Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars

by A. C. Grayling

It seems like we can’t talk about anything nowadays… Whether it’s war or something utterly inconsequential, the internet is primed for furore. And the results can be horrifying – from online pile-ons and doxing to job loss and, in some cases, death. But how did we end up here?

Nuanced and historically grounded, A. C. Grayling searches for middle ground in an otherwise incendiary debate. Looking at the history of cancellation, from Ancient Greek ‘ostracism’ through hemlock cups, witch trials and the House of Un-American Activities, Discriminations is a timely examination of the state of our public culture and the chilling effect it’s having on intellectual discourse.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published May 20, 2025

Reviews

[Andrew Deakin · Rating 3 out of 5]

UK philosopher A. C. Grayling's 2025 book Discriminations is an interesting attempt to caution against extreme 'non-platforming' and 'cancellation' actions by the so called 'woke' movement.

Grayling admits to being apostolic on behalf of the woke, i.e., those who propose that conventional ideas on sex, race, and gender oppress and discriminate against most people. He seems dismayed at the more intolerant strategies to resist and overturn convention, citing historical parallels such as extreme religious intolerance in early modern Europe (such as the brutal Catholic suppression of the Albigensian heresy in the 13th century, in which the populations of whole townships were massacred mercilessly for deviating from traditional Church dogma).

His somewhat anodyne suggestion is the adoption of 'convivencia', the concept of mutual respect for rights that characterized a period of harmony in medieval Spain when Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together cooperatively. The UN Declaration of Human Rights is a key instrument of his modern model of respect and tolerance.

Not surprisingly, the left has largely rejected Grayling's analysis and recommendations. They argue that rights, democracy, the rule of law, etc., are products of a racist, patriarchal, colonialist culture that perpetuates oppression.

Grayling is a major modern thinker and philosopher, and his obvious naïvety in relation to the woke cult is starkly obvious. But, if you lie down with dogs ...

[Evan Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was inclined to read this after attending a talk by A.C Grayling in Hay Festival. He speaks very well about the dangers of infringing the freedom of expression of those who are fighting against the ‘woke’ but he quite poignantly ended his talk and book by saying ‘in order to quieten the negative and discriminatory, we must be louder in our support and positivity’

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The speech AC Grayling gives based on this book is outstanding and highly recommended.

The book itself is not as engaging as the speech however it provides a lot of the professor’s background thinking and sources so in that basis I highly recommend the read. My copy is now heavily underlined.

[Callum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tricky second last chapter due to some of the language used in the examples. Nice to have examples given for things rather than philosophical concepts.

[Jo Edinburgh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I attended A.C.Grayling's lecture covering this at the Edinburgh Book Festival. I thought his book would go into more depth than the lecture, but it didn't. Ultimately a review in The Irish Times sums up my feelings about the thrust of his discussion:
"Supposedly rising above the “culture war”, Grayling proposes liberal solutions: rights, debate, freedom. These are hard to disagree with but obviously these are widespread, even dominant ideas of the last century. Grayling admonishes everyone to return to these principles, which should deliver a harmonious political debate – full of difference and disagreement but civil. Today, when authoritarian populists and neoliberals are the champions of free speech, this is insufficient."

[Simon Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grayling argues that while the objectives of progressive social activists in the west (namely defending those whose rights are trampled by interests of the advantaged) are noble and right, the methods the radical wing of these activists employ is often problematic. To him, cancellation and deplatforming are forms of mob justice that forego trial by jury and when applied to those based on ideas they have expressed, it is of vital significance to those who care about human rights because freedom of expression underpins and protects all other downstream human rights. They are also ineffective for a multitude of reasons. The work also discusses a range of interesting topics from history to information the argument. I found the argument and the book in general very compelling.