Tom Holland and philosopher A.C. Grayling differ deliciously in this classic Big Conversation part of Premier's Unbelievable? Podcast. Where does the West’s moral compass really come from? Drawing on Holland’s bestselling Dominion and Grayling’s secular humanism, they spar over the roots of dignity, equality and rights. Was the cross a moral revolution that overturned Rome’s hierarchy reshaping attitudes to slavery, sex, and the status of victims? Or do our ethics flow chiefly from classical philosophy, the Renaissance and Enlightenment? Expect lively exchanges on Paul, Stoicism, preserving ancient texts, the abolition of slavery, and whether humanism is a “godless Protestantism”. A riveting clash of history and philosophy and what it means for faith, reason, science, law, culture and public life today and beyond.

For AC Grayling’s ‘The History of Philosophy’ https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Philosophy-C-Grayling/dp/0241304539 
For Tom Holland’s ‘Dominion’ https://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Christian-Revolution-Remade-World/dp/0465093507

Released on 14 Oct 2025