Necessary Wisdom

Throughout an illustrious career of teaching and writing that spans five decades, philosopher Jacob Needleman has always tackled the “big questions” of life: Why are we here? What is our purpose? Why do we search for love, and for God? Instead of giving fixed answers, Dr. Needleman has always helped his students and readers learn to ask deeper questions that help them become their own philosophers.

Only one reporter has followed the career of Jacob Needleman closely for decades: D. Patrick Miller, a leading writer in the journalism of consciousness. In this collection of six feature interviews that began in the 1980s, Miller and Needleman discuss Making Sense of Mysticism, The Secrets of Time and Love, The Meanings of Money, Searching for the Soul of America, Meeting God Without Religion, and finally, The Need for Philosophy.

With the problems that face humanity today, no solutions will work without the wisdom to implement them. Wisdom comes not from knowing all the right answers, but from knowing how to question deeply and communicate openly. In this remarkable book of searching yet down-to-earth dialogues, readers will discover the keys to their own practice of philosophy, “the love of wisdom.”