Graylings new publication the good state he warns that there is a ticking timebomb at the heart of our representative democracy and in more than fifty countries around the world. Designed to be read as narrative and also to be dipped into for inspiration, encouragement and consolation, the good book offers a thoughtful, nonreligious alternative to the many people who do not follow one of the worlds great religions. Some descriptions make this sound like an anthology, a refutation of the bible, or worse. The good book consciously takes its design and presentation from the bible, in its beauty of language and arrangement into short chapters and verses for ease of reading and quotability, offering to the nonreligious seeker all the wisdom, insight, solace, inspiration, and perspective of secular humanist traditions that are older, far richer and. Grayling explores what the good state could look like. What is good the search for the best way to live by a. Grayling has always tended to be regarded as the good cop. Ac grayling bbc video interview tackling the good book the sydney morning herald the new atheists are responding, not attacking new humanist pressing questions for our century edge ac graylings top 5 nonreligious books slate a. Grayling is the author of about 30 books on philosophy, including the refutation of scepticism, the future of moral values, the meaning of things, the good book, and the god argument. A fellow of the world economic forum and past chairman of the human rights organization june fourth, he contributes frequently to the times london, the. He is also a supernumerary fellow of st annes college, oxford. Until 2011 he was professor of philosophy at birkbeck college, university of london.
Less coldly clinical in tone than richard dawkins, less aggressively combative than. Grayling discusses creating a nonreligious bible that draws from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both. The good book is an inspired work of insight, wisdom, solace, and commentary on the human condition drawn from the worlds great humanist traditions of thought. The good book mirrors the bible in both form and language, and is, as its author says, ambitious and hubristic a distillation of the best that has been thought and said by. Ac grayling bbc video interview tackling the good book the sydney morning herald the new atheists are responding, not attacking new humanist pressing questions for our century edge ac grayling s top 5 nonreligious books slate a. Grayling answers the most important question how do we live a good life. In creating thegood book, british philosophy professor a. Grayling, 97814088748, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Note that grayling lays his book out like the bible with similar referencing. Jul 26, 2012 the good book is a manifesto for rational thought, but mirrors the bible in both form and language. The philosopher ac grayling has created a secular bible, but its guidance for a good life fails to convince genevieve fox. Apr 03, 2011 the good book mirrors the bible in both form and language, and is, as its author says, ambitious and hubristic a distillation of the best that has been thought and said by people whove.
Essential readings for the nonbeliever, and the good book, and more on. Instead, going back to traditions older than christianity, and far richer and more various, including the non. Apr 04, 2011 the good book cant be bettered the philosopher ac grayling has created a secular bible, but its guidance for a good life fails to convince genevieve fox. Grayling sifted through morethan a thousand historical texts, by authors ranging from abulfazi to zhuxi, andwove them into a single. The good book is a manifesto for rational thought, but mirrors the bible in both form and language. Carefully read some before you pass this book over. Grayling interviews books bible god religion ethics pick a side morality philosophy. Grayling discusses creating a nonreligious bible that draws from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both western and eastern traditions. The age of genius explores the eventful intertwining of outward event and inner intellectual life to tell, in all its richness and depth, the story of the 17th century in europe.
The professor of philosophy at the university of london and fellow of st annes college, oxford, picks five books on ideas that matter. C, grayling provides both a historical look at ethics and provides a secular view to be considered. Join us for this intriguing talk at lancaster library as a. Graylings bestselling secular bible, is now published in a handsome, smaller format hardback at a competitive price. A c grayling ma, dphil oxon frsl, frsa is master of new college of the humanities, and a supernumerary fellow of st annes college, oxford.
In 2011 he founded and became the first master of new college of the humanities, an independent undergraduate college in london. Grayling is professor of philosophy and master of the new college of the humanities at northeastern, london. Grayling was one of the contributors to the book, we are one. Among his many books are liberty in the age of terror, the god argument, democracy and its crisis and the history of philosophy. The foundations upon which our democracies stand are inherently flawed, vulnerable to corrosion from within. The best books on being good five books expert recommendations. He discusses aristotle, darwin, kant, hazlett and austen. Williams ma, mphil, philosopher in residence at the damaris trust, assistant professor in communication and worldviews, gimlekollen school of journalism and communication, norway. In that book, the choice of hercules, where i discuss the tension between the good life in the sybaritic sense of wine, women and song, and on the other hand the good life in the sense of the puritan virtues, my argument is that they are both important, and that a blend of the two is constitutive of a third and better version of the good life. The good book consciously takes its design and presentation from the bible. A fellow of the world economic forum and past chairman of the human rights organization june fourth, he contributes. One of the most fundamental questions in our life is to find out what we value what principles we want to live by and which codes we will use to guide our behaviour. Instead, going back to traditions older than christianity, and far richer and more various, including the nontheistic philosophical and literary schools. A celebration of tribal peoples, released in october 2009.
