Free PDF The Good Book: A Humanist Bible, by A. C. Grayling
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The Good Book: A Humanist Bible, by A. C. Grayling
Free PDF The Good Book: A Humanist Bible, by A. C. Grayling
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About the Author
A.C. Grayling is professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the author of the acclaimed Among the Dead Cities: The History and Moral Legacy of the WWII Bombing of Civilians in Germany and Japan, Descartes: The Life and Times of a Genius, and Toward the Light of Liberty: The Struggles for Freedom and Rights That Made the Modern Western World. A fellow of the World Economic Forum and past chairman of the human rights organization June Fourth, he contributes frequently to the Times, Financial Times, Economist, New Statesman, and Prospect. Grayling's play "Grace," co-written with Mick Gordon, has played to full houses in London and New York, starring Lynn Redgrave; its central debate over the virtue of religion gives Grayling a strong platform for The Good Book. He lives in London.
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Product details
Hardcover: 608 pages
Publisher: Walker Books (April 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802717373
ISBN-13: 978-0802717375
Product Dimensions:
6.5 x 1.9 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
3.5 out of 5 stars
117 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#693,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
I bought The Good Book basing my judgment on five stars reviews "forgetting" to hear the "other side" - the people who gave the book only one star (some of them because there is no "zero stars" possibility). When you are interested in a theme, usually you pay more attention to opinions that corroborate your expectations - this is elementary psychology (my dear Watson), and I uncritically fell as a victim to it.After browsing a while through the book, I discovered very soon that the author used an impressive number of sources showing rare erudition and knowledge of an impressive number of sources spanning millennia. If, for some people, religion is a drug, then this kind of book should be a detoxification agent allowing user to gradually live a life without the drug. At best, this book should be compared to Methadone - having all effects of drug use without using the actually drug. Let me explain.The subtitle of the book - "A Humanist Bible" - is per se a contradiction, a kind of "wooden iron". Humanism (as a great and inspired introduction to Humanism I recommend: Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe) should be a worldview based on the believe in humans (without gender and race differences) - not a worldview referenced to religion, even as a kind of negation. So Atheism, Agnosticism or Irreligion are all defined by their relation to religion (a "negative" relation is a relation, too) and this people are free to do so. But Humanism, as a belief, should be defined by its own set of values without a need to reference itself to any other system of belief. From the premise that "man is a measure of all things..." (Protagoras), and from centuries of humanistic efforts to build a consistent system of critical thinking (thus making Humanism a system of critical methods rather than a system of beliefs that shoud be passed as "humanistic wisdom" to next generations), a "Humanistic Bible" is not a mean that justify the Humanistic goals! There are two main flaws in The Good Book that makes it unsuitable to be listed among the good books of Humanism:1. As few one-star fellow reviewers mentioned, TGB is "free" of any reference to sources cited or used to compile the book. This is not a humanistic approach because a Humanist should allow readers to follow his footsteps and critically assess the sources themselves testing in the process the author's honesty in using and interpreting the sources. A.C. Grayling with TGB demands from us to believe in the face value of His book forgetting that a Humanist is supoosed to believe in Humanism, but by no means a fellow Humanist should be believed just because He says so in spite of his erudition or personal intellectual and academic history. So, the lack of references is a serious crime against Humanism which should not be justified even taking in account the "noble purpose" of the author who aimed to deliver an inspirational book and doesn't want to "distract" readers with footnotes (although endnote references could solve both problems).2. Even if TGB had footnotes (or endnotes), it still lacks a fundamental prerequisite to be a truly "Good Book of Humanism": it lacks a Humanistic independence from the form and style of "inspired" sources coming from other worldviews - in our case from Christianity. The author thus conveys us a notion that true inspiration and wisdom should be delivered by means of the other wise and inspired Book using its style and structure as an instrument to enhance the credibility of TGB. In other words, the author suggests us that there is no possibility of writing a truly wise and inspired book under the wing of Humanism without borrowing from religion as a "specialist" to uplift people's emotions and spirits (well, at least, the author shows that He is unable to do so). If centuries of Humanism, thousands of books inspired with Humanism and hundreds of Humanists who gave their possessions, health and even lives for the ideas they lived for - if this is not enough to find a form and style for uplifting and inspiring readers making them proud of a long Humanistic tradition in defending and improving human dignity, then today Humanism is in trouble. Yes, it is much easier to "borrow" the form and style from the Bible, put Humanistic contents in The Good Book, and then hope that somehow this "genetic manipulation" will result in a book saturated with Humanistic content that could inspire the readers as the Bible inspires Christians. This is so wrong that could be named as "capital crime" against Humanism or, if you like it better - "good intentions that paved the road to Hell".This book shows plainly that the goal is not able to justify the means because the means in itself contain a part of the goal. For example, you can't educate children and young people for democracy and freedom of thought by using only lectures and the teacher's authority. Freedom as a goal demands teaching methods and strategies such as free discussion, critical thinking and testing of all authorities - the teacher in the firs place. So, A.C. Grayling with His TGB fails to become a teacher of Humanism - a shame considering the energy, stamina and erudition He offered to His masterpiece - yes, masterpiece, but not a Humanistic masterpiece!
