May 16, 2011 the good book has, therefore, everything you could expect from the bible except god. The good book is an inspired work of insight, wisdom, solace, and commentary on the. Grayling s exquisite wording is a match for the soul touching content of the book. In other words, since the good book doesnt claim to be the unique work of divine revelation, it isnt even possible to view it as a comparably significant. Essential readings for the nonbeliever, and the good book, and more on. We offer the ability to search by first name, last name, phone number, or business name. 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. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy and other subjects, and has written on nonwestern philosop. Grayling had an arresting thought about creating a humanist bible. 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 certainly doesnt suggest that his book is in any sense inerrant.
Inspired by the writing of herodotus and lucretius, confucius and mencius, seneca and cicero, montaigne, bacon, and so many others, the good book fulfills its audacious purpose in every way. But instead of adam and eve, graylings genesis invokes isaac newton, the british scientist who pioneered the study of gravity. Like the real bible, the good book is an eclectic and contradictory mix, containing much that really is very good, but also some thats bad and ugly, and quite a lot thats unbearably dull. Examining all the arguments for and against religion and religious beliefacross the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious and how they stand up to scrutinythe god argument is a landmark book in the ongoing debate about. Mar 05, 20 the good book begins with genesis, where you can see the ideas of darwin laid out in an inspirational way. A secular bible, continues to work in this same vein. When he was young, it occurred to him that in making their bible of religious sources. Thats a good segue to john stuart mills famous work on liberty, in which he discusses precisely these issues of the individuals moral freedom from constraint on liberty is a very important document, and one which, because of the clarity with which one can read it and its brevity, is slightly passed over. A celebration of tribal peoples, released in october 2009. Grayling was one of the contributors to the book, we are one.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then british philosopher a. One of the most controversial retellings in the good book is graylings version of the creation story. Grayling online on bookmate 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 univer. Few, if any, thinkers and writers today would have the imagination, the breadth of knowledge, and the literary skill to conceive of a powerful secular alternative to the bible. During the talk, he vowed to have the book printed in a pocketsized version as well as a picture version for children. He talks about why religion angers him, the power of philosophy and his mane of hair. Less coldly clinical in tone than richard dawkins, less aggressively combative than. You dont have to be a nonbeliever to find solace and wisdom in the distilled ideas. Grayling has done, creating a nonreligious bible drawn from the wealth of secular. The best books on ideas that matter recommended by a c grayling.
Graylings sources are many and varied, and global in their extent. The good book by ac grayling of the three contemporary prophets of atheism, professor richard dawkins, christopher hitchens and professor ac grayling, i know two, hitchens and. Just as daedalus refused to obey the tyrannical king minos and secured freedom for himself and his son, so our hero, the prominent atheist a. Graylings plan is to make sure his book becomes a longlasting resource available to all. Grayling, philosopher and allaround grey eminence, brings together poems, the greatest hits of western thought, and significant chunks of herodotus into a secular, humanist version of the bible.
More significantly, graylings book has a disturbing if occasionally beguiling uniformity of style, which the bible, except for the vagaries of translation, does not. 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. A humanist bible was presented as something akin to the emancipation of daedalus and icarus in their winged escape from crete. I am glad he put this book together and it will occupy a valuable place in my library as a source for inspiration and wisdom. Whitepages is the largest and most trusted online phone book and directory. Grayling white pages phone books in michigan mi whitepages. This 700 page book is written in the same format as the bible with the modern numbering of sections of the bible. Jul 26, 2012 the good book is a manifesto for rational thought, but mirrors the bible in both form and language. The professor of philosophy at the university of london and fellow of st annes college, oxford, picks five books on ideas that matter.
It was from the fall of fruit from such a tree that new inspiration came for inquiry into the nature of things, reads a verse from the good books first chapter. The best books on being good five books expert recommendations. Grayling, has refused to obey false authority and freed himself and his readers. Id like to start a discussion thread about the good book by a. 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. Sep, 2011 like the real bible, the good book is an eclectic and contradictory mix, containing much that really is very good, but also some thats bad and ugly, and quite a lot thats unbearably dull. Grayling has always tended to be regarded as the good cop. A bible for the nonbeliever and for the believer, too. 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.
After centuries of being the bestselling work of all time, the bible will now face a direct competitor. It would have been so helpful to a reader such as myself to have some information about his sources, perhaps. The good book begins with genesis, where you can see the ideas of darwin laid out in an inspirational way. Grayling, who spent 30 years compiling the good book.
Grayling is master of the new college of the humanities, and a supernumerary fellow of st annes college, oxford. While the title listed in the add is the good book. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Antiquated language scrolls down in twin columns ordered by book, chapter, and verse. Reading through this i was really pleasantly surprised at how much i liked it.
In august 2014, grayling was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to the guardian opposing scottish independence in the runup to septembers referendum on that issue. With a book such as this you are free at last to pour away religious fictions, if you so choose. Humanist bible copies the christian look but leaves god. Grayling white pages grayling phone directory lookup. In the good book, readers will find creation myths, unpronounceable names, and instructions on how to live in chapters titled genesis, acts, and proverbs. Aug 04, 2011 the book claims to have been made by grayling, not written or edited, and that queasily semidetached, faux thirdperson feeling persists. Hi, im not super experienced at using reddit so please excuse any unintentional ignorance. Grayling has assimilated his sources in a consistent style which, when read in large doses, tends to seem somewhat orotund and tedious. We use cookies on this site to enhance the visitor experience. The substitution of grayling for god as ultimate author means that any analogy between the good book and the good book is extremely thin.
A secular bible 1st edition by grayling, professor a. Philosopher ac grayling picks the best books on being good. 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. The city of grayling is located in the state of mi. Henceforward, whenever you see mention of quotes from the good book or to the humanist bible within the society of epicurus webpages, its. The book claims to have been made by grayling, not written or edited, and that queasily semidetached, faux thirdperson feeling persists. I wanted to weave together a range of sources to say that the world is made of atoms, that biological life evolved, and i hope ive put it together in such a way as to paint. Im used to this language being peppered with things i dont believe in, and listening to it at weddings or funerals generally gives me a lump in my stomach. We have compiled the ultimate database of phone numbers from around the state and country to help you locate any lost friends, relatives or family members. The philosopher ac grayling has created a secular bible, but its. This book contains mankinds thinking and insight at its best. A secular bible, the title appearing on my copies are, the good book. Note that grayling lays his book out like the bible with similar referencing.
The accuracy of the history is dubious, the tone is instructive, and the sources go mostly without citation. Grayling may be the ultimate editor and redactor of the sources drawn together in the good book, but thats as far as a secular doctrine of inspiration can go. His latest book at the time i write this, the good book. And these stories are even more assuring and supportive than the religious fictions. How would world history have been different if the writers of the bible used greek and roman philosophy instead of local religions as their sources.
The good book is a manifesto for rational thought, but mirrors the bible in both form and language. Grayling has just paid the bible the ultimate compliment. In essence grayling seems to be, book by book, aiming to distil the best and most useful of human thought over the millennia. I suppose some might be offended by the good book but they neednt be. A humanist bible is a marvel, a distillation of over a thousand authoritative texts, edited, redacted, and assembled in the manner of the holy bible. Grayling discusses creating a nonreligious bible that draws from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both western and eastern traditions.
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