The Search for Meaning: A Short History

Ford's ambitious, underperforming history of mankind's search for purpose is predicated on the belief that comparative typology is a ""technique for liberation from a myopic vision that says that meaning can be found in only one way."" Sadly, most of Ford's book reads like an over-simplified how-to guide to finding your guiding philosophy rather than an original comparative treatise on the subject; as such, it falls into a familiar trap, sacrificing depth to cover a huge range of topics. Though perhaps useful for those entirely unfamiliar with the field (a reader interested in finding meaning but lacking any knowledge of the differences among postmodernism, pragmatism and mythology), most readers will find statements like ""Philosophy is black-and-white photography in contrast to the sensual Technicolor of Myth"" and ""most of us, most of the time, live comfortably and unselfconsciously"" less than intriguing: over-generalized at best, insulting at worst.