Towards the Light by A.C. Grayling is an informative, passionate, encouraging, and challenging book.
The author gives a short 300 page history of the movement towards greater freedom in the West, and as you would expect from a Professor of Philosophy, occasionally pauses to give brief cameo explanations of some of the key thinkers whose ideas helped influence the process.
The book begins with the struggle for liberty of conscience in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries against a background of a controlling church and the Inquisition, involving the likes of Torquemada, Servetus, Zwingli and Castellio. This liberty of conscience was followed by the struggle for greater freedom to enquire and the cost paid by people such as Galileo is movingly described.
In time, this drive towards greater independence and individual liberty led to bitter fighting in seventeenth-century Europe, including the Thirty Years’ War and the English Civil War. Then, in part arising from the English constitutional settlement of 1688, came the eighteenth-century revolutions in America and France that swept away monarchies in favour of more representative forms of government. These in turn made possible the abolition of slavery, and later, rights for working men and women, universal education, the enfranchisement of women, and the idea of universal human rights and freedoms.
Each of these struggles was a memorable human drama, and Grayling skilfully interweaves the stories of celebrated and little-known heroes alike, including Martin Luther, John Locke, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Stuart Mill, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Rosa Parks, whose bus protest became the catalyst of the US civil rights movement.
The book reminded me of two, perhaps obvious, points. The first is the power of unintended consequences. Once one is free to believe differently about religion, then one is free to challenge the church’s dictats about science and other matters. If you argue passionately that slaves should have freedom, then it is more difficult to be silent about the lack of rights for women and the slave-like conditions of those working in factories. If one of the former colonies (America) has democracy, why shouldn’t you extend the franchise in the mother country (UK)?
The second reminder was for the need to take a long-view and appreciate that the movement towards liberty has been, and will be costly. Very often, after breakthroughs, there were major setbacks and many lives were lost. The French Revolution had a bloody aftermath. Those restricting liberty will not give up their philosophy or power and privilege willingly.
I found the book challenging in at least three ways. First, although after reading it I was able to better appreciate the fact that I had been born in my country in the second half of the last century, the book shows there is still much to be done, even in the West. There is still discrimination with regards to race, gender, ability, religion, sexuality and age, even though in many countries this has been officially outlawed.
Secondly, the book challenges us to ensure that we maintain the rights that have been paid for dearly by others. The triumphs and sacrifices of these hard-won victories should make us value these precious rights even more highly, especially in an age when, as Grayling shows, democratic governments under pressure sometimes find it necessary to restrict rights in the name of freedom.
This challenge to maintain our freedom is very clearly seen when facing not just the threat of terrorism, and not just of power and financial interests, but of ideology, especially religion. In a way the book both begins and ends with that. We learn of the historical tortures and murders that happened as the church tried to enforce its world view in the face of those seeking liberty. However, as Grayling reminds us, in the not too distant future, because of higher birth rate and immigration there will be more Muslims in the West than humanists. If the growth of that faith is accompanied by militant fundamentalism, it won’t just be the odd novel that is burned or the odd cartoonist who is murdered on the streets. A return to some form of Dark Ages may be likely unless we strive to protect the rights we already have.
Thirdly, the book reminds us that holding and propagating views is one thing, but unless you have influence in the seats of power, change is very difficult. I felt a personal encouragement to go on being active in seeking to influence those who legislate and to making my views known (see also They Work For You).
Book Details: Grayling, A.C., 2007. Towards the Light. London: Bloomsbury.
See also: A Failure to Recant
I am a fan of A.C. Grayling and would have known this was an important book just by the author’s name on the cover, though your post ably confirms my expectations.
For one thing, Grayling is a superb writer. His prose style is concise but elegant. Complex ideas are expressed with easy clarity so that he is a joy to read. He possesses the scientist’s logical rigour combined with the poet’s sensibility and aesthetic instinct.
For another, the breadth of his knowledge is staggering. He seems to be philosopher, historian, scientist and mathematician rolled into one. All this knowledge is ably marshalled in support of the conclusions he wishes to convey. I think he is the most erudite writer I have come across so far.
From what you say, his warnings about the threat to our freedoms are timely. There is an urgency to the situation. Any nation can afford freedom when life is running like clockwork but what counts is how it reacts when danger looms. According to that judgement, our nation has not done at all well. Freedom is in retreat in the UK as never before. More people hold more information on us - and have the power to use it - than at any previous time, including the years of WWII.
Let us hope that this book, and others like it, will act as a wake-up call before our rights and freedoms disappear completely.
Now, where did I put that book token I have been saving up…?
Thinking Man - thanks for the review. I’ve been wanting to read some of Grayling’s work for awhile. I think I’ll start with this book.
Silver Tiger - I agree with you about the timeliness of this book. I’m sorry that “freedom is on retreat in the UK as never before.” I don’t have first-hand experience of that, but things I’ve read confirm that you have reasonable grounds for that belief. Historically, despite some irregular progressions that are not unique to the UK (as an American, I can hardly point fingers at people, as we frequently fail to live up to our ideals too), the UK played many important roles in expanding human freedoms. I hope they will hold on to and build on that admirable heritage.
SilverTiger: As you probably guessed. I too am a Grayling fan. I first bought one of his books after reading something you wrote in one of your blogs. I may be your first convert! And I agree too about his writing ability. He has a great ear. I feel I will be quoting from this book at some stage. There is a wonderful passage where he passionately argues against those who dismiss the notion of human rights, but I am saving that for another blog posting.
I really liked points two and three here.
I am new to this guy. I first saw his books before christmas and thought just by a quick glance that he was very readable.
If anyone can deter me from christian faith then he probably has the greatest chance of doing so, more so than Dawkin, who I have not found as readable.Again, only a cursory look so I should not jump to conclusions too quickly.
I would like to read his “The Heart of Things” and “Meaning of Things.”
He does sound like one outstanding philospher. On that subject I would not be suprised to hear you doing a Phd???
[...] See also: Towards the Light [...]