Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age

by A.C. Grayling

"Magnanimity is in short supply," writes A. C. Grayling is this wonderfully incisive book, "but it is the main ingredient in everything that makes the world a better place" And indeed Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age is itself a generous, insightful, wide-ranging, magnanimous inquiry into the philosophical and ethical questions that bear most strongly on the human condition.
Containing nearly fifty linked commentaries on topics ranging from love, lying, perseverance, revenge, racism, religion, history, loyalty, health, and leisure, Meditations for the Humanist does not offer definitive statements but rather prompts to reflection. These brief essays serve as springboards to the kind of thoughtful examination without which, as Socrates famously claimed, life is not worth living. As Graying notes in his introduction, "It is not necessary to arrive at polished theories on all these subjects, but it is necessary to give them at least a modicum of thought if one's life is to have some degree of shape and direction." The book is divided into three sections-Virtues and Attributes, Foes and Fallacies, and Amenities and Goods-and within these sections essays are grouped into related clusters. But each piece can be read alone and each is characterized by brevity, wit, and a liveliness of mind that recalls the best of Montaigne and Samuel Johnson. Grayling's own perspective on these subjects is broadened and deepened by liberal quotations from Sophocles and Shakespeare to Byron, Twain, Proust, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others.
For those wishing to explore ethical issues outside the framework of organized religious belief, Meditations for the Humanist offers an inviting map to the country of philosophical reflection.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Essays, Atheism, Psychology, Spirituality, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Anthony Clifford "A. C." Grayling is a British philosopher. In 2011 he founded and became the first Master of New College of the Humanities, an independent undergraduate college in London. Until June 2011, he was Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, where he taught from 1991. He is also a supernumerary fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford.

He is a director and contributor at Prospect Magazine, as well as a Vice President of the British Humanist Association. His main academic interests lie in epistemology, metaphysics and philosophical logic. He has described himself as "a man of the left" and is associated in Britain with the new atheism movement, and is sometimes described as the 'Fifth Horseman of New Atheism'. He appears in the British media discussing philosophy.

Reviews

[Heidi Amar · Rating 5 out of 5]

نكذب أم نقول الحقيقة؟
هل نحمل الأمل أم نميل إلى التشاؤم؟
أنتخوف من الموت أم نحبه؟

لا توجد إجابة قاطعة على هذه الأسئلة
لأن لكل واحدٍ منّا إجابته الخاصة.

في كتاب "معنى الأشياء" يطرح المؤلف عشرات المقالات التي يناقش فيها قضايا الحياة من جوانبها المتعددة، مؤيدًا ومعارضًا، متأملاً ومتسائلًا.

ومن المؤكد أن من قرأ كتب السير الذاتية أو شاهد أفلامًا مقتبسة من حياة العظماء، سيلاحظ عاملًا مشتركًا يتكرر في مئات القصص، وهو: الحزن.

يشير الكاتب في هذا الكتاب إلى أن الحكمة وترك الأثر في الحياة غالبًا ما يرتبطان بتجربة حزينة عميقة. لكن، لا ينبغي لهذا الحزن أن يبتلعنا أو يُقعدنا، بل يجب أن نحوله إلى طاقة دافعة للإنتاج، أو على الأقل _كما يفعل الرواقيون_ أن يكون حزننا تحت سيطرتنا. ومع الوقت، تتكون لدينا بصيرة ورؤية أعمق تجعلنا أكثر تعاطفًا مع الآخرين.


الخوف من الموت، كما يراه الكاتب، ليس خوفًا من موتنا نحن، فنحن لن نشعر بشيء عند رحيلنا، بل الخوف الحقيقي يكمن في حزن من يحبوننا، في افتقادهم لنا.

قد يكون الموت خيرًا في بعض الأحيان؛ إذ يرفع عنّا معاناة طويلة، أو يبعد عنّا من كان يؤذينا.
وقد يكون شرًا حين يسلب منّا لحظات جميلة، أو يأخذ أحبابًا لا يُعوّضون.

الكتاب سهل الفهم، وأسلوبه بسيط، لكنه قد لا يروق للبعض ممّن لديهم تحفظات دينية، إذ يعرض بعض المواضيع من زوايا فلسفية قد تتعارض مع المعتقدات الدينية التقليدية.

ترجمة بديعة كالعادة قدمها أستاذ أحمد الزناتي

تقييمي:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book as it stimulates thought around very basic concepts. It is split into little 2-3 page sections, which makes it perfect for a 'pick up and put down' sort of reading style.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book. It is a collection of short essays on a variety of topics ranging from education to religion to love. While I don't agree with everything Grayling said, all the essays are thought provoking and stimulating.

