Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Greg Gorey on April 14, 2011 at 10:44pm

Grayling is a great writer.

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Permalink Reply by Rose on April 14, 2011 at 11:04pm

I want one.

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Permalink Reply by Walter Maki on April 14, 2011 at 11:05pm

Add another book to my read/wish list :)

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Permalink Reply by Corey K on April 15, 2011 at 9:31am

Huh very different response then I expected. I see the good will behind writing this type of book but I see nothing good can come of it. I have heard A. C. Grayling is a great author but I find this book very laughable. It is nothing more than his collection of western and eastern philosophy stolen into the Bible format. If he actually means for his book to be a moral compass for people I see it hasn't fixed the whole "You need something to follow or to be your guideline" argument theists throw at us. In my opinion, people need to be able to make decisions in a vast array of circumstances I've always had a distaste for Black and White rules. Seems to only be proof theists can grab on to to show that secular people or humanists or even atheists have a bible they follow.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Emmaly Burgett on April 15, 2011 at 2:11pm

@ Corey K, I actually agree with you... I think one of the great things about being an atheist is that there are no guidlines that we must follow to be considered an atheist. Being an atheist is more about free will and not adopting anyone else's particular beliefs... and not bending what you believe so that it fits a certain standard of approval. It's one thing to write a book about your opinion on religion and/or atheism and what you think it means... but to put it in the format of a Bible "wannabe" may give theists the illusion that we feel we have somthing to prove. Why copy the ways of a religion that we disagree with?  Atheists don't need any form of dogma like theists do... Just be a good person and question everything... If atheists end up having a "bible" I may rethink even being an atheist.

I would, however, like to read this book... I've read the real Bible... why not this one?

Thanks for sharing this Corey K.

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Permalink Reply by Gregor Basić on April 15, 2011 at 6:06pm

We are not born wise, therefore we need books, and I choose irreligious books ;)

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Permalink Reply by Greg Gorey on May 8, 2011 at 3:29pm

"It is nothing more than his collection of western and eastern philosophy stolen into the Bible format"
You mean he made it into an anthology? ROFL

No offense, but what you are saying sounds really ignorant. The book's intent was to be an anthology of secular writing on ethics. It is called "the good book" because it is poking fun at the Bible. Its argument is not that it is a holy book, but that it and the bible are both books of prose that were written by men and then collected. Professor Grayling was never saying that you had to follow this book to be an atheist or anything like that. Instead, he was offering a helping hand to the layperson who would like to soak in wisdom from over the ages.

Rejecting books of wisdom is not expressing freedom, but embracing anti-intellectual nonsense.

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Permalink Reply by Gregor Basić on April 15, 2011 at 6:05pm

+to read list :D

Interesting how the newsperson said the word 'god' like it existed, while dr. Grayling used only deity, buuuurn

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Permalink Reply by Alex on April 20, 2011 at 9:23am

I think it's a good idea to gather philosophical writing from many different authors and put it into one easily accessible resource. I wouldn't assiociate it with the Bible though, because I don't find much of the Bible inspiring and don't think it's worthy of being copied. Calling it a Bible also makes humanism look like a religion itself.

 

Despite the negatives, I'll probably read it sometime.

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Permalink Reply by thgdbk on May 3, 2011 at 5:33pm

Daily snippets from The Good Book: http://thgdbk.net

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