Fishing and thinking

Born in 1882, the son of a Gloucestershire vicar, Luce was a Senior Fellow and Professor of Moral Philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin. An avid angler for salmon, sea trout and brown trout in the streams, rivers and lakes of Ireland, Luce felt angling in general and fly-fishing in particular offered unique opportunities for undiluted thought. "Fishing and Thinking" blends narrative and reflection, augmented by closely-observed details of fish and fishermen in their natural surroundings. The reflections and arguments are those of a philosopher and theologian and are grounded in commonplace realities, whether inquiring into the selectivity of trout or the ethics of angling. Luce's lifework, which brought him international acclaim in academic circles, was editing the works of the philosopher George Berkeley. "Fishing and Thinking" was his only book on his favourite pastime.