I have seen Grayling give a couple talks online and was intrigued by him--he's a soft spoken, mild mannered gentleman who nevertheless oh so politely punctures the arguments of stupid people. It's amusing to watch. It made me want to read some of his work, and since I am not a philosopher, I thought this would be a good book to start with. I was right. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to get their cerebral juices flowing and to give some new perspectives on old topics.

[Elnaz Tahsini · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to read this book, partially being because I’m a slow reader but also because the book carries heavy content. I’ve previously read from the reviews that some individuals disagree with the points made but the author which I agree with as so have I as well, but for me I see this book as the opportunity to open your eyes into the other perspectives which surrounds philosophy. Grayling challenges readers to uptake a more open minded approach when reading this book and puts things into perspective like no other. I highly recommend this book due to its fresh take on deepening general understandings of basic concepts which we encounter.

[Mon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alternate title: If you're too embarrassed to shop at the self-help section, try this.

[Sagar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. The book is well compiled but I don't agree with him in a few chapters.

[Ernie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Infact It was the first book I ever bought with my own money at age 17. I needed to read something that would tell me a little bit about life and all the sorts of things people think, feel and act upon you know. so dabbling into this and that really gave my conscience a great deal of things to construe. It's not only a valid opinion or discussion that our great man Anthony here brings to the table in each essay; but also one of the most profound vocabularies that I have come across, even to this day.

When I read it the second time over; still being 17, I had to take a pad of A4 paper and write down every single word that I didn't truly understand the meaning behind, by which I mean, If I were incapable of describing or defining the word, then it would be written down and later researched via google-define:eg'circumlocution' (incidentally became a word of my googlewhack: Circumlocution-Pillowcase')

Anyhoo, the book helped me during dire times and I think if I dusted it off and read it again, as well as using the google definition trick, i would once again benefit an uncountable times over.

No flag has ever stopped a bullet from a gun - that's my philosophy.
L.A's getting kinda' crazey & New York's gettin' kinda' cold.

[Rachael Shipard · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most cringe book I've read in 2021. For someone who decries ignorance and hatred as characteristics of poor moral development, A.C. Grayling would do well to dampen his own personal hatred of organised religion (especially Christianity) and open his mind to actually understand true theology and philosophy instead of making embarrassingly naive and outright false claims about such topics. Excruciatingly underwhelming. Also, the sheer laziness of copying and pasting quotes (usually with little context) without sufficient elaboration just shows his sheer desire to show off his 'wide reading' instead of making robust arguments.

[Manar Ibrahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book for reflection. Although, I didn't necessarily agree with everything Grayling says but there is always so much to consider in ever subject he issues. His range of knowledge from Shakespeare to Plato to Mark Twain and Cicero, is overwhelming and pushes you to read further and dig deeper into all the subjects touched in there.

[Abhinav Talwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was given to me as a gift and I am grateful it was because I am not sure whether I would of actively selected this book to read. This book is split into 3 sections, each with a series of essays on various aspects of human emotion, nature and behaviour. My favourite chapters were the essays on Civility and Tolerance.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be thought-provoking, but not as densely so as some other collections of essays (eg, Montaigne). The positions taken seem to be fairly standard humanist positions, although I found Grayling's rationale and explanations of those positions to be insightful.

[Eva Härter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting thoughts on so many aspects of life. At times confronting, comforting and refreshing to read alike. Grayling refers to many great philosophers and poets, reflecting on what it means to be human, what life entails and what makes life worth living by voicing his critique on how we live, are and value.

One of many things worth quoting here:
“To say that trifles make up the happiness or the misery of human life is to voice a cliché no less true for being one, and no less worth remembering.”

[David Msomba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads,why you don't have 20 stars rating,because this one deserve 20 stars........on many works of Philosophy that I have read this year,this one takes the number one spot,as the greatest one.

Thank Prof.Grayling,can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Btw, highly recommended if you are secular humanist,atheist or any moral descent human being,who is on search of moral teaching and guidance, wisdom,seek to understand moral secular values,blending Philosophical/Literature ideas with our daily life obligations and ethical teachings outside tradition/norm.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely, particularly the format. These short chapters were originally for a weekly publication and Grayling has condensed them into a convenient sized easy to read book broken up into three sections. I had some favourites within these sections.

Part 1 - Virtues and Attributes (Moralising, Fear, Death, Lying, Delusion, Love and Happiness)
Part 2 - Foes and Fallacies (Hate, Revenge, Miracles,Prophecy, Poverty and Capitalism)
Part 3 - Amenities and Goods (Peace, Reading, Memory, Travel, Family, Age, Gifts and Trifles)

All in all an excellent read, looking forward to more of his writing.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking book, divided into short and digestible chapters which are essentially essays on a range of interesting topics. This is an easy book to dip in and out of, although I should say that Grayling has taken care to order these essays logically and so there is something to be gained from more continuous reading. You may not agree with everything the author has to say but you do not need to. This book is eloquently written and most importantly will make you think.

