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The Good Book: A Secular Bible [Hardcover]

Professor A.C. Grayling (Author)

3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 4 April 2011

Designed to be read as narrative and also to be dipped into for inspiration, encouragement and consolation, The Good Book offers a thoughtful, non-religious alternative to the many people who do not follow one of the world's great religions. Instead, going back to traditions older than Christianity, and far richer and more various, including the non-theistic philosophical and literary schools of the great civilisations of both West and East, from the Greek philosophy of classical antiquity and its contemporaneous Confucian, Mencian and Mohist schools in China, down through classical Rome, the flourishing of Indian and Arab worlds, the European Renaissance and Enlightenment, the worldwide scientific discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries to the present, Grayling collects, edits, rearranges and organises the collective secular wisdom of the world in one highly readable volume.

Contents:

Genesis

Proverbs

Histories

Songs

Wisdom

Acts

The Lawgiver

Lamentations

Concord

Consolations

Sages

The Good

Parables

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Contents:

Genesis

Proverbs

Histories

Songs

Wisdom

Acts

The Lawgiver

Lamentations

Concord

Consolations

Sages

The Good

Parables

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Ideas That Matter: A Personal Guide for the 21st Century: Key Concepts for the 21st Century by Prof A.C. Grayling Paperback �6.89
The Meaning of Things: Applying Philosophy to life by Prof A.C. Grayling Paperback �5.99

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Product details

Hardcover: 608 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (4 April 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0747599602
ISBN-13: 978-0747599609
Product Dimensions: 15.3 x 4.2 x 23.4 cm

Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 166,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #88 in Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Other Religious & Spiritual Practices > Agnosticism & Atheism

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Review

Praise for The Meaning of Things

‘Deeply humane and subtle in its thought as well as being imbued with a rare spirit of enlightenment' (Financial Times)

‘Grayling writes with clarity, elegance and the occasional aphoristic twist...straight alpha material' (Sunday Telegraph)

'An enthusiastic thinker who embraces humour, common sense and lucidity' (Independent)

Book Description

Drawing on the wisdom of 2,500 years of contemplative non-religious 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. C. Grayling, Britain's most popular and widely read philosopher, has created a secular bible.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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3.2 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's assess your "problems" with this book shall we... 23 Nov 2011

By undesirable1

Format:Hardcover

Alright, let's start with the basic statement that this book is a stroke of genius and as much as everyone is entitled to their opinions, I shall be among those that hold this book in high esteem.
Let's address a common criticism, the format of The Good Book being in the same format as that of The King James Bible and the language being not of absolute modern English (although if you're taking issue with this it may be because you don't understand it, despite the language being a flowing poetry of sense and wisdom, not that I understand people NOT understanding it because it's close enough to modern day English to completely understand). He wrote it in the format for the simple reason that it's attractive, easy to find what you're looking for if you liked a specific chapter and it flows. It really is as simple as that, if you also consider if he set it out the same as every other book he did, what would make this stand out presentation wise from the rest? And this was meant as a very different kind of book to be written than his past works. And back to the language, both of the Good Book and the Bible's, the language used in both is beautiful whether you believe what is being said or not. And if you "get bored" with them, well maybe you should indulge in something a bit less poetic in the future... try religion for dummies.

Next, the negative reviewers that put it down for contradicting humanist values, that he seems to think he "has all the answers" and "tells us how to live our lives". You have missed the point of the book and I suggest you either go back to it and re-evaluate it, or go and read Harry Potter, maybe you'll get that one.... He doesn't claim to have all the answers, he doesn't TELL us how to live our lives, he suggests ways we expand and enhance our lives through great philosophers and literalists of the ages. You can take what you like from it and leave what you like. He doesn't "have all the answers", he suggests many answers to be right and through this book we can evaluate and choose our own answer.

Adding to this but also in the point of the "Bible" aspect of it. Isn't this more of philosophical book than religious. It's called a SECULAR bible... that means non-religious you know? It's taken the idea of the bible where it TELLS us how to live our lives, and Grayling has taken this and used the philosophers to SUGGEST how we MIGHT live our lives. There is nothing biblical about this. You don't "do bibles" do you? Well if you're putting this together with the original, again you have missed the point of this book. If you don't "do this book" then you're also ruling out free thinking, evaluating, you are ignoring the prospect of broadening your mind and this book misses all the negatives of the original. That is the religion, the dictatorship and the laws.

How about the footnote argument? Those that put this book down because you don't know where the sources come from. This is probably the only valid argument I have witnessed, and it can still be crushed. If you read a book so you can source it, why aren't you reading the books they come from? Shouldn't this book be taken as what it is, not a "mash of philosophers" but a careful documentation of philosophers greatest works, ordered into a book that can speak to us. If he put the footnotes in the book it would be three times bigger than what it is. If online, you'd be sat there with your book in front of the laptop, looking up who wrote it, when and why, when you should be focusing on the book itself, not the footnotes. You will be endlessly distracted and this is not what Grayling intended.

Do not compare it to the original KJV. It's not meant as a comparison, it's meant as another option, maybe even to be read alongside it. This book is what you make of it. I do not like Dawkins, I am a Christian, it grabs me. To those that do not like this book because they have read it, analysed it and reached a conclusion, well done. You are free thinking and made a decision according to beliefs, which is the purpose of this book, so you unconsciously agree with the direction of this book. I feel everyone must try it though, there is a lot to be gained.

