The Quest for a Moral Compass Audiobook By Kenan Malik cover art

The Quest for a Moral Compass

A Global History of Ethics

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Quest for a Moral Compass

By: Kenan Malik
Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Accessible, fascinating, and thought-provoking, this is the groundbreaking story of the global search for moral truths

In this remarkable book, Kenan Malik explores the history of moral thought as it has developed over three millennia, from Homer's Greece to Mao's China, from ancient India to modern America. It tells the stories of the great philosophers, and breathes life into their ideas, while also challenging many of our most cherished moral beliefs.

Engaging and provocative, The Quest for a Moral Compass confronts some of humanity's deepest questions. Where do values come from? Is God necessary for moral guidance? Are there absolute moral truths? It also brings morality down to earth, showing how, throughout history, social needs and political desires have shaped moral thinking. It is a history of the world told through the history of moral thought, and a history of moral thought that casts new light on global history.

©2014 Kenan Malik (P)2023 Tantor Civilization Ethics Ethics & Morality Philosophy Religious Studies World Morality Ancient History

Listeners also enjoyed...
Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey Audiobook By Homer, W. H. D. Rouse - translator cover art
Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey By: Homer, and others
Emperor of Rome Audiobook By Mary Beard cover art
Emperor of Rome By: Mary Beard
A Terribly Serious Adventure Audiobook By Nikhil Krishnan cover art
A Terribly Serious Adventure By: Nikhil Krishnan
The Blazing World Audiobook By Jonathan Healey cover art
The Blazing World By: Jonathan Healey
Unruly Audiobook By David Mitchell cover art
Unruly By: David Mitchell
The Rigor of Angels Audiobook By William Egginton cover art
The Rigor of Angels By: William Egginton
The Divine Comedy Audiobook By Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri cover art
The Divine Comedy By: Clive James - translator, and others
The Future of Geography Audiobook By Tim Marshall cover art
The Future of Geography By: Tim Marshall
Dependent Rational Animals Audiobook By Alasdair MacIntyre cover art
Dependent Rational Animals By: Alasdair MacIntyre
Battle Cry of Freedom Audiobook By James M. McPherson cover art
Battle Cry of Freedom By: James M. McPherson
Empires of the Steppes Audiobook By Kenneth Harl cover art
Empires of the Steppes By: Kenneth Harl
Fundamentals Audiobook By Frank Wilczek cover art
Fundamentals By: Frank Wilczek
The Identity Trap Audiobook By Yascha Mounk cover art
The Identity Trap By: Yascha Mounk
At the Existentialist Café Audiobook By Sarah Bakewell cover art
At the Existentialist Café By: Sarah Bakewell
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Audiobook By Max Weber cover art
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism By: Max Weber
The Age of Insight Audiobook By Eric R. Kandel cover art
The Age of Insight By: Eric R. Kandel
Bismarck's War Audiobook By Rachel Chrastil cover art
Bismarck's War By: Rachel Chrastil
The Middle Kingdoms Audiobook By Martyn Rady cover art
The Middle Kingdoms By: Martyn Rady
Beyond the Wall Audiobook By Katja Hoyer cover art
Beyond the Wall By: Katja Hoyer
A World Undone Audiobook By G. J. Meyer cover art
A World Undone By: G. J. Meyer
Most relevant  
Thoughtful, intimidatingly well sourced, no easy answers or pat solutions, a timely reflection on questions that the news would have Americans believe are tearing our nation apart.

Should Be Required Reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The title promised a "quest" and a "global history" -- and I imagined that achieving the latter would almost certainly doom the former. That is, I feared a "barrage" of technical bits rather than a shared journey. The author, aided by an excellent narrator, organized and presented a brilliant story of humanity's quest for morality. Finishing the (audio)book brought satisfaction; I had experienced something -- and "quest" seems a fitting term. I do not have all the answers, but I have some new ways of thinking about myself and my world. At an amusement park, some rides are just okay, and some you immediately want to ride again. I finished this (audio)book moments ago and feel the urge to restart it, confident there's more to experience and enjoy.

That the western world has experienced significant changes in the last decade is evident in an anachronism that appears a couple of times in the book. Since 2014 when this book was written, "practicing homosexual" has shifted from a relatively neutral term to be presently understood as a linguistic signal of moral suspicion if not contempt. Even this example may be addressed via Malik's central thesis regarding change.

Achieved What the Title Promised

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.