Roots in the Air

By way of dialogues, Michael Krausz offers philosophical reflections about his life as philosopher, artist, and musician. He also rehearses his views about relativism, interpretation, creativity, and self-realization. Much of Krausz’s work has been inspired by conversations with thinkers such as Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, Isaiah Berlin, the Dalai Lama, and musicians such as Josef Gingold, Frederik Prausnitz, and Luis Biava. While the death of his grandparents in Auschwitz continues to disquiet his consciousness, Krausz’s critiques of versions of Advaitic Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism led him to a distinctive humanism. This thought-provoking book includes personal and professional accounts about particular philosophers, artists, and musicians. It will edify anyone who, like Krausz, has confronted issues of self-identity and human existence.

Michael Krausz is is Research Professor and Milton C. Nahm Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Bryn Mawr College. He is author of Rightness and Reasons; Varieties of Relativism; Limits of Rightness; Interpretation and Transformation; Dialogues on Relativism, Absolutism, and Beyond; and Oneness and the Displacement of Self. He is also a visual artist and orchestra conductor. He has had thirty-six solo exhibitions in the US, UK, and India. He has conducted in the US and Europe.