AC Grayling: Humanism's faith in reason represents our best hope

[Alex]

Humanism's faith in reason represents our best hope
AC Grayling
3 March 2013
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/03/humanism-religion-reason-our-best-hope

Unlike religion, humanism's code of conduct isn't based on a one-size-fits-all philosophy


Socrates: 'Humanism is a response to his invitation to live the chosen life.' 

"Religions, despite what people think of as their personal consolations, have not served the world well. They create division and conflict, they impose unlivable moralities of denial and limitation, and they demand that we think of the world as our remotest ancestors did, thousands of years ago. The cry raised by defenders of religion is: but what would you put in its place as a view of the world by which we can live? The answer is: something far better, deeper, kinder and warmer – and far more rational – namely: humanism.

"Humanism is a non-religious ethical outlook based on an interest in human affairs at the human scale. It is not a doctrine or a set of rules; it is a starting point, its founding idea being that ethics must be based on the facts of human experience. For some, the result of thinking for themselves about ethics might be close to a conventional moral outlook; for others, the result might be less conventional. Either way, there are just two constraints: that one's choices must not be aimed at harming others, and that one must be able to make a solid case for one's outlook if challenged by others."

[Alex]

The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism
a new book by A. C. Grayling
288 pages
Bloomsbury Publishing (14 March 2013)
ISBN-13: 9781408837412
http://www.bloomsbury.com/au/the-god-argument-9781408837429
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009S7WB9O

There have in recent years been a number of books - notably those by Christopher Hitchens, Richards Dawkins and Sam Harris - that have taken issue with religion and argued against it. Both sides in the debate have expressed themselves acerbically because there is a very great deal at stake. The God Argument thoroughly and calmly examines all the arguments and associated considerations offered in support of religious belief, and does so fully aware of the reasons people have for subscribing to religion, and the needs they seek to satisfy by doing so. And because it takes account of all the issues, its solutions carry great weight.

In the first part of the book, Grayling asks: What are the arguments for and against religion and religious belief right across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious, and do they stand up to scrutiny? Can there be a clear, full statement of these arguments which once and for all will show what is at stake in this debate?

In the second half of the book he asks: What is the alternative to religion as a view of the world and a foundation for morality? Is there a world-view and a code of life for thoughtful people who wish to live with intellectual integrity, based on reason, evidence and a desire to do and be good that does not interfere with people's right to their own beliefs and freedom of expression?

The God Argument is the definitive examination of these questions, and a statement of the humanist outlook that recommends itself as the ethics of the genuinely reflective person.




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Reviews:

Reviewed: The God Argument by A C Grayling
By Bryan Appleyard, 28 Feb 2013
http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/02/reviewed-god-argument-c-grayling