Ideas That Matter: The Concepts That Shape the 21st Century

Ideas are the cogs that drive history, and in explaining the most complex and influential ones in laymen’s terms, Ideas that Matter will help every engaged citizen better understand it.

Iain Finlayson, The Times (UK)
"If there is any such person in Britain today as The Thinking Man, it is AC Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck. He provides generous help for the ethically challenged, the philosophically perplexed and the culturally confused. There are any number of ideas in the modern world; they are like trees in a forest... Clearly and succinctly, without jargon or condescension, Grayling takes on the intellectual world and names its parts. He does us great service with this useful handbook."

Publishers Weekly
"Grayling winnows a universe of ideas, ideologies, and philosophies into ’a personal dictionary’ for understanding the new century.... [His] dictionary will appeal to readers looking for a perspective of the 21st century’s big ideas as seen from the ivory tower."

Library Journal
"Grayling’s learning is remarkable: he covers, among many other topics, string theory, capitalism, and Orthodox Christianity…. Even readers with different points of view…will benefit from Grayling’s clear accounts of his topics. He is especially good at explaining clearly difficult ideas, e.g., the standard model of physics; the entries on philosophical topics are particularly well done. All readers interested in the issues discussed – and who isn’t? – will gain much from this book."

Kirkus
"As always, Grayling delights in a bit of polemic while expressing himself with the crispest of prose; his sharpest jabs are reserved for the irrational aspects of religion. But, like most of his books, this account is designed to be more thought-provoking than utterly authoritative. It succeeds."

America Magazine
"Grayling scans a vast spectrum of problems and issues with lively, often ultra-opinionated prose…. [I]nquiring minds who ignore Grayling will miss a spirited, even raucous show."