This volume presents an acessible and engaging collection of essays by prominent Australasian philosophers, covering a wide array of topics and drawn from a series of public lectures on Philosophy in Australia and Zealand convened over a period of four years. The essays explore the rich philosophical past of Australasia, while also illustrating why philosophy in Australasia ranks highly in influence and esteem.

Philosophy in both Australia and New Zealand has been has been experiencing, for some time now, something of a 'golden age', exercising an influence in the global arena that is disproportionate to the population of the two countries. To capture the distinctive and internationally recognised contributions Australasian philosophers have made to their discipline, a series of public talks by leading Australasian philosophers was convened at various literary events and festivals across Australia and New Zealand from 2006 to 2009. These engaging and often entertaining talks attracted large audiences, and covered diverse themes ranging from local histories of philosophy (in particular, the fortunes of philosophy in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and New Zealand); to discussions of specific topics (including love, free will, religion, ecology, feminism, and civilisation), especially as these have featured in the Australasian philosophy; and to examinations of the intellectual state of universities in Australasia at the beginning of the twenty-first century. These talks are now collected here for the first time, to provide not only students and scholars, but also the wider community with a deeper appreciation of the philosophical heritage of Australia and New Zealand.

Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Chapter 1. Metaphysics in Australasia
Chapter 3 Chapter 2. Science, Morality, and the Death of God
Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Philistines, Barbarians and the Death of Intellect
Chapter 5 Chapter 4. Philosophy in Melbourne
Chapter 6 Chapter 5. Missing the Point Many Times Over? Australian Philosophical Atheism
Chapter 7 Chapter 6. Philosophy in Sydney
Chapter 8 Chapter 7. Australian Women Philosophers
Chapter 9 Chapter 8. In the Name of the Father: Understanding Monotheism and Fundamentalism
Chapter 10 Chapter 9. The Nature of Love
Chapter 11 Chapter 10. Free Will and the Sciences of the Mind
Chapter 12 Chapter 11. Feminist Philosophy in Australasia
Chapter 13 Chapter 12. Philosophy and Its Masters: The Transformations of Philosophy in Queensland
Chapter 14 Chapter 13. Philosophy in South Australia
Chapter 15 Chapter 14. Is Religion to be Respected or Only Tolerated?
Chapter 16 Chapter 15. Continental Philosophy in Australia
Chapter 17 Chapter 16. Getting the Wrong Anderson? A Short and Opinionated History of New Zealand Philosophy
Chapter 18 Chapter 17. Nature in the Active Voice
Chapter 19 Chapter 18. Why Asian Philosophy?
Chapter 20 Chapter 19. Logic in Australasia
Chapter 21 Chapter 20. The Analytic/Continental Divide: AContretemps?
Chapter 22 Chapter 21. Philosopher Deans and Philosopher Kings: The Contribution of Philosophers to Senior Management in Australian Universities
Chapter 23 Chapter 22. Becoming Slow: Philosophy, Reading and the Essay