BOOK REVIEW

The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism – A.C. Grayling

Intellectually titillating for its approach but a sprinted effort that doesn't permit for the depth required of the topic

      The problem I'm starting to encounter with theology-focused books such as this is that there is simply so much to discuss and consider that one could fill an entire library with books of this nature and still be unclear of one's own position. Although I myself have devoted my recent attention to arguments in favour of atheism (perhaps due to my natural tendency to think as a polemicist), I still find myself with many unanswered questions - though as Grayling emphasizes in this work, it is the ability to be comfortable with perpetual questions about the unknown that is at the very root of science and intellectual endeavor.  

     Grayling's The God Argument is by no means a read that will satisfy an atheist's thirst to see religion verbally slaughtered: indeed, he is much more measured than the vitriolic tones adopted by the more well-known New Atheists such as Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens. It is the latter with whose work I am most extensively familiar and so it is he that serves as my more established point of comparison. Certainly few writers of any genre could rival Hitchens' tongue (or pen) for its ingenious pointedness, but Grayling, while confessing admiration for the late journalist, chooses to sidestep the route of lambasting all faiths and instead appeal to his readers' rationale. It quickly becomes clear that his vocation is that of a philosopher, given his structured approach to every angle of the argument. He never fails to take the time to define his terms and runs through many thought-experiments to illustrate his point. However, many who are unfamiliar with philosophical writing will likely become frustrated with Grayling's fastidious and at times verbose approach. 

         Despite this, I was uneasy with how quickly Grayling moved through some of the subject matter. While he happily consumed pages to clarify his definition of what a god or faith consisted of, he zoomed through other areas that I felt would have needed more of an explanation to any reader unfamiliar with theology. For instance, when he combats the argument by design, teleological and cosmological arguments (all of which are weapons in the theists' armory), he donates just a paragraph or two to explain the bare crux of what they are. This in my mind is quite uncharitable and unfair to any reader seeking a more exhaustive illustration of the coin's sides. It must be admitted that Grayling makes his case against religion in just 120-odd pages - the book's latter half explains and advocates for humanism - which is extremely brief and any proponent of the theistic view would likely feel shortchanged.

        Further to this point but quite unlike Hitchens - and this unfortunately is another tendency of philosophy - is the notable absence of several concrete examples. Grayling tends to speak in very broad brushstrokes. Perhaps he assumes readers are familiar with his offhand references such as, for example, China's voiced opposition to universal human rights; however, in my mind he leaves a lot off the page and it does make you wonder if he's guilty of some rash caricatures. It says a fair bit that a book of this nature only has 40 citations in the endnotes. Personally, I was able to understand and agree with much of what Grayling said in his anti-faith arguments but this was because it wasn't my first time hearing these points, rather than any amazing elucidation on his part. 

        As mentioned, the second part of the book is Grayling's view on humanism, which he describes as, essentially, intellectual emancipation and exploration in order to determine how we should live with a human-centric focus, free of what he sees as religion's 'mental enslavement'. He also shares several of his personal opinions, as a humanist, on issues of ethical debate, such as sex, drugs and life-death topics like euthanasia and abortion. I found most of this to be quite interesting, even if at times I was again frustrated by the summary nature of his analysis of the topics, abortion being one such victim. 

         To bring this uncharacteristically long review to a close, I would say that while this book is a good reinforcement of the main arguments as to why religion should no longer play a dominant role in the modern day, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone just beginning to wade into the ocean of theology. The book's case 'for humanism' certainly provides food for thought but generally I found Grayling was "talking a lot without saying much", to borrow the common phrase. He certainly explains ideas in a unique fashion, which can be intellectually titillating, but perhaps is trying to accomplish too much in just 258 pages. While the words of Hitchens could be used to fill the pages of a compelling and dramatic play, Grayling's are more suited for the school textbook that most teachers tell their students to skim. 

-NP, Dec. 2013