AC Grayling and John Gray are two of Britain’s best-known public philosophers, consistent and relentless in arguing for their respective world views. There, however, the similarities end. Grayling is the approachable, upbeat carrier of the Enlightenment torch, while Gray is the gloomy critic of uplifting myths of human progress and rationality.
ReadThose who cannot accept an absence of order often end up trying to create it, with disastrous results.
ReadNo matter how much I am committed to my views, I am even more committed to the idea that they should be able to stand up to rational scrutiny. This commitment means nothing if I actively avoid serious challenge and only seek out confirming viewpoints.
ReadSavile was famous, but not only was he a volunteer at Stoke Mandeville, more significantly, he raised £40m for it. Virtue is not only its own reward: it grants you a trust and respectability that some are only too delighted to exploit.
ReadIf a lighthouse could think, it might marvel at how all the light in the world focused its beam on it. For us humans, it often feels the same. Since we can only see what is in our field of vision, hear what is in earshot and touch what is within reach, it is natural to feel that we are more at the centre of things than we objectively are. Whether you are in the spotlight or you are the spotlight, everything centres on you.
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