An A to Z guide to some of the philosophies that are shaping the 21st century, from absolutism to zeitgeist. British philosopher A.C. Grayling offers a "dictionary of ideas" in his Ideas that Matter: The Concepts that Shape the 21st Century.
His ideas on capitalism and socialism should be printed everywhere and taught in every school.
The sound is not perfect, but this is definitely worth listening to...
http://beta.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2010/apr/07/ideas-that-matter/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wnyc_bl+%28WNYC%27s+Brian+Lehrer+Show%29
Some of his quotes...
"Misuse of reason might yet return the world to pre-technological night; plenty of religious zealots hunger for just such a result, and are happy to use the latest technology to effect it."
— A.C. Grayling (The Heart of Things: Applying Philosophy to the 21st Century)
Christian churches and Muslim groups have no more right to have their say than women's institutes or trades unions. The government has actively encouraged faith-based education, and therefore given a megaphone to religious voices and fundamentalists.
I would imagine Jesus was a kind of Jewish reformer. If you were looking for an equivalent to the figure you dimly perceive through the gospels it would probably be a Richard Dawkins.
"What has atheism done for science? Well, let’s see: it removed the risk of scientists being burned at the stake for controverting the divinely revealed truth... It removed the necessity of having to distort observations, facts, experimental results and observations to fit an antecedent doctrine... In short, it liberated the mind and enquiries of mankind."
A.C. Grayling
"It takes a certain ingenuous faith - but I have it - to believe that people who read and reflect more likely than not come to judge things with liberality and truth."
— A.C. Grayling (The Heart of Things: Applying Philosophy to the 21st Century)
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