From little acorns

First off, despite the title and the famous Man Ray nude on the cover, there is little about sex here; titillation seekers will have to look elsewhere. A. C. Grayling is a professor of philosophy, formerly at Oxford and now at the University of London. He contributes to high-toned journals on both sides of the Atlantic, has published several books, and writes a weekly column, “The Last Word,” for The Guardian. Combining literary journalism with the teaching of philosophy bespeaks erudition, eclecticism, and a certain welcome eccentricity.

Life, Sex, and Ideas: The Good Life Without God is a collection of Grayling’s columns, which run chiefly from two to four book pages, plus a few longer pieces from elsewhere. They are grouped into seven sections: “Moral Matters” (ranging from “Meat” to “Marriage”), “Public Culture,” “Community and Society,”...