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The Reason of Things : Living With Philosophy
This follow-up to the best-selling 'The Meaning of Things' consists of a collection of Grayling's regular 'Last Word' columns in 'The Guardian'. Topics include suicide, deceit, luxury, profit, marriage, meat-eating, liberty, slavery, protest, guns and war.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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1349 people want to read
About the author
A.C. Grayling
94 books665 followersAnthony 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
September 9, 2020
A.C. Grayling’s collection of short, philosophical articles and essays is more suggestive than instructive. Topics are loosely grouped under the chapter headings of Morality, Culture, Community, Conflict, Grief, Nature, and Thought, and include subjects as diverse as suicide, vegetarianism, voting, and monsters.
Fans of news agencies like The Guardian will no doubt appreciate the author’s journalistic prowess; meaning Grayling can aptly convey complex ideas with a deft economy of words. There is no essay here that cannot be read, in its entirety, during commercial breaks of Grey’s Anatomy or The Walking Dead. This is philosophy whittled down to accessible, digestible chunks.
• Grayling on Sex: “The common thread is ‘Mrs Grundyism’, the moral conservatism which presumes to tell other people what to think and how to behave.”
• Grayling on Protest: “...every serious demonstration about social and political matters is invariably joined, and often hijacked, by vandals and extremists, who thereby divert attention from important questions at issue in the protest, and fill the next day’s newspapers with endless reports and debates about violence, police tactics, injuries and arrests - thus robbing the protest of its point. One wonders if they are in the pay of those against whom the protest is directed; for these latter are the only ones who benefit from what they do.”
• Grayling on Liberty: “...those who live by hard and uncompromising views in political, moral and religious respects always, if given half a chance, silence liberals because liberalism, by its nature, threatens the hegemony they seek to impose.”
• Grayling on War: “None of the major faiths is bloodless; history reeks with the gore of their wars and persecutions... From a secular point of view, religious beliefs are at best absurd and at worst dangerous, and the amount of free play they are given in the public domain is a menace.”
Four Stars
Fans of news agencies like The Guardian will no doubt appreciate the author’s journalistic prowess; meaning Grayling can aptly convey complex ideas with a deft economy of words. There is no essay here that cannot be read, in its entirety, during commercial breaks of Grey’s Anatomy or The Walking Dead. This is philosophy whittled down to accessible, digestible chunks.
• Grayling on Sex: “The common thread is ‘Mrs Grundyism’, the moral conservatism which presumes to tell other people what to think and how to behave.”
• Grayling on Protest: “...every serious demonstration about social and political matters is invariably joined, and often hijacked, by vandals and extremists, who thereby divert attention from important questions at issue in the protest, and fill the next day’s newspapers with endless reports and debates about violence, police tactics, injuries and arrests - thus robbing the protest of its point. One wonders if they are in the pay of those against whom the protest is directed; for these latter are the only ones who benefit from what they do.”
• Grayling on Liberty: “...those who live by hard and uncompromising views in political, moral and religious respects always, if given half a chance, silence liberals because liberalism, by its nature, threatens the hegemony they seek to impose.”
• Grayling on War: “None of the major faiths is bloodless; history reeks with the gore of their wars and persecutions... From a secular point of view, religious beliefs are at best absurd and at worst dangerous, and the amount of free play they are given in the public domain is a menace.”
Four Stars
February 27, 2016
At college I was taught that philosophy is a discipline of ideas mashed out by great minds in academic institutions. These ideas eventually percolate down into general society and become part of our stockpile of 'common sense' attitudes.
For me that was the problem with this book. The book was published in 2003. Grayling has pretty liberal ideas. I have pretty liberal ideas. And nearly everything I read in this book has already percolated down into the circles I move in. So reading most of the essays was really just a case of nodding in agreement.
There was one topic that caught my attention - his essay on symbols. Here he discusses the role of signs/symbols in terms of association - and their ability to evoke complex ideas and operations.
In arithmetic and maths their role is of huge strategic importance.
