A.C. Grayling

‘To read is to fly,’ British philosopher A.C. Grayling once wrote.  ‘It is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.’ The author of more than 20 books on philosophy, Grayling has himself undertaken many fruitful inquiries on topics from Descartes to religion to morality. 

Straddling the academic and mainstream media worlds, Grayling’s contribution to the world of ideas is vast and various. He was the chair of the 2014 Man Booker Prize, is the master of the New College of the Humanities in London, and his writing is regularly featured in the Guardian, Financial Times, New Statesman and many more. Grayling’s status as a public intellectual is grounded in the idea that philosophy must engage with civic discourse in ways that are robust, lucid and practical.

His latest book, The Challenge of Things, is an excellent example of this approach, bringing together Grayling’s most recent essays on contemporary war and conflict. In this special event at the Athenaeum, Grayling will speak about changes in international relations, what we’re learning from brain science and the great importance of the humanities.