<p>Thinking Life is a narrative exploration of such themes as the decline of the contemporary university, man&rsquo;s alienation from nature, modern melancholia, Dionysian intoxication, the relative value of knowledge, truth, and artistry in the life of the philosopher, and the creative construction of self. The author engages throughout with Plato and Nietzsche, with the Phaedo and The Gay Science in particular.</p>