He also speaks of the importance of language as a series of symbols. Plus he mentions art, and the way in which we miss much of the meaning of the pictures in our galleries if we don't understand the symbols of the Bible and Greek and Roman mythology.
He also talks about the way that symbols can take on a life of their own...
So, for me the above chapter was plump with interesting ideas... but not so much the rest of the book, which felt like a collection of newspaper articles which I had already readseveral many times over the past decade.
For me that was the problem with this book. The book was published in 2003. Grayling has pretty liberal ideas. I have pretty liberal ideas. And nearly everything I read in this book has already percolated down into the circles I move in. So reading most of the essays was really just a case of nodding in agreement.
There was one topic that caught my attention - his essay on symbols. Here he discusses the role of signs/symbols in terms of association - and their ability to evoke complex ideas and operations.
In arithmetic and maths their role is of huge strategic importance.
"The abstract properties of collections of things would be impossible to investigate without the simple but immensely powerful symbolic notation of arithmetic. The Romans did not have a symbol for nothing (zero), and were so hampered by the lack that they were incapable of contributing to mathematical knowledge."
He also speaks of the importance of language as a series of symbols. Plus he mentions art, and the way in which we miss much of the meaning of the pictures in our galleries if we don't understand the symbols of the Bible and Greek and Roman mythology.
He also talks about the way that symbols can take on a life of their own...
"Symbols have the unfortunate power to acquire the importance of what they symbolise. They become objects of veneration or hatred in their own right, and it becomes a sin (or, for enemies, a virtue) to mistreat them....The very concept of 'desecration' - of mishandling or disrespectfully treating a symbolically important object or place - depends crucially on the power of symbols to share the reality of what they symbolise.
Worst of all, symbols sometimes live on in their own right when what they symbolise has long been forgotten. It is an intriguing and dismaying parlour game to itemise the symbols that have become their own reality, and to count how many there are; for people not only live by symbols, but die by them, as wars of religion and nationalism attest."
So, for me the above chapter was plump with interesting ideas... but not so much the rest of the book, which felt like a collection of newspaper articles which I had already read
January 26, 2024
Some interesting essays on morality, war, philosophy and a plethora of other topics. The author is very anti religion and is decidedly liberal in his views. Although I tended to agree on his commentaries on morality, war, sex, liberty and other subjects.
What was annoying is that he failed to have a bibliography which would have been useful. I also enjoyed the quotes at the beginning of each essay.
What was annoying is that he failed to have a bibliography which would have been useful. I also enjoyed the quotes at the beginning of each essay.
October 8, 2014
I found this book to be refreshing in that it tackled more prosaic aspects of life rather than the lofty, more abstract and theoretical topics covered in a book by say Dawkins or Hitchens.
Well worth the time overall, although Grayling's style is a bit more languid than the aforementioned Dawkins, and especially Hitchens. More commentary than combat.
Well worth the time overall, although Grayling's style is a bit more languid than the aforementioned Dawkins, and especially Hitchens. More commentary than combat.
May 20, 2014
This is an excellent collection of short essays by Grayling. It is filled with many thoughts on morals, values, and experiences that don't try to get you to agree with them, but rather make you reflect and form your own thoughts. As a Humanist, I found it very cathartic and thought-provoking, though you need not be a Humanist to enjoy this book.
May 14, 2019
Priceless, absolutely priceless
Prof.Grayling is arguably the undisputed grandmaster,when comes to educating the world on secular ethics,Humanist teaching and secular wisdom.
Taking lessons and inspirations from history,literature,philosophy and science,he delivers numerous essays on subjects ranging from sex,war crimes,modern slavery to capital punishment fasting and animal rights.
Many Essays in this book are thought provoking,educational with the intention of trying to challenge the status quo or help you to reexamine your position to many of these subjects
I believe the main targeted audiences of this book are people who are non religious who are looking for a more ethical approach on their daily life but if you a secular and you care about secular values or ethics on the modern world,I couldn't recommend this enough.....