We are told never to judge a book by its cover, although often we are wise to do so. The cover of this book claims it is a "Good" book. Most of us are too humble to make such a claim, and leave it to our readers to decide. Not content with this self-praise, the author makes the pretentious claim that it is a "Humanist Bible." The rest of the cover is empty space -- a warning to those thinking of reading the 600+ pages.The purported subject of this book, the wisdom of the ages, is one which greatly interests me. Unfortunately this author, born in a British colony in Africa and advanced to high status in what remains of the British Empire, gives us a second-hand version, muddled a bit, and sanitized of all religion (in keeping with the author's proclaimed atheism). The result is second-rate. When compared to the King James Version of the Bible, created by many scholars, it is a comic book.Mr. Grayling is a professor of philosophy. As Henry Thoreau noted this is to be distinguished from a real philosopher. He has no doubt sought to teach what others, some wise, have said or written. As someone once noted, the streets of London have experienced centuries of history without learning much. So it is that one may read much wisdom and never become wise.One great advantage of Amazon is that it allows potential buyers to read a bit -- either through a free chapter via Kindle (if you are not located in a disadvantaged country) or through the Look Inside feature. I think reading just a bit of Genesis, which has very little to do with the sort of thing that might be found in the Hebrew Bible's "In the Beginning," should disabuse most potential buyers from any thought that this will be enlightening. I really wonder why anyone would think it worthy of publication.
I hoped this book would be structured similarly to the Buddhist Bible by Dwight Goddard: a collection of relevant texts from great philosophers. But the author actually structured it like the Christian Bible, and none of it's referenced to the philosophers who Grayling claimed inspired and informed the text. So if anything rings true, you have no way to read more from the relevant philosopher.Too bad. I hope someone will pick up the Buddhist Bible and develop something similar based on secular philosophers. The Good Book is somewhat pointless, unless Grayling really imagines that agnostics and atheists will use it the same way a Christian might use the Bible. I certainly couldn't reference this in a research paper or even use it to make a point in a theological/philosophical debate.
It is absolutely fantastic! Last night I stayed up with my 10 year old daughter and my 7 year old boy reading the Parables chapter - the story of the leopard and fox. They couldn't get enough of it. I read untill I was horse and they wanted more. I had to cut it off and go to bed however after I put them to bed I read it under my covers to not wake my wife. Honestly I can't put it down and I can't wait till I get off work today so I can go home and read it. Thank you AC Grayling!Regarding the criticism of the lack of footnotes - valid point, at first I was a bit disappointed that there were no sitations of the author, however I think I am actually glad he didn't put them in because it truly would be a distraction for me. I could see myself not focusing on the passage and become more concerned about who wrote what. Then I'd have to go look it up, etc. It seems a bit more pure this way with only the wisdom and poetry to focus on. I bought 4 copies for friends and family. I treasure this text like a box of gems to open and discover every day. I'm lucky to have found out about it and yes it is far superior and a lot less scary than the original.
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