Chapter 42, “Slavery” (p. 156)
“
We can therefore all demand apologies from one another for mankind’s turpitude. But it is better worth remembering that we poison the present by our self-imposed slavery to unforgivingness over offences of the past—and that this explains almost all conflicts, from Northern Ireland via the Balkans to Kashmir. That is a form of slavery which we desperately need to abolish too.
— A. C. Grayling
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "We can therefore all demand apologies from one another for mankind’s turpitude. But it is better worth remembering that we poison the present by our self-imposed slavery to unforgivingness over offences of the past—and that this explains almost all conflicts, from Northern Ireland via the Balkans to Kashmir. That is a form of slavery which we desperately need to abolish too." in the context of "Chapter 42, “Slavery” (p. 156)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "A. C. Grayling" (Quotes, Life, Sex, and Ideas: The Good Life Without God (2002): British title: The Reason of Things: Living with Philosophy
All page numbers from the trade paperback edition published by Oxford University Press in 2005,
British spelling and punctuation, as in the book )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About A. C. Grayling
Anthony Clifford Grayling (born 3 April 1949) is a British philosopher and author.
About A. C. Grayling
Anthony Clifford Grayling (born 3 April 1949) is a British philosopher and author.
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