Oh and there is no way I'll be replying to comments of annoyance and frustration from angry haters of the books whom I may have offended. This is all just my opinion. Enjoy. Read more ›

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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Alternative Bible 30 Jun 2011

By Charles

Format:Hardcover

A. C. Grayling is one of the present day's great philosophers. He is also an atheist. His "Good Book" is the result of 30 years of gathering together from over one thousand texts by several hundred of the great thinkers of the past. From these Grayling has selected, redacted, paraphrased,interpolated and arranged into a book that provides inspiration, wisdom, consolation, good advice and commentary on the human condition in a non-religious way. In a touch of irony, the book is arranged into 14 constituent books divided into numbered verses similar to the structure of that "other" Bible.The titles, content and order of constituent books themselves also reflect that "other" Bible.It begins with Genesis and there follows Wisdom, Lamentations, Sages, Songs, Proverbs, Acts, Epistles etc. The great difference from that "other" Bible is that the resulting distilled wisdom is non- religious. There are no rules commanded by a monarchical, anthropomorphic deity; no promises of heaven, no threats of hell,just the inspiring distillation of wisdom from the sages of past times.The range and diversity of these is staggering. In this morning's portion I detected reflections of Shakespeare, Ecclesiastes and the Omar Khayyam!Grayling's "Secular Bible" (its alternative title) is not a book to attempt to read from page one through to the end. It is a book to refer to and select from when the need is felt for guidance, inspiration, comfort, consolation,commentary on the human condition, etc - in a similar way to the way the religious consult their particular bibles. As such I recommend it wholeheartedly. "The Good Book" is unique - in the true sense of the word. To my knowledge, there is none other like it.

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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Good Book 19 May 2011

By Old Bookworm

Format:Hardcover

Although I have barely got into this book, I am already very impressed with what it is.
In my opinion it is not a substitute for the traditional King James version of the Bible. It is a unique anthology of a phenomenally large collection of words of wisdom, that give clarity to our lives, our perceptions of the world and the universe around us. It is, in many parts pure poetry, and is written like a Shakespearian Play.
For me its construction to resemble a work of scripture is a mistake. It is not a divinely inspired scripture in the sense that the KJ Bible is purported to be.
It is not an easy book to read and certainly not bedtime reading, but it is inspirational in its descriptive account and gave me the opportunity to stand back and reflect on who or what I am, in relation to what I have seen and experienced.
Each chapter has left me feeling that I want to read-on and absorb more, but at the same time makes me feel I will need to re-read it again to understand it more fully. With reference to the KJ Bible, I have to say that most of what I have managed to read of the KJB was incomprehensible jibberish, in many places horrific, blood curdling and in some downright obscene.
However, this, "The Good Book", has none of that and is much more pleasant to read, easier to follow and leaves you with the feeling of having read and learnt something worthwhile. It is a book that may take me months to read in its entirety, because I have to stop and think about each paragraph to be sure I have understood it. In some respects it is like having a massive directory of quotations that enhance our wisdom.
It must have taken many years to collect and collate the material in this book.... Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read

I love this book. It contains exactly what I used to hope to find in the Bible, but didn't - a distillation of human wisdom through the ages, free from the invented dictates of an... Read more

Published 13 days ago by Hannah

3.0 out of 5 stars HEAVY GOING

Perhaps the hardest read I've ever tackled. I've had it over a month and have only managed to conquer two pages. You'll see why if you feel like reading it. Read more

Published 15 days ago by B. R. Barton

5.0 out of 5 stars The Good Book

Measured, relevant, eloquent and well researched, A.C.Grayling brings a wonderfully refreshing decency to this bombastic field. Definitely worth a look.

Published 3 months ago by Nozzermakozzer

3.0 out of 5 stars PREFER HIS OTHER BOOKS

THIS TOO MUCH RESEMBLES THE BIBLE IN FORMAT SO THERE ARE MOMENTS OF INERTIA AND RATHER DEADLY PROSE WHICH I HAVE TO SAY IS NOTHING LIKE AS FASCINATING, THOUGHT PROVOKING OR... Read more

Published 3 months ago by S. A. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a must read...

How have we lived for so long without this wonderfully balancing book. Offering practical and unbiased philosophical guidance. A gem!

Published 4 months ago by Ism

1.0 out of 5 stars Pretentious doesn't even begin to describe it

Even the thought of someone even thinking of single-handedly writing anything even remotely comparable to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament put together is pitiful and... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Edgar

1.0 out of 5 stars The most pretentious book ever written?

This was a great opportunity to curate an anthology of secular writing, drawing on centuries of knowledge to create a comparative reader of wisdom, knowledge and opinon. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Timothy Hooper

5.0 out of 5 stars magnificent!

This is a wonderful achievement, the most eloquent guide to life we could hope for. This bible makes real sense, unlike the KJV or any other, and is all the best guidance and... Read more

Published 14 months ago by J. Coy

5.0 out of 5 stars A useful companion to human life

I was dubious at first, about reading what I thought would be a collection of Dali Lahma type ponderings but I should have known better with Mr Grayling; he has delivered a... Read more

Published 17 months ago by T. Julians

1.0 out of 5 stars Populist trash

It clearly looks like A.C. Grayling is looking for yet another quick fix of cash, as opposed to leaving a product of depth, value and influence. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Julius

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