Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age

There are gems in this book that are noteworthy. In his introduction, A. C. Grayling indicates that this book is not for those who need advice. It prompts reflection about life, values, aims, society, human condition, etc. He emphasizes that a person who does not think about life is like a stranger in a foreign land without a map.I have summarized some of my favorites.MoralizingA man who moralizes is usually a hypocrite ~Oscar WildeA Moralizer is a person who seeks to impose upon others his/her view of how people should behave. They want people to conform to their views and may use coercion. They defend their actions by saying they are trying to defend others from harm. Moralizers claim a monopoly on moral judgment and the right to decide on others' behalf what is good for them.CivilityThe knowledge of courtesy is a very necessary study; like grace and beauty, it breeds mutual liking ~ MontaigneThe loss of civility means that social feeling has been replaced by defensiveness. Ill-mannered people are generally so because they falsely estimate their own worth and think that a waiter (who is probably a medical student earning extra pocket money), or a bus driver (who is probably writing the next prize-winning novel in his spare time) is to be valued by their occupation / income rather than their humanity.HappinessHappiness depends on wisdom ~ SophoclesA very controversial subject between philosophers. Grayling indicates that if life's goal is really happiness, then perhaps we can easily achieve it for all mankind by pouring a happiness-inducing chemical into the world's water supplies. We would not notice things if they begin to work inefficiently, and would not mind if disasters ensued, for the chemical would keep us smiling through.However, most of us resist the idea of being in a passive condition and which undermines things we value more: our striving and yearning, our improvement and growth, invention and discovery. Happiness frequently accompanies these endeavors, as smoke does fire; and when it does, it enhances them.HealthWhen we are well, we all have good advice for those who are ill ~ TerenceTwo thousand years ago, Plutarch prescribed a moderate diet, exercise and restful sleep as the basis of good health. A lot has happened to make his advice obsolete. People dig their own graves by using drugs that blunt their unrest, from alcohol to sleeping pills.Bertrand Russell offers a simple but powerful prescription: The key to happiness, he said, is to worry about things only when relevant. If you cannot do anything about your overdraft at three in the morning, stop thinking about it until you can."Health exists for life, and life exists for the love of music and beautiful things," says Chesterton.

Good book just didn't serve my interests.

I have read a book on European history by this author before and found it interesting and quite readable. When this one popped up on my radar, I was intrigued and purchased it. The book is divided into sections and within each section are subtopics which are 3-4 pages each. It's a book that can be read while reading other, more lengthy tomes if one wants to just take 5 minutes and read a chapter on one topic.

"Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age" is a collection of 61 short essays, many only 2 pages long, that are meant to prompt reflection on a range of ethical questions and other issues of the human condition. As the title suggests, the book attempts (quite successfully) to address its topics from a perspective orthogonal to that of Christianity and other religious systems. The longest essays are, however, "Christianity" and "Faith," and Grayling does discuss religious viewpoints when relevant.Grayling writes with wit and his arguments are both persuasive and well reasoned (other than his essay, "Speciesism," which uses the underlying false argument that 0.98 is so close to 1 that (0.98)^n = 1 for any n.) But the best reason to read "Meditations for the Humanist" is that it is uplifting in its ethical and moral message - and by being so proves many of its points.

This is a GREAT little "devotional" of sorts for the non-religious person. I think even a religious person could appreciate it as long as they're not too fanatical. A great, thoughtful and SHORT daily read for the mornings is something I miss about my religious upbringing. There are tons of "devotional" books out there for Christians and I think it's a great practice to read something spiritual and thoughtful in the mornings to get your head in the right place at the start of the day. This book fills that niche for me! Each chapter is short enough you could read it in 15 minutes - in the morning or on a lunch break and each is themed after a particular value - virtue or vice with philosophical musings (not TOO heavy or complex, mind you) on each topic. Really nicely done.

In this book, Dr. Grayling opines on ways to look at fundamental concepts of humanity, without the authoritarian preaching of established "religion". Four stars rather than five, because the ideas and associated insights presented are not really up to the good doctors usual standard, and four rather than three because the material is, as always, better than average. (Quotes identify words whose meaning is not clearly established anywhere).

I'm still reading this book but what I've read so far is great. There aren't too many inspirational books out there for Humanist so it was a treat to find this one. It is a good size book with over 200 pages with subjects such as love,loyalty,betrayal,lying and courage. There is at least a page and a half on each subject and an index so you can look up a particular subject if you want to read just that one. I would recommend it as a gift for sure to a follow Humanist.

This book very quickly establishes itself within the modern-day liberal vs. conservative framework. The author appears to equate humanism with modern-day liberalism, and conservatism with all that is nefarious and non-humanist.Even as a person with liberal leanings myself, this makes for a largely disappointing read devoid of serious philosophical discussion about humanism. The manuscript also contains a fair number of logical conundrums of which the author seems blissfully unaware. For example the author identifies "moralizers" as the bane of humanism in that they prescribe to other people proper behavior based upon personal opinion... however several pages later the author himself prescribes a framework for proper behavior in public places - according entirely to his personal opinion.

Great book to read quietly and slowly!