The Fall of the Priests and the Rise of the Lawyers

by Philip Wood

Overview

This fast-paced, inspiring and original work proposes that, if religions fade, then secular law provides a much more comprehensive moral regime to govern our lives. Backed by potent and haunting images, it argues that the rule of law is the one universal framework that everyone believes in and that the law is now the most important ideology we have for our survival.

The author explores the decline of religions and the huge growth of law and makes predictions for the future of law and lawyers. The book maintains that even though societies may decide they can do without religions, they cannot do without law.

The book helpfully summarises both the teachings of all the main religions and the central tenets of the law – governing everything from human relationships to money, banks and corporations. It shows that, without these legal constructs, some of them arcane, our societies would grind to a halt. These innovative summaries make complex ideas seem simple and provide the keys to understanding both the law and religion globally. The book will appeal to both lawyers and the general reader.

The book concludes with the author's personal code for a modern way of living to promote the survival of humankind into the future.

Vividly written by one of the most important lawyers of our generation, this magisterial and exciting work offers a powerful vision of the role of law in centuries to come and its impact on how we stay alive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509905546
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/21/2016
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.98(h) x 0.83(d)

About the Author

Philip Wood CBE, KC (Hon) is head of the global law intelligence unit, a think-tank, at the major international law firm, Allen & Overy, a distinguished practitioner, a visiting professor or fellow at Oxford, Cambridge and London Universities and the author of 19 books. He is one of the leading international and comparative lawyers in the world. He has practised the law for fifty years.

Table of Contents

1. The Questions
2. The Purpose of Morality and Law
3. The Past and the Future
4. What is Religion?
5. What is the Rule of Law?
6. The Families of Religion: Western Religions
7. The Families of Religion: Eastern Religions
8. The Families of Law
9. A Brief Tour of Secular Law
10. Money, Banks and Corporations
11. Secularisation and Religious Decline
12. Reasons for the Decline of Religiosity
13. Secularisation of Government
14. The Rise of the Lawyers
15. Who Rules the World: Lawyers or Economists?
16. What is Wrong with the Law?
17. Scientific Progress and the Law
18. A Way of Living
19. A Billion Years from Now

Editorial Reviews

"a 'must read'....the book deserves enormous market success..." --Robert McKay

"...a startlingly original piece of work that deserves to be read far and wide...It will have us thinking and wondering...completely brilliant from start to finish." --Humphrey Keenlyside

"...couldn't put it down... You have gathered together an amazing amount of fascinating information. That is why I must read it all again." --Tony Herbert, former managing partner of A&O

"A most compelling read for all persons, not just lawyers or law students, concerned with the sustainability of our human race and of our planet earth. A true sui generis tour de force by one of the great international and comparative legal minds of our time, who sees law and the rule of law as the linchpin for grounding scientific rules/theories, relevant economic propositions and the spiritual searches ingrained in the great world religions." --Joe Norton, Amazon

"My hope is that Philip Woods' book will become mandatory reading in introductory law courses around the world, replacing the jaw-droppingly boring texts which accompany subjects such as 'Legal Institutions'" --Peter Alexiadis, Business Law International

"I put "The Fall of the Priests and the Rise of the Lawyers" in the same class as H.L.A Hart's "The Concept of Law". A ground breaking philosophical book of our time, and it is very readable. It sits on my shelf next to modern day philosophical classics such as Michael Oakeshott's "On History", Noel Castree's "Social Nature", A.C.Grayling "The Age of Genius" and works by Michel Foucault." --Jon Fisher

"In future decades and centuries, the law, rather than religion, will ensure humanity survives. This exciting proposition is explored in this unique and expansive work ... It is an impressive work, revealing the author's deep knowledge of the subject matter ... this fascinating book would be an excellent resource for any keen student of law and religion." --Mitchell Landrigan, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney, Alternative Law Journal

From the Publisher