Play Audiobook Sample
The Good Book: A Humanist Bible Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.06) - 207 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Few, if any, thinkers and writers today would have the imagination, the breadth of knowledge, and the literary skill to conceive of a powerful secular alternative to the Bible. But that is exactly what A. C. Grayling has done, creating a nonreligious Bible drawn from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both Western and Eastern traditions, using the same techniques of editing, redaction, and adaptation that produced the holy books of the Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions.
The Good Book consciously takes its design and presentation from the Bible, in the beauty of its language and its arrangement into short chapters and verses, offering to the nonreligious seeker all the wisdom, insight, solace, inspiration, and perspective of various secular humanist traditions. Organized in twelve main sections, The Good Book opens with meditations on the origin and progress of the world and human life in it, then devotes attention to the question of how life should be lived, how we relate to one another, and how vicissitudes are to be faced and joys appreciated. Inspired by the work of Herodotus and Lucretius, Confucius and Mencius, Seneca and Cicero, Montaigne, Bacon, and so many others, The Good Book will fulfill its audacious purpose in every way.
Download and start listening now!
"It was indeed a good book. As with the Bible, I read it in stages. I now keep it nearby for reference. It has much to offer for words on any subject, with an ethos that I can embrace."
— Sherry (5 out of 5 stars)
The Good Book Listener Reviews
-
" Heavy on the ancient stuff, and longer than it needs to be, but still worth reading. "
— Meaghan, 11/2/2013 -
" A great book to read for a mediation. Grayling is considered the velvet atheist. "
— Amy, 8/24/2013 -
" I enjoyed some chapters but did not like the layout which is boring like the Bible. "
— Yeonoh, 5/4/2013 -
" I enjoy sitting down at odd times with this collection and reading at my leisure. This represents the great works that humans can produce. "
— Jon, 11/10/2012 -
" I've only read the first few pages so far (Genesis) and the description of how things began (scientifically) is awesome. Highly recommended. "
— Shaeda, 10/19/2012 -
" Haven't read all of it but skipped around and read a ton on my roadtrip this weekend. Loving it a lot. The parables are fantastic, as are the proverbs. "
— edatheist, 5/22/2012 -
" Not surprisingly he got a bit bogged down in ancient Greece! "
— Raymond, 2/24/2012 -
" Interesting concept but I just couldn't get past the first several pages. I was hoping for something a little more inspirational and I found the writing style way too dry. "
— Amber, 1/31/2012 -
" A wonderful resource. I'll be returning to it again and again. "
— Mediocrates, 7/22/2011 -
" I heard an interview with Grayling on the radio and the book sounded great. Was disappointed to find that it's not an anthology of the sources but essentially a ground up rewrite, with no references back to the originals. Sorry I didn't get it out from the library first before buying it. "
— Saniac, 7/21/2011 -
" A great book to read for a mediation. Grayling is considered the velvet atheist. "
— Amy, 5/15/2011 -
" Haven't read all of it but skipped around and read a ton on my roadtrip this weekend. Loving it a lot. The parables are fantastic, as are the proverbs. "
— edatheist, 4/15/2011
About A. C. Grayling
A. C. Grayling is a professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the author of the acclaimed Among the Dead Cities, Descartes, Toward the Light of Liberty, Meditations for the Humanist, and Thinking of Answers. A fellow of the World Economic Forum and past chairman of the human rights organization June Fourth, he contributes frequently to the Times (London), the Financial Times, the Economist, the New Statesman, and Prospect. He lives in London.
About Michael Page
Michael Page has been recording audiobooks since 1984 and has over two hundred titles to his credit. He has won numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. As a professional actor, he has performed regularly since 1998 with the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He is a professor of theater at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.