MORALITY HB

We are living through a period of cultural climate change. We have outsourced morality to the markets on the one hand, and the state on the other. The markets have brought wealth to many, and the state has done much to contain the worst excesses of inequality, but neither is capable of bearing the moral weight of showing us how to live.

This has had a profound impact on society and the way in which we interact with each other. Traditional values no longer hold, yet recent political swings show that modern ideals of tolerance have left many feeling rudderless and adrift. In this environment we see things fall apart in unexpected ways - toxic public discourse makes true societal progress almost unattainable, a more divisive society is fuelled by identity politics and extremism, and the rise of a victimhood mentality calls for 'safe spaces' but stifles debate. The influence of social media seems all-pervading and the breakdown of the family is only one result of the loss of social capital. Many fear what the future may hold.

Delivering a devastatingly insightful critique of our modern condition, and assessing its roots and causes from the ancient Greeks through the Reformation and Enlightenment to the present day, Sacks argues that there is no liberty without morality, and no freedom without responsibility.

If we care about the future of western civilisation, all of us must play our part in rebuilding our common moral foundation. Then we will discover afresh the life-transforming and counterintuitive truths that a nation is strong when it cares for the weak, and rich when it cares for the poor.

Here is an inspiring vision of a world in which we can all find our place, and face the future without fear.

'This five-section book seeks to critique modern culture, suggesting why western culture has experienced moral decline and how it can once again be recovered. He points out that our capitalist system has brought wealth to a great many people while at the same time governments have limited the worst excesses of inequality, yet at the same time society as a whole has not learned how to live morally. Sacks argues that one of the fundamental flaws of western culture is the way we have moved from the ‘we’ to the ‘I’. The sense of community has gradually been replaced by individualism and that has contributed to our moral decline.

In part 1 Sacks looks at issues like loneliness, the fragility of family life and the dark side of social media as evidence of moral decline in our personal lives. Then in part 2 he does the same with public life by investigating the markets, the crisis of democracy and the rise of identity politics. Section 3 focusses in on issues such as safe spaces, victimhood and public shaming, all of which are evidence of an increasingly ‘woke’ and intolerant culture. Each chapter in these sections is filled with fascinating and insightful examples as well as frequent references from the Old Testament. They demonstrate why Sacks is not just a good philosopher but also a brilliant social commentator.

The last two sections draw the authors thesis to a conclusion. Part 4 argues for the importance of human dignity, meaning and morality and suggests that the long-term survival of our society will depend on the recovery of a moral vision, one in which Sacks suggests religion (in particular a Judeo-Christian worldview) has a constructive role to play. In the last section he concludes that at the heart of the search for a moral vision must be a journey back from ‘I’ to ‘we’. This book is yet another goldmine from the author with helpful and relevant insights. It is obviously aimed at a general rather than just the religious market, but any thoughtful Christians will find his use of Old Testament scripture as appealing as his moral common sense. Nevertheless, from a Christian perspective the one thing missing from Sack’s vision is the personal transformation that can be found in Christ. That, however, would be a point to far for someone still living in the world of the old covenant.'

-Stephen McQuoid, GLO Europe General Director

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781473617315
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 600 g
Dimensions: 240 x 160 x 38 mm