The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism
A powerful argument for humanism as an alternative to organized religion, by New York Times bestselling author A.C. Grayling, one of the world's leading public intellectuals.

Examining all the arguments for and against religion and religious belief—across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious and how they stand up to scrutiny—The God Argument is a landmark book in the ongoing debate about the place of religion and secularism in our world.

While A. C. Grayling is a clear critic of religion as a guiding force, unlike some of religion's opponents, he carefully considers the various arguments for the existence of God and the many reasons people believe in a deity. More important, he then offers a powerful alternative to religion as a world-view—humanism—an approach to life for those who wish to live with intellectual integrity, based on reason, evidence, and a desire to do and be good, and one which does not interfere with people's rights to their own beliefs and freedom of expression.

Humanism, as Grayling reveals it, is an ethics of sympathy and tolerance based on the best endeavor to make sense of human nature and the human condition. Though humanism recognizes why the various faiths first arose, it nevertheless argues that organized religion should no longer be given a privileged position in society.

Thoughtfully provocative, intellectually expansive, The God Argument makes a powerful case that secular belief, free of religious dogma, allows for a much more compassionate and caring worldview.

1113012158
The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism
A powerful argument for humanism as an alternative to organized religion, by New York Times bestselling author A.C. Grayling, one of the world's leading public intellectuals.

Examining all the arguments for and against religion and religious belief—across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious and how they stand up to scrutiny—The God Argument is a landmark book in the ongoing debate about the place of religion and secularism in our world.

While A. C. Grayling is a clear critic of religion as a guiding force, unlike some of religion's opponents, he carefully considers the various arguments for the existence of God and the many reasons people believe in a deity. More important, he then offers a powerful alternative to religion as a world-view—humanism—an approach to life for those who wish to live with intellectual integrity, based on reason, evidence, and a desire to do and be good, and one which does not interfere with people's rights to their own beliefs and freedom of expression.

Humanism, as Grayling reveals it, is an ethics of sympathy and tolerance based on the best endeavor to make sense of human nature and the human condition. Though humanism recognizes why the various faiths first arose, it nevertheless argues that organized religion should no longer be given a privileged position in society.

Thoughtfully provocative, intellectually expansive, The God Argument makes a powerful case that secular belief, free of religious dogma, allows for a much more compassionate and caring worldview.

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The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism

The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism

by A. C. Grayling
The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism

The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism

by A. C. Grayling

Paperback

$18.99 
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Overview

A powerful argument for humanism as an alternative to organized religion, by New York Times bestselling author A.C. Grayling, one of the world's leading public intellectuals.

Examining all the arguments for and against religion and religious belief—across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious and how they stand up to scrutiny—The God Argument is a landmark book in the ongoing debate about the place of religion and secularism in our world.

While A. C. Grayling is a clear critic of religion as a guiding force, unlike some of religion's opponents, he carefully considers the various arguments for the existence of God and the many reasons people believe in a deity. More important, he then offers a powerful alternative to religion as a world-view—humanism—an approach to life for those who wish to live with intellectual integrity, based on reason, evidence, and a desire to do and be good, and one which does not interfere with people's rights to their own beliefs and freedom of expression.

Humanism, as Grayling reveals it, is an ethics of sympathy and tolerance based on the best endeavor to make sense of human nature and the human condition. Though humanism recognizes why the various faiths first arose, it nevertheless argues that organized religion should no longer be given a privileged position in society.

Thoughtfully provocative, intellectually expansive, The God Argument makes a powerful case that secular belief, free of religious dogma, allows for a much more compassionate and caring worldview.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781620401927
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 03/04/2014
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

A. C. Grayling is Master of the New College of the Humanities, UK. He has written and edited numerous works of philosophy and is the author of biographies of Descartes and William Hazlitt. He believes that philosophy should take an active, useful role in society. He has been a regular contributor to The Times, Financial Times, Observer, Independent on Sunday, Economist, Literary Review, New Statesman and Prospect, and is a frequent and popular contributor to radio and television programmes, including Newsnight, Today, In Our Time, Start the Week and CNN news. He is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum at Davos, and advises on many committees ranging from Drug Testing at Work to human rights groups.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction 1

Part I Against Religion

1 Clarifications 13

2 Naming and Describing a 'god' 23

3 The Origins of Religion 35

4 An Axe to the Root 41

5 Knowledge, Belief and Rationality 49

6 Agnosticism, Atheism and Proof 57

7 Theistic Arguments 65

8 Arguing by Design 73

9 Arguing by Definition 83

10 Causes, Wagers and Morals 95

11 Creationism and 'Intelligent Design' 107

Conclusion to Part I 127

Part II For Humanism

12 The Three Debates 131

13 Humanism: The Ethics of Humanity 139

14 Humanism and the Good Life 151

15 Putting the World to Rights 177

16 Shared Humanity, Human Diversity 185

17 The Ethical and the Moral 191

18 A Humanist on Love, Sex and Drugs 199

19 Humanism, Death and the Ends of Life 217

20 Religion Revisited 237

21 Humanism and the Ethical Dimension 247

22 The Better Alternative 255

Notes 259

Index 263

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