Chengde Chen is a company director and senior member of Queen's College, Oxford. His poems have appeared in numerous philosophical and literary publications in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and mainland China, including The Guardian, Poetry Monthly, The Philosopher, and Philosophy and Culture.

In this powerful and engaging collection of philosophical poems, Chinese philosopher Chengde Chen makes a persuasive case for a reevaluation of the issues that have challenged and continue to challenge humanity in the modern era. As demonstrated in poems such as "On the End of Technological Civilization," which argues that a society based on science and technology will not be able to sustain itself for any length of time, Chen's style is Confucian rather than logical; yet even those who disagree with his message will have trouble faulting his argument. Chen's poems present both an uncompromising logical critique of the issues and an impassioned plea for reflection, focusing on such timely issues as technological development, love and marriage, reason and religion, liberty, equality, and democracy.