Product Description

'Ideas are the cogs that drive history, and understanding them is half way to being aboard that powerful juggernaut rather than under its wheels'. This is a book that celebrates the power of ideas: thought can, and does, change the world. And, in turn, ideas evolve. Fundamentalism, environmentalism and bioethics are defining our future just as Marxism, feminism or existentialism have influenced our present. So what do we need to know as we move into the 21st century? More than a simple reference work, this is A.C. Grayling's personal and heartfelt guide to the ideas, past and present, that shape our world. Covering religion, philosophy, scientific theory and political movements, each alphabetically ordered entry illuminates, elucidates and provokes. Written with Grayling's customary fire and erudition, the result is a book that aims both to arm readers with knowledge and engage them in philosophical debate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31154 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

Review
"If there is any such person in Britain today as The Thinking Man, it is AC Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck. He provides generous help for the ethically challenged, the philosophically perplexed and the culturally confused. There are any number of ideas in the modern world; they are like trees in a forest... Clearly and succinctly, without jargon or condescension, Grayling takes on the intellectual world and names its parts. He does us great service with this useful handbook." (IAIN FINLAYSON THE TIMES - 09.05.09 )

"Anthony Grayling, philosopher, has constructed a personal dictionary... inspirational... casually brilliant... a series of brilliant, informative essays... provocative, forceful and informative." (SUNDAY HERALD - 03.05.09 )

About the Author
Anthony Grayling teaches philosophy at Birkbeck College, London and is a fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He is a literary journalist and broadcaster who reviews frequently in the Financial Times and has a regular column in Prospect.

Customer Reviews

A marvellous compendium of information and reflection on contemporary ideas and knowledge - highly recommended!
A.C. Grayling is an unfailingly compelling writer. Reasonable, clear, concise, elegant are only a few of the words that can be justly used to describe his writing and thought. This book is no exception. A collection of short, pithy, and always enlightening reflections on, as the title puts it, ideas that matter, organised so as to help the reader pursue particular interests in depth, Ideas that Matter: A Personal Guide for the 21st Century, is an invaluable source book for understanding the jumble of claims and counter-claims that swirl around us everyday.

The ideas are arranged in alphabetical order, and each entry refers to further entries that lead the reader more deeply into associated ideas. At the end of the book an appendix groups the various entries under general headings such as religion, science, politics and society, etc. For those who wish to pursue ideas at even greater depth Grayling provides an 'indicative' bibliography, pointing the reader to further sources of information on the ideas concerned, which, in turn, no doubt, will lead to futher reading and depth of understanding.

Grayling is not impartial, if by impartial be meant a desire not to offend religious believers by calling religious beliefs into question. He is, however, courteous in his dissent, no matter how strongly expressed; but, more importantly, he gives reasons for believing as he does, and rightly chides religion for its continuing failure to provide reasons why we should take religions as seriously as they take themselves. Grayling repudiates, with some justice, the title 'atheist' - this being a term of abuse used by the religious to describe those who do not believe - preferring more positive ways of describing his point of view, such as 'humanist' and 'naturalist'.

Not truly a review but.....
This excerpt from the author's website would tend to imply there may be a slight political bias to his opinions - after all the Guardian, Observer and New Statesman are hardly revered for their political neutrality...

"He has written and edited many books on philosophy and other subjects; among his most recent are a biography of William Hazlitt and a collection of essays. For several years he wrote the "Last Word" column for the Guardian newspaper and is a regular reviewer for the Literary Review and the Financial Times. He also often writes for the Observer, Economist, Times Literary Supplement, Independent on Sunday and New Statesman, and is a frequent broadcaster on BBC Radios 4, 3 and the World Service. He is the Editor of Online Review London, Contributing Editor of Prospect magazine. In addition he sits on the editorial boards of several academic journals, and for nearly ten years was the Honorary Secretary of the principal British Philosophical Association, the Aristotelian Society. He is a past chairman of June Fourth, a human rights group concerned with China, and has been involved in UN human rights initiative."

Ideas that Matter by A. C. Grayling
The book considers a broad range of issues that are pertinent to modern life. A 'further reading' section, where reference is made to other works and viewpoints, is included. I think that the author's intention was to encourage the reader to consider all the evidence before deciding whether what one is told has any truth or validity. This is particularly relevant in his references to the State and Religion. I liked the book. It largely confirmed my own beliefs and has encouraged me to examine this area of knowledge more closely.