Practical philosophy

Riding high in the bestseller lists in France is a book by the education minister Luc Ferry, entitled What is a Successful Life? Although Monsieur Ferry does not reach any definite conclusions on this philosophic puzzler, his credentials for tackling it are impressive. A former professor of philosophy at the University of Paris, his oeuvres include a dozen books on subjects ranging from Heidegger and Nietzsche to ecology and the nature of beauty. Even the BA in maths and economics of Charles Clarke, our new Secretary of State for Education, looks puny in comparison, let alone his predecessor's two failed A-levels. Monsieur Ferry notes that, as the French no longer live by the certainties of the church and the values of the revolution, they need a new outlook. Now the Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, has weighed in with the observation that "Only a work of love can overcome the failure of life". Over to you, Mr Blair.