Prof.Grayling is arguably the undisputed grandmaster,when comes to educating the world on secular ethics,Humanist teaching and secular wisdom.
Taking lessons and inspirations from history,literature,philosophy and science,he delivers numerous essays on subjects ranging from sex,war crimes,modern slavery to capital punishment fasting and animal rights.
Many Essays in this book are thought provoking,educational with the intention of trying to challenge the status quo or help you to reexamine your position to many of these subjects
I believe the main targeted audiences of this book are people who are non religious who are looking for a more ethical approach on their daily life but if you a secular and you care about secular values or ethics on the modern world,I couldn't recommend this enough.....
Currently reading
October 13, 2011Words for a tired soul. A book you want to dip in and out of. It gets a key spot on my shelf.
March 12, 2012
Probably would have enjoyed it more if i wasn't forced to read it. Found him a bit judgemental and could also be repetitive. But interesting points did come up quite a few times in his essays.
July 4, 2018
Unbelievably inaccurate title- sex and god are thrown in there to sell books perhaps, but there is very little of either in the book. What it does have though, is a collection of bite-sized essays on a wide range of big topics, some absolutely spot-on, some self-congratulatory, some unfocused and meandering, but all thought-provoking and educational. The breadth of Grayling's reading is so great that every essay turns you on to someone you really should have read (when you were twelve, if Grayling's complete reading of the western cannon at that age is to be believed). Great for dipping in and getting your toes wet with some very big ideas. And boy, does he have a beef with Terry Eagleton.
December 28, 2016
I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, which I found in a clearance rack (some of the best books are found there!). I think the title is a bit misleading, as in this collections of essays there are very few that relate to sex or a life without God (although in a few he does not have kind words to say about religion, but he does support his arguments quite well, I think). I really enjoyed his defense of liberal education in the second essay, and I found a majority of the essays thought-provoking and interesting. The last essay contains a great ending for the book, and a recipe of sorts for the "good life:"
"Chief among the aims of an education in ethical reflection is to help people recognize and appreciate alternative points of view, to show why it is important to approach others in a spirit of respect, to demonstrate how essential it is to think about the consequences of one's own choices and actions, and to give an insight into the great possibilities that arise for people when their lives are lived in a setting of sympathy and tolerance."
This is one of the books I have that I will read again someday.
"Chief among the aims of an education in ethical reflection is to help people recognize and appreciate alternative points of view, to show why it is important to approach others in a spirit of respect, to demonstrate how essential it is to think about the consequences of one's own choices and actions, and to give an insight into the great possibilities that arise for people when their lives are lived in a setting of sympathy and tolerance."
This is one of the books I have that I will read again someday.
June 3, 2012
I read this slowly over a month and really enjoyed it. Only a few essays were of little interest to me, basically they skipped over my head due to my lack of a classical education.
Grayling is by no means a strident voice for atheism, many essays didn't touch on either religion or the lack of. I wished a lot of them were longer, they just seemed to get started and arouse my interest when they were over. I will be on the look out for more of his writing as I like the way he makes me think, and sometimes rethink.
Grayling is by no means a strident voice for atheism, many essays didn't touch on either religion or the lack of. I wished a lot of them were longer, they just seemed to get started and arouse my interest when they were over. I will be on the look out for more of his writing as I like the way he makes me think, and sometimes rethink.
December 9, 2012
Quite broad, general and insightful. The writing feels as if the author is rambling nonsense at times and serious at other times, though it may be his technique in prompting the readers to conjure counterarguments or new ideas to support or disagree with whatever he writes. But precisely because of this that the honesty and straightforwardness of his writing is quite interesting and they make the book both a book for contemplation and leisure.
April 19, 2020
Consisting of a collection of Grayling's regular 'Last Word' columns in the Guardian, this book offers reflections on topics that concern us all - for example ethics, voting, religion, evil, luxury, marriage, sex, liberty, justice and war. I took this book slowly, a few chapters at each sitting due to its heavy content - which I found to be both stimulating and thought provoking.
