profession in academic circles, has rarely held much interest for the public at large, with its convoluted language and bafflingly theoretical views of real-world events. “These days, though, philosophers are engaging with the world more readily than before. During the past 10 years there has been a spate of books intent, not so much on taking philosophy to streets, as taking it to the dinner parties. And they’re a mixed bag. Many are just crass attempts to cash in on the movement – the worst kind of arranged marriage between publishing and opportunistic editors.” But some of the books are legitimately moving philosophy into the mainstream without much dumbing down.