When considering Professor Tallis’ extensive publications, it is easy to overlook the fact that he has had a long and distinguished professional career in medicine alongside his output as a philosopher and author. His Wikipedia entry, for example, lists ‘philosopher, poet, novelist and cultural critic’ before mentioning that he is also a ‘retired medical physician and neuroscientist’ ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond Tallis). But Tallis’ professional life is as impressive as his other achievements. It will surely be of interest to general readers to consider whether a lifetime on the front line of medicine has informed his philosophical writings.