March 26, 2012
3 1/2 stars to this little thought provoking book filled with 3-4 pages essay's on a wide range of philosophical topics. The author never claims to have all of the answers- instead posing questions and theory's to be reflected and meditated upon later. Good stuff....
June 25, 2008
A marvellous collection of short essays on things that matter the most to mankind: love, morality, religion, freedom and politics among other prominent topics. Elegantly written.
July 2, 2008
Ok, ok, I'm guilty of reading more than one book at a time. But this one is so easy to pick up just for a moment. It's comprised of very short (3 page average) essays about everything. I love it!
February 1, 2017
Collection of short philosophical musings. Pleasantly thought-provoking.
June 14, 2012
Much like The Meaning of Things, these are short essays that are interesting and easygoing, but still stimulating if you're after something to ponder.
December 22, 2012
Absolutely brilliant and thought-provoking.
June 11, 2023
Fijne korte filosofische overpeinzingen om even de dagelijkse beslommeringen te ontstijgen.
December 6, 2017
A.C. Grayling, along with Roger Scruton, are probably the best-known English philosophers of the current day, primarily due to their willingness to engage with the mainstream, via mass media and trade publishing. The Reason of Things is a compilation of Grayling's articles and book reviews for various English newspapers. These essays are grouped into various themed sections. Most of them are only a couple of pages long, and thus are not in-depth views of the problems discussed. For me, this was a disappointing book to read.
I was amazed to find within these pages so much generalization where more specificity was required, and some entrenched views that Grayling would do well to re-visit or temper. A glaring example in this collection is Grayling's antipathy to organized religion. He takes every chance to expose the harm that religion has done through human history, but never acknowledges the good done in the name of God by countless thousands over millennia. He is quick to blame religion for war, when politics is just as guilty. In one essay he condemns religion as "worse than an irrelevance" because its strictures of giving to the poor and selflessness are so much against human nature. Yet in many other essays in this book Grayling praises the Stoics and the Ancient Greek search for the good life, which to me seems to be the same thing that he excoriates when it is put forward in the name of God. It suggests to me that Grayling's views on religion betray his feelings rather than logical thought. I wonder how much Grayling has read the religious philosophers such as Augustine and the other Church Fathers, as there is much in them that he would agree with, given what he praises in this book.
Many of the essays in this book are fairly straightforward and unobjectionable in content; well written to fit into a Saturday supplement. The best by far are the final few, which delve into literature and the practice of philosophy itself. Grayling's essay on the art of the essay serves to remind the reader not to neglect the genre, as it is often where the most thoughtful writing can be found. The importance of intelligent reviewing is emphasised in another of the final essays.
The essay "Becoming Philosophical" is an insight into how Grayling became the person he is, and again is a well written piece.
I purchased this book second-hand while on a trip with my family. The short essays - bite-sized bits of thought - make it a perfect travel book. I just wish it had a bit more depth.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
I was amazed to find within these pages so much generalization where more specificity was required, and some entrenched views that Grayling would do well to re-visit or temper. A glaring example in this collection is Grayling's antipathy to organized religion. He takes every chance to expose the harm that religion has done through human history, but never acknowledges the good done in the name of God by countless thousands over millennia. He is quick to blame religion for war, when politics is just as guilty. In one essay he condemns religion as "worse than an irrelevance" because its strictures of giving to the poor and selflessness are so much against human nature. Yet in many other essays in this book Grayling praises the Stoics and the Ancient Greek search for the good life, which to me seems to be the same thing that he excoriates when it is put forward in the name of God. It suggests to me that Grayling's views on religion betray his feelings rather than logical thought. I wonder how much Grayling has read the religious philosophers such as Augustine and the other Church Fathers, as there is much in them that he would agree with, given what he praises in this book.
