Circle of the Wise: Interviews with California Philosophers (Unabridged‪)‬

In the Fall of 1991 students enrolled in Introduction to Philosophy classes at Mount San Antonio College conducted interviews with some of the most prominent philosophers in California. Ten questions were asked of each philosopher, including queries about the existence of God, life after death, and the interface between human and artificial intelligence. The interviews ranged from personal one on one conversations, to telephone interviews, to mailed written responses.

There were originally over 50 interviews that were transcribed. From these the editors selected between 20 and 30 of the most representative and insightful responses. Moreover, it was not required that each question be answered; thus, some philosophers chose to respond to only a few of the posed questions.

The overall result is a fascinating study of the rarefied world of professional philosophy that provides a glimpse into how philosophers deal with questions that have held a perennial interest to humankind, regardless of time and place.