Why? This most basic of questions is one now rarely asked. The anthology What Does it All Mean: The Eternal Battle of Thoughts and Ideas once more brings this question, and others, to the forefront. The book presents philosophy and thought as interactive human experiences, motivating people to ask the questions they have been socially, culturally, religiously, and politically conditioned to avoid.

Through primary source material from great thinkers, students will explore cultural identity, religion, society, politics, economics, ethics, the idea of "self" and scientific thought. The book includes the work of notables such as Homer, the Buddha, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, St. Thomas Aquinas, Locke, Hobbes, Hume, and de Tocqueville. It also features writings from the Bible, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, Galileo, Einstein, J.S. Mill, Adam Smith, Marx, Richard Dawkins, and Piaget.

The book engages students from the perspectives of the writers, their cultures, religious views, and scientific thoughts. It demonstrates pure philosophy is an inquisitive, open minded investigation into all aspects of human life and death in an attempt to attain 'true' understanding.

Anthony W. Nattania has earned three degrees from Old Dominion University: a B.S. in psychology; a B.A. in philosophy; and an M.A. in humanities with concentrations in philosophy/ religion, history and art history. He is currently an adjunct professor and teaches in the philosophy and religious studies departments at Old Dominion University and Saint Leo University. Professor Nattania's research interests include ancient religion, the philosophy of Eastern and Western cultures, ethics, political philosophy, economic philosophy, the human experience, and the concept of self and soul.