Godless Morality: Keeping Religion Out of Ethics

Description

The use of God in any moral debate is so problematic as to be almost worthless. We can argue whether this or that alleged claim emanated from God, but surely it is better to leave God out of the argument altogether and find strong human reasons for supporting the systems that we advocate. Godless Morality is a refreshing, courageous and human-centred justification for contemporary morality.

Richard Holloway was Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. A former Gresham Professor of Divinity and Chairman of the Joint Board of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, he is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Leaving Alexandria won the PEN/Ackerley Prize 2013 and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2013. Holloway has written for many newspapers in Britain, including The Times, Guardian, Observer, Herald and Scotsman. He has also presented many series for BBC television and radio; Waiting for the Last Bus originated as a five-part series on Radio 4 in 2016.

The title of this book might suggest it is an unusual one for the Bishop of Edinburgh to have written, but one can't help be glad that he did . . . Holloway's language and style are engaging, his research conscientious and his conclusions thoughtful and frequently wise * * Sunday Times * * Passionate provocative * * Observer * * A book of morals for our brave new world, by a very wise man indeed. Inspiring. Fascinating. Full of hope -- FAY WELDON Lucid and exhilarating * * Independent on Sunday * * His conclusions are refreshing . . . a brave and scholarly book * * Observer * * This is a courageous book for a bishop to write, and everything it says about morality is right and true * * Literary Review * * The lucid, forthright arguments of this short collection of lectures reveal a character who is brave enough not to try to define a morality based on the present rather than the past . . . mixes thought-provoking references not only to the Bible, but to such varied influences as Wilfred Owen, Nietszche and Gulliver's Travels, and forces us to recognise the necessity of an improvised morality rather than one based on fear and bigotry * * Scotsman * * Lucid, convincing and manifestly compassionate -- MARY WARNOCK