The Good Book

The Good Book PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2011-04-05

Total Pages: 610

ISBN-13: 0802717373

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A non-religious, humanist reference draws on secular literature and philosophy from both Western and Eastern traditions to consider such topics as the origins of the world, how to relate to others, and how to appreciate life.

For the Good of the World

For the Good of the World PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2022-02-03

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0861542673

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‘A must read’ Gordon Brown ‘A truly excellent book’ Sir David King The three biggest challenges facing the world today, in A. C. Grayling’s view, are climate change, technology and justice. In his timely new book, he asks: can human beings agree on a set of values that will allow us to confront the numerous threats facing the planet, or will we simply continue with our disagreements and antipathies as we collectively approach our possible extinction? As every day brings new stories about extreme weather events, spyware, lethal autonomous weapons systems, and the health imbalance between the northern and southern hemispheres, Grayling’s question – Is Global Agreement on Global Challenges Possible? – becomes ever more urgent. The solution he proposes is both pragmatic and inspiring.

The History of Philosophy

The History of Philosophy PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2019-06-20

Total Pages: 559

ISBN-13: 0241980860

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AUTHORITATIVE AND ACCESSIBLE, THIS LANDMARK WORK IS THE FIRST SINGLE-VOLUME HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY SHARED FOR DECADES 'A cerebrally enjoyable survey, written with great clarity and touches of wit' Sunday Times The story of philosophy is an epic tale: an exploration of the ideas, views and teachings of some of the most creative minds known to humanity. But there has been no comprehensive history of this great intellectual journey since 1945. Intelligible for students and eye-opening for philosophy readers, A. C. Grayling covers with characteristic clarity and elegance subjects like epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic, and the philosophy of mind, as well as the history of debates in these areas, through the ideas of celebrated philosophers as well as less well-known influential thinkers. The History of Philosophy takes the reader on a journey from the age of the Buddha, Confucius and Socrates. Through Christianity's dominance of the European mind to the Renaissance and Enlightenment. On to Mill, Nietzsche, Sartre, then the philosophical traditions of India, China and the Persian-Arabic world. And finally, into philosophy today.

The God Argument

The God Argument PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-03-14

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1408837420

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There has been a bad-tempered quarrel between defenders and critics of religion in recent years. Both sides have expressed themselves acerbically because there is a very great deal at stake in the debate. This book thoroughly and calmly examines all the arguments and associated considerations offered in support of religious belief, and does so in full consciousness of the reasons people have for subscribing to religion, and the needs they seek to satisfy by doing so. And because it takes account of all the issues, its solutions carry great weight. The God Argument is the definitive examination of the issue, and a statement of the humanist outlook that recommends itself as the ethics of the genuinely reflective person.

The Good State

The Good State PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2020-02-27

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 1786077191

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The foundations upon which our democracies stand are inherently flawed, vulnerable to corrosion from within. What is the remedy? A. C. 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 representation and lowering the voting age to 16 (the age at which you can marry, gamble, join the army and must pay taxes if you work) – to ensure the intentions of such a constitution could not be subverted or ignored. As democracies around the world show signs of decay, the issue of what makes a good state, one that is democratic in the fullest sense of the word, could not be more important. To take just one example: by the simplest of measures, neither Britain nor the United States can claim to be truly democratic. The most basic tenet of democracy is that no voice be louder than any other. Yet in our ‘first past the post’ electoral systems a voter supporting a losing candidate is unrepresented, his or her voice unequal to one supporting a winning candidate, who frequently does not gain a majority of the votes cast. This is just one of a number of problems, all of them showing that democratic reform is a necessity in our contemporary world.

The Reason of Things

The Reason of Things PDF

Author: A.C. Grayling

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 2010-12-09

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 0297865668

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The follow-up to THE MEANING OF THINGS which continues A.C. Grayling's philosophical journey through life The most important question we can ask ourselves is: what kind of life is the best? This is the same as asking: How does one give meaning to one's life? How can one justify one's existence and make it worthwhile? How does one make experience valuable, and keep growing and learning in the process - and through this learning acquire a degree of understanding of oneself and the world? A civilised society is one which never ceases debating with itself about what human life should best be. Some would, with justice, say that if we want ours to be such a society we must all contribute to that discussion. This book is, with appropriate diffidence, such a contribution. It consists of a collection of Grayling's regular 'Last Word' columns in the Guardian. This time topics include Suicide, Deceit, Luxury, Profit, Marriage, Meat-eating, Liberty, Slavery, Protest, Guns and War.

War

War PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: Vices and Virtues

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780300234459

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War in history and theory -- Ancient war -- Medieval to modern war -- Theories of war and war's more recent history -- The causes and effects of war -- The causes of war -- The effects of war -- Ethics, law and war -- The future of war.

The Age of Genius

The Age of Genius PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2016-03-01

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 1620403455

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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. It was a time of creativity unparalleled in history before or since, from science to the arts, from philosophy to politics. Acclaimed philosopher and historian A.C. Grayling points to three primary factors that led to the rise of vernacular (popular) languages in philosophy, theology, science, and literature; the rise of the individual as a general and not merely an aristocratic type; and the invention and application of instruments and measurement in the study of the natural world. Grayling vividly reconstructs this unprecedented era and breathes new life into the major figures of the seventeenth century intelligentsia who span literature, music, science, art, and philosophy--Shakespeare, Monteverdi, Galileo, Rembrandt, Locke, Newton, Descartes, Vermeer, Hobbes, Milton, and Cervantes, among many more. During this century, a fundamentally new way of perceiving the world emerged as reason rose to prominence over tradition, and the rights of the individual took center stage in philosophy and politics, a paradigmatic shift that would define Western thought for centuries to come.

Democracy and Its Crisis

Democracy and Its Crisis PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2017-09-07

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1786072904

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The EU referendum in the UK and Trump’s victory in the USA sent shockwaves through our democratic systems. In Democracy and Its Crisis A. C. Grayling investigates why the institutions of representative democracy seem unable to hold up against forces they were designed to manage, and why it matters. First he considers those moments in history when the challenges we face today were first encountered and what solutions were found. Then he lays bare the specific threats facing democracy today. The paperback edition includes new material on the reforms that are needed to make our system truly democratic.