[Ashish Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it to be a nice book that provides ideas and a bit of perspective on many topics related to philosophy.

[Sri Dwaraka · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opinions given and the analysis to each and every topic is thought provoking. There are some arguments which someone will disagree with. Overall it's a thought provoking read.

[Joseph Caygill · Rating 4 out of 5]

READ IT!!!

[Wm Jas Tychonievich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light but stimulating read, consisting of 61 very short essays on a wide variety of philosophical and moral issues. It's not the sort of book that will convince you of anything -- at three or four pages per topic, there is little room for sustained argument -- but serves more as a lightly annotated list of interesting questions to think about. The author's views are invariably conventional and in some cases (generally wherever biology is involved) obtuse -- he assures us, for example, that concern for chastity is an arbitrary artifact of religion, and that racism is wrong because there is actually no such thing as race. On less politically charged topics his embrace of conventional wisdom is more thoughtful and thought-provoking. He points out several times that cliches are, after all, usually true and deserve to be thought about, which is true enough.

The words "famously" and "commonplace" are overused throughout the book, as are allusions to Hitler and the Holocaust, which turn up in at least 13 of the essays (I skimmed the book counting them in order to quantify my sense that the book seemed oddly Nazicentric). Other than that, the style is graceful and readable, which, combined with the shortness of the chapters, makes it all too easy to read just one more chapter and then just one more and end up going to bed far too late.

[Nahid · Rating 2 out of 5]

الكتاب مقسم لأقسام كل قسم يتناول موضوع يتحدث عنه الكاتب-ملحد- في عدد من الصفح لايزيد عن الثلاثه.
نوع من الفلسفه البدائيه والتناقض الملحوظ في الأفكار
فقط يحاول الكاتب إثبات وجهة نظرة-لنفسه-في كتاب أو مجموعة من المقالات المُجمعه في مغلف واحد فيبدأ الكاتب بمهاجمة الmoraliser والاستدلال ببعض الإقباسات لفلاسفة آخرين كنيتشه وسقراط،إلى آخره..
ربما كان الكتاب في الأصل بغرض تظاهر الكاتب بقدرته على جمع الإقتباسات وتفسيرها.ثم يبدأ الكاتب بعد تلك المهاجمه بدور الواعظ فيتحدث عن الخوف والحُب و الموت والهزيمة.
أرشح الكتاب كمدخل لمعرفة معنى الفلسفه أو لمعرفة الإقتباسات المشهوره لبعض الفلاسفه أو الأفضل ككتاب تعليمي للغة الإنجليزيه حيث يشرح الكاتب بعض الكلمات في مقالات قد تكون thought provoking نوعاً ما.
وإن كان الكاتب مُوفق في بعض الجمل:
"But it remains that fear itself is more to be feared than most of the things people usually fear"

"Ordinary life evokes more extraordinary courage than combat or adventure because both the chances and inevitabilities of life-grief,illness, disappointment,pain,struggle, poverty,loss,terror, heartache: all of them common features of the human condition, and all of them experienced by hundreds of thousands of people every day -demand kinds of endurance and bravery that make clambering up Everest seem an easier alternative."

"Is this present moment really worth keeping?"

"We tolerate others best when we know how to tolerate ourselves"

[Aura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply Humanism at its best, for those of you looking for a sense of guidance without religion this is defiantly for you but even if you are religious don’t be put off, it’s a great read for all. Don’t let the 61 essays in this little beauty put you off either, most of them are no more than two pages long, which makes this a great ‘before I go to bed read’ for anyone looking to get into the habit of reading more (a habit everyone should pick up). Grayling tackles various topics including Sin, education, hate, lying, loyalty, betrayal and moralising, without ever being as hypocritical to moralise himself. For those of you ( I’m talking to the youngins here) who aren’t content with getting familiar with the classical greats ,Grayling puts a modern twist to the art of Philosophy, while still managing to make it easy for any audience who wishes to expand their mind beyond the daily two dimensional way of looking at life.

This book is also published under the title:Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age, they both contain the exact same content.

[Nahla Bassam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author gives his own philosophical definitions to different virtues, traits and feelings trying to give them meanings.
Although I disagreed with him in most of these definitions, and I thought he was extremely biased against religion, I thought the book was thought provoking and a bit interesting, only as long as you don't take his words too seriously (or as givens, of course) however, it's not so enlightening if you already know how to "think" for yourself.
The quoting from ancient philosophers wasn't bad, and each chapter was 2,3 pages so it's good as a light read.



- Moralizing is condenscending so don't ask prostitutes to dress decently in courts because they should be allowed to keep wearing the "uniform of their profession" :/
- Should the tolerant tolerate the intolerant? No! Because tolerance has to protect itself (what?!)
- Fear is the source of many social ills, it gives rise to superstition and religion.

And so it goes..