Many of the essays in this book are fairly straightforward and unobjectionable in content; well written to fit into a Saturday supplement. The best by far are the final few, which delve into literature and the practice of philosophy itself. Grayling's essay on the art of the essay serves to remind the reader not to neglect the genre, as it is often where the most thoughtful writing can be found. The importance of intelligent reviewing is emphasised in another of the final essays.
The essay "Becoming Philosophical" is an insight into how Grayling became the person he is, and again is a well written piece.
I purchased this book second-hand while on a trip with my family. The short essays - bite-sized bits of thought - make it a perfect travel book. I just wish it had a bit more depth.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
July 27, 2017
I found this book to be incredibly boring. I stopped about one-third through. I think this author's thoughts and opinions are under-developed. He pulls information partly from theoretical thought, partly from opinion and declares it as factual analysis. He spends an awful lot of time quoting and referencing works from "elitist culture" (as he calls it) while delving very little into actual philosophy about anything. It started to appear like it was written by a grumpy, cynical British man that likes appearance more than substance, often stereotyping, men, women, Muslims, homosexuals, etc., while purporting to be well informed and free-thinking. A little bit hypocritical, really.
Many of the articles' titles seem only tangentially related to what the author writes about. For instance "credulity" is just a rant about tarot cards, speaking more about their origin and history than the topic at hand. The focus is not really "credulity", but "tarot is dumb". The article on "Identity" focuses solely on European society. Identity is more than just a place you're from. The concept of Identity is hardly discussed. Yes these things are related, but only barely. And that scarce relationship between things is basically how the author composes his thoughts and ideas about everything. Hardly related concepts where the depth of the topics is entirely avoided (both the article title and thing he speaks about).
The majority of the articles do attack religion in some way. I am not religious myself, however, when reading this it started to feel like the author thought the "Reason of Things" in his life stems from his issues with religion more than anything else. A little bit ironic, really.
This is for you if you only want to skim the surface of any subject, skipping over real understanding, keeping depth of thought to a minimum.
Many of the articles' titles seem only tangentially related to what the author writes about. For instance "credulity" is just a rant about tarot cards, speaking more about their origin and history than the topic at hand. The focus is not really "credulity", but "tarot is dumb". The article on "Identity" focuses solely on European society. Identity is more than just a place you're from. The concept of Identity is hardly discussed. Yes these things are related, but only barely. And that scarce relationship between things is basically how the author composes his thoughts and ideas about everything. Hardly related concepts where the depth of the topics is entirely avoided (both the article title and thing he speaks about).
The majority of the articles do attack religion in some way. I am not religious myself, however, when reading this it started to feel like the author thought the "Reason of Things" in his life stems from his issues with religion more than anything else. A little bit ironic, really.
This is for you if you only want to skim the surface of any subject, skipping over real understanding, keeping depth of thought to a minimum.
January 30, 2021
A collection of short essays, that read as musings on any variety of topics. There is nothing here that challenges, but for me there is much here that affirms and comforts. My primary criticism here is that the ideas are presented as fully formed conclusions (many of which I tend to agree with), but without taking the time to develop the actual argument to support the conclusion. I understand that his purpose here is not to write exhaustively on a single idea, but there were certainly times when I was left wanting more.
December 14, 2024
This book serves as a great introduction to philosophy, as stated by me, somebody who has not read philosophy before. This book is divided into sections with related essays. Essays can be heart-breaking, inspiring, or thought-provoking. Although this book was published in 2001, the politics and power essays remain relevant and a bit disconcerting. This book was a random find at a thrift store, and I am glad I bought it.
May 13, 2017
Inspiring for essay/educational purposes regarding writing
July 17, 2017
Nice short essaies.
I think I rather more explaining on topics, but Grayling is a good author.
I think I rather more explaining on topics, but Grayling is a good author.
April 28, 2019
I've read this a few years back and decided to read it again. Definitely enjoyed it more the second time.
Read
August 11, 2021The book is informative and insightful on the reason of things.
October 21, 2024
Very western views but many thought provoking points with interesting anecdotes. This is liberalism in a nutshell when talking about status quo, not quite as left as I'd imagined.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews