Product Description

"The means of defence against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home." James Madison Our societies, says Anthony Grayling, are under attack not only from the threat of terrorism, but also from our governments' attempts to fight that threat by reducing freedom in our own societies - think the 42-day detention controversy, CCTV surveillance, increasing invasion of privacy, ID Cards, not to mention Abu Ghraib, rendition, Guantanamo As Grayling says: 'There should be a special place for political irony in the catalogues of human folly. Starting a war 'to promote freedom and democracy' could in certain though rare circumstances be a justified act; but in the case of the Second Gulf War that began in 2003, which involved reacting to criminals hiding in one country (Al Qaeda in Afghanistan or Pakistan) by invading another country (Iraq), one of the main fronts has, dismayingly, been the home front, where the War on Terror takes the form of a War on Civil Liberties in the spurious name of security. To defend 'freedom and democracy', Western governments attack and diminish freedom and democracy in their own country. By this logic, someone will eventually have to invade the US and UK to restore freedom and democracy to them.' In this lucid and timely book Grayling sets out what's at risk, engages with the arguments for and against examining the cases made by Isaiah Berlin and Ronald Dworkin on the one hand, and Roger Scruton and John Gray on the other, and finally proposes a different way to respond that makes defending the civil liberties on which western society is founded the cornerstone for defeating terrorism.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63745 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
Praise for Towards the Light 'A rollicking defence of Freedom and Enlightenment in the style of Tom Paine or William Godwin' Spectator 'The even-handed tone of philosophy professor AC Grayling's latest book does not lessen the intensity of its polemical content Grayling underlines the seriousness of today's threats to our liberties' Metro

About the Author
A.C. Grayling is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a multi-talented author. 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.

Customer Reviews

A Delicate balance
This is coming from original columns in the Times, but adapted for this book. It is very readable though carefully thought through and deeply significant for our age. He has trod a delicate balance between a call for freedom of speech and liberty of thought and crossing moral and humanitarian boundaries to libertinism. A necessary read for all people thoughtful about human values in our increasingly pluralistic age.

LIBERTY IN THE AGE OF TERROR - AC GRAYLING
How free should free speech be? I'd have to say, very; and on the whole this is a book who's broad thrust I'd agree with. In the West we have been badly let down by our politicians on both sides of the Atlantic who appear to have forgotten Franklins dictum that those who give up liberty in the pursuit of security deserve neither.
Free speech is the most basic right we possess but it means listening to others we disagree with not just with like-minded people. Whether it is Moslem (or Christian fundamentalists), ultra-greens who think climate change `deniers' should be put on trial or the shameful reaction of the hysterical left to the BNP's electoral success (after contributing to it by refusing to engage them and show how pusillanimous their arguments were)everyone has a voice. After all, you would expect rational humans to be able to think for themselves and make their own minds up as to what falls within a moral and social framework.
Sadly, he acknowledges that,as we all know, most people aren't and I take exception with the argument that those rights should be dispensed from above, rather than trying to give people a moral education. After all we, the people, won those rights through hard bitter struggles. It makes you despair to see the results of Progressivist politics that have smothered intellectual debate on the rights and duties of the individual and their relation to the State.
An interesting book

Disappointing
I came to this book with great sympathy already convinced that we have given up many civil liberties without a fight. I agree with most of the arguments put forward by Grayling. Our civil liberties have been hard won, are precious and need protecting. I did not find these arguments well presented in this book; it lacks cogency. It is also repetitive. Grayling also has the irritating habit of dropping in new lines of argument or new topics at the end of chapters. This is very sloppy. Some of these are never developed - like global warming - and therefore their relevance is questionable. Others he clearly knows nothing about - like energy markets. I have heard Grayling say that philosophy is an excuse to delve into any interesting topic. Well maybe but why should we take notice of him if he knows nothing about a subject. All together a disappointing book.