Grayling s humanist bible, the good book, is a collection of great wisdom, but its nothing stephen would kill somebody else over. Drawing on the wisdom of 2500 years of contemplative nonreligious writing on all that it means to be human from the. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the good book. The good book 890 printed pages drawing on the wisdom of 2,500 years of contemplative nonreligious writing on all that it means to be human from the origins of the universe to small matters of courtesy and kindness in everyday life a. He has been a regular contributor to the times, guardian, financial times, independent on sunday, economist, new. Grayling has done, creating a nonreligious bible drawn from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both western and eastern traditions, using the same techniques of editing, redaction, and adaptation that produced the holy books of the judeochristian and islamic religions. Designed to be read as narrative and also to be dipped into for inspiration, encouragement and consolation, the good book offers a. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the good book. A secular bible, the title appearing on my copies are, the good book. Grayling explains he has spent several decades on his ambitious project, distilling what he. Grayling the good book is a book of insight, inspiration, wisdom, solace and commentary on the human condition drawn from the great humanist traditions of thought and literature of the world. Grayling is a professor of philosophy at birkbeck college, university of london. Grayling makes the case for a clear, consistent, principled and written constitution, and sets out the reforms necessary among them addressing the imbalance of power between government and parliament, imposing fixed terms for mps.
The good book consciously takes its design and presentation from the bible, in the beauty of its language and its arrangement into short chapters and verses, offering to the nonreligious seeker all the wisdom, insight, solace, inspiration, and perspective of various secular humanist traditions. It has been a while since a read the book, and i do not remember what many of the individual chapters discuss, so i will forgo my usual synopsis. It was a time of creativity unparalleled in history before or since, from science to the arts, from philosophy to politics. And in the year 2011, anthony the seer did come forth with flowing locks and. Inspired by the work of herodotus and lucretius, confucius and mencius, seneca and cicero, montaigne, bacon, and so many others, the good book will fulfill its audacious purpose in every way. Stimulating, thoughtful, rational and rewarding, it is now published in a compact edition. A secular bible 1st edition by grayling, professor a. Grayling makes the case for a clear, consistent, principled and written constitution, and sets out the reforms necessary among them addressing the imbalance of power between government and parliament, imposing fixed terms for mps, introducing proportional. This 700 page book is written in the same format as the bible with the modern numbering of sections of the bible. Grayling, britains most popular and widely read philosopher, has created a secular bible. Graylings opening epistle to the reader declares an aspiration to guide us. He is the author of the acclaimed among the dead cities, descartes, toward the light of liberty, meditations for the humanist, and thinking of answers. Grayling, in oxford, england, spent 30 years compiling the good book. Grayling has done by creating a nonreligious bible, drawn from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both western and eastern traditions, using the same techniques of editing, redaction, and adaptation that produced the holy books of the judaeochristian and islamic religions.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The book explores the cultures of peoples around the world, portraying both their diversity and the threats they face. Graylings the history of philosophy accurately offers itself as a successor to russells classic survey with some key differences. While the title listed in the add is the good book. The good book is a book of insight, inspiration, wisdom, solace and commentary on the human condition drawn from the great humanist traditions of thought and literature of the world. The good book cant be bettered the philosopher ac grayling has created a secular bible, but its guidance for a good life fails to convince genevieve fox. C download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Graylings humanist bible, the good book, is a collection of great wisdom, but its nothing stephen would kill somebody else over. Coronavirus books jenny davidson on the best books to read in quarantine.
Grayling the colbert report video clip comedy central. Designed to be read as narrative and also to be dipped into for inspiration, encouragement and consolation, the good book offers a thoughtful, nonreligious. Graylings top 5 nonreligious books on living a good. He is a trustee of the london library, a fellow of the royal society of literature and a fellow of the royal society of arts. Until june 2011, he was professor of philosophy at birkbeck, university of london, where he taught from 1991.
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