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short essays on topics that are sure to have affected everyone at some point, or are likely to in the future. Each essay as interesting as the next, they all provide a resource for healthy debate, however some may tire of him connecting nearly every argument to religion. I never, I felt this made it even more enjoyable. Grayling does not speak of religion as Dawkings does, although also clearly an atheist he states his opinions on religion with clarity and understanding.

Most importantly is the accessibility of these essays, an in-depth knowledge of philosophy is not required before beginning here, only an experience of day to day life. It is a book worth keeping to refer back to (for those who choose not to keep books), to keep on the bedside table or the 'toilet-cistern-bookshelf' if thats preferable, as his opinions are most definately worth re-examining.

[Jeffrey Bradt]

Grayling seems to think that he has a lot of wisdom to impart with this book. His writing style is flowery and intelligent-sounding, but in terms of actual insight and solid judgment, The Meaning of Things lacks.
For the last twenty or thirty pages, I found myself reading to finish the book so that I could give myself credit for finishing another book, not because it kept my interest.
I disagree with certain points Grayling makes; I find many of them pointedly unwise and cynical.
I bought this book seeking sagacity, but now I am giving it to charity because I do not find it worth keeping.

[J.B. B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

. this i pick up from time to tell (as well as others of course) actually i'm reading the hardback - this is great because you can just pick up and read a chapter at a time. the tone is a little heavy/academic, but the is a very calming book to read. nothing that strikes me as 'wow, original' but great prose and a nice compilation

[Steven-John Tait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years after reading The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, I found this. This, to me, is a more practical take on the material you'll find in The Prophet. This has replaced The Prophet as my go to book. It is functional, doesn't have the poetry and artistic flourishes, and gets straight to the point. Presents the topics in an easy to digest form.

[Klaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who doesn't really study philosophy, this book is excellent. Small, bite-sized chapters covering 1 topic each, providing outstanding and clever insights, which I would probably never reach myself. Would recommend for anyone who is a beginner in philosophy.

[Joe Sampson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not always easy to understand. A lot of what he says is debatable. He makes some interesting points.

[Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

180520

I enjoy this sort of read but it is not everybody's cup of tea. Having said that I found Grayling's The Good Book hard going but perhaps it was the 'biblical' style which was the challenge. This short paperback is written in a more 'secular' style and very much easier to digest.

The contents is broken up into three parts: Virtues and Attributes; Foes and Fallacies; Amenities and Goods. Each part has a number of one word headings and are 1 — 2-plus pages in length: Grayling did wax lyrical on Christianity being 8-pages long. But like The Good Book, Grayling has utilised quotations and aphorisms from an impressive variety of writers and traditions

If I was to focus on one heading it would be Memory. In my work memory is my bread and butter and I have read much about the perceptions of others about memory and have found these perceptions useful for trying to explain memory in the context of a person's developing dementia. For instance, from Jerome K Jerome: "I remember tumbling into a huge dust hole, when a very small boy, but I have not the faintest recollection of ever getting out again; and, if memory were all we had to trust to, I should be compelled to believe I was there still." Grayling covers similar territory, but has a concluding subsection that is topical and caught me unawares.

Grayling finishes Memory by referring to the Holocaust and the role of collective memory: "It is why the human rights movement exists, with its slow progress towards international agencies capable of enforcing the conventions agreed by the party states of the United Nations. These historic movements are responses to the Holocaust, and the fact that their progress stutters and stumbles is a worrying sign of mankind's short memory and blind self-interest, faults which even so gross an insult to humanity as the Holocaust seems unable to overcome."

I can't find my copy of Arthur Koestler's Ghost in the Machine but I recall he posited an evolutional dissonance between the Old Brain and the New Brain and the potential that they work against each other leading to disharmony and dysfunction for the individual. This seems to be a similar concept to that Grayling is describing for collective memory . . . “We learn from history that we do not learn from history.” �� Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

CJHD

[Eugene Kernes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is This An Overview?
This book is a composition of many short essays on a diverse set of topics. Provoking reflection on values, to consider different ways on how to be. Some essays impart thoughts on how to treat others, how to share values, how to compromise. Some essays impart thoughts on how to thinking, how to reason, how to be honest. Some essays impart thoughts on how to be part of society, how conflict if created, how differences are handled. Life is a composition of a diverse set of emotions, struggles, and interactions. Each aspect of life has limits, complexity, and consequences. By learning and thinking about the aspects of life, can the individual improve themselves and society.

Caveats?
Essay quality is mixed, as different topics will interest different readers, and the essays are short. There is not much on each topic. The topics are provided a complex understanding and provide valuable content, but for topics that interest the reader, the reader would need to search for more information to understand the different aspects and perspectives on the topic. A bias of the book is the treatment of topics related to religion, as the topics are simplified and the references to them are primarily the negative consequences.