AC GRAYLING

In his new book, the British philosopher considers the challenges the world faces and proposes a way to avoid disaster

Is it possible for humans to agree on a set of values in order to confront the threats faced by our planet?

Yes it is possible, but it is at present unlikely because there are so many divisive self-interest pressures at work in the world, stemming from political, economic and ideological differences both between and within the world’s states.

Is philosophy more relevant than ever?

Yes, because the effort to arrive through reasoned debate at ways of constructively addressing the world’s problems – the climate emergency, the uncontrolled development of technologies some of which pose serious dangers, and the deficit of justice and rights in so many parts of the world – is more necessary than ever.

Name a couple of non-fiction books that you’ve most enjoyed in the past year

Physicist Lawrence M. Krauss’s A Universe From Nothing; A Life at the Centre by Roy Jenkins (chancellor of Oxford University, ex-EU president and British cabinet minister); and Ashok Sharma’s Out of the Third World (his experiences as an immigrant student in the UK).

And fiction?

The Sentence by Pulitzer Prizewinning author Louise Erdrich.

A book you consider overrated?

The Bible.

A book that had a pivotal impact on your life?

Immanuel Kant’s The Critique of Pure Reason.

Was chairing the Booker Prize judging panel a job you’d care to repeat?

Yes – immersion in the literary fiction of a particular year, especially for critical purposes, is a window into many things, not least the mind of the time; and it demonstrates the huge amount of talent and insight there is in creative literature.

The book you are most proud to have written?

I can’t choose just one! They are all part of one large endeavour to make sense of things from diverse aspects. Writing each of them has been an education in itself, and when you live with work on a book it becomes a special part of you. As with your children, you cannot nominate a favourite.

What books are on your bedside table?

George Moore’s 1894 novel Esther Waters; Edward Paice’s Tip and Run (about WWI in Africa); Simon Winder’s Danubia (a history of Hapsburg Europe); Matthew Battles’ Library; and The Oxford Book of English Verse.

What are you writing now? Philosophy and Life for Viking Penguin.

For the Good of the World, by AC Grayling: Oneworld, $35, out now