130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery πŸš€ Auckland Bookstore β€’ Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Being Human

Bodies, Minds, Persons
4.16 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 481 ratings, 87 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Rowan Williams explores fundamental questions about human consciousness, personhood, and maturity in this deeply engaging work. The book culminates in a meditation on the person of Christ, reflecting on humanity's vulnerability embraced within the divine life.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Being Human. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is suitable for readers interested in philosophy, theology, and the nature of human identity, especially those who appreciate reflective and intellectually stimulating writing.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

An exploration of the nature of human consciousness and personhood by one of the world's greatest theologians.

Being Human is a deeply engaging exploration of the nature of human consciousness and personhood from a Christian perspective by one of the world's greatest theologians and former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

What is consciousness? Is the mind a machine? What makes us persons? What does it mean to aspire to human maturity?

These are among the fundamental questions that Rowan Williams helps us to think about in this deeply engaging exploration of what it means to be human.

The book ends with a brief but profound meditation on the person of Christ, inviting us to consider how, through him, 'our humanity in all its variety, in all its vulnerability, has been taken into the heart of the divine life'.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Being Human has been praised for its rich and thought-provoking meditation on consciousness, language, and relationships. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks calls it "philosophical theology at its very best," while Baroness Sheila Hollins highlights its elegant challenge to ideas about autonomy. Baroness Helena Kennedy commends Williams's combination of humanity and intellect, describing the essays as provocative yet reassuring.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780281079759

Publisher: SPCK Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 March 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: SPCK Publishing

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 128

About the Author

Rowan Williams is Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. His most recent books include God With Us (2017), Being Disciples (2016), What is Christianity? (2015), Meeting God in Paul (2015), Meeting God in Mark (2014) and Being Christian (2014) all published by SPCK.

Also by Rowan Williams

View all
  • Justice and Love
    How do we see and act justly in the world? In what ways can we ethically respond to social and economic crises? How do we address the desperation that exists in the new forms of violence and atrocity? These are all questions at the heart of Justice and Love, a philosophical dialogue on how to imagine and act in a...
    Paperback
    $5199
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Do We Have the Right to Die?
    Two leading thinkers present alternative answers to one of the most difficult and divisive questions of our times: do we have the right to die? As pressure grows to legalise assisted dying in the United Kingdom, the issue remains deeply contested. For those who feel unsure or undecided, this book offers clarity rather than slogans, illuminating the legal and ethical...
    Hardback
    $4500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • On Christian Theology
    In this comprehensive collection of his work, Rowan Williams, one of the most significant theologians of his generation, tackles many of the most searching questions of theology and society at the end of the twentieth century. On Christian Theology is a book that bridges the gap between the academic, the spiritual and the political. It is the culmination of 20...
    Paperback
    $8599
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Passions of the Soul
    The Eastern Christian tradition is filled with theological and spiritual riches. In Passions of the Soul, Rowan Williams opens up the great classics of Eastern Christian writing to show how it can help us to understand and cope with the ups and downs of modern life. With compelling and illuminating insight, he shows the cost of living in a culture...
    Paperback
    $14000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Silence and Honey Cakes
    A bestselling title which draws inspiration from the desert fathers and mothers, now in paperback. First published in hardback in November 2003, and having since sold over 11,000 copies in the UK alone, this highly acclaimed book from Rowan Williams (the first published since his enthronement as the Archbishop of Canterbury) is now available in an accessible paperback edition. In...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Solidarity
    Celebrated thinker Rowan Williams explores the shared hopes and burdens that make solidarity possible. From its use as a rallying cry by the labour movement to its central place in struggles for racial justice, the idea of solidarity is often invoked as the answer to inequality and conflict. And yet, as both a term and a practice, solidarity is tantalisingly...
    Hardback
    $7000
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Candles in the Dark
    As we contemplate the coming months, not knowing when we can breathe again, it's worth thinking about how already the foundations have been laid for whatever new opportunities God has for us on the far side of this crisis. Rowan Williams offers these words of wisdom and many more in Candles in the Dark. This powerful and timely book brings...
    Paperback
    $2699
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Dostoevsky
    The current rash of books hostile to religious faith will one day be an interesting subject for some sociological analysis. But to counter such work, Dostoevsky is a book of the profoundest kind about the nature and purpose of religious belief. Terrorism, child abuse, absent fathers and the fragmentation of the family, the secularisation and the sexualisation of culture, the...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Health & Wellness

View all
  • On Sale
    15% off
    Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story (Expanded Edition)
    Honour his legacy with the greatest gift of allβ€”his story. The Official Hear Your Story Collection Your dad's story is more than just memoriesβ€”it's a journey filled with wisdom, experiences, and defining moments that shaped his life. Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story is a guided journal that gives him the chance to share those stories in his own...
    Paperback
    $1700
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Atomic Habits
    Atomic Habits by James Clear is a transformative guide that demonstrates how tiny, incremental changes in behaviour can fundamentally reshape your life. Rather than urging sweeping transformations, Clear advocates for the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions. Whether it’s performing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes earlier, or making a brief, focused phone call, these minuscule adjustments,...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Quicksilver
    Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate. Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember. But a secret is like...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Crescent City Paperback Box Set
    A beautiful box set containing all three paperback instalments of the Crescent City series from #1 bestselling global phenomenon Sarah J. Maas. BOUND BY BLOOD. TEMPTED BY DESIRE. UNLEASHED BY DESTINY. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan - Time Think Game of Thrones meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a drizzle of E.L. James – Telegraph Spiced...
    Set
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • How Lucky Am I
    New Release
    How Lucky Am I
    The first full book featuring social media sensation Mr. Skelly, with over 5 million global followers, a skeleton who teaches us that life is a gift to be treasured, reminding us how lucky we all are to live in this present moment. For readers of The Book of Gifts and The Little Frog’s Guide to Self Care. In this poignant,...
    Hardback
    $4299
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Age Code
    What if the food you eat could rewind your biological clock? 'Clear and compelling' β€” Chris van Tulleken 'Really interesting and insightful' β€” Joe Wicks 'Fascinating' β€” Tim Spector From the rising incidence of cancer in the under-50s to increased infertility rates, there are signs everywhere that growing numbers of us are ageing too quickly. Why? Many believe there’s one...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Calamity Club
    The Calamity Club is Kathryn Stockett's first novel since the global bestselling phenomenon The Help. This sweeping story follows a group of underestimated women and an 11-year-old orphan girl whose fates converge in Mississippi in 1933. Oxford, Mississippi, 1933. Eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Ever since her beloved mother failed to come...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • "What Were You Thinking!?"
    Everything parents need to know about their baby, child or teen's developing brain to raise resilient, emotional intelligent kids, by globally renowned neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis. 'What were you thinking!?'If you've ever asked this in despair while watching a toddler melt down, a tween push boundaries or a teenager make a truly terrible decision, this book is for you.InΒ "What Were...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Hormone Health is Mental Health
    New Release
    Hormone Health is Mental Health
    Hormone Health is Mental Health is a lifechanging guide to understanding perimenopause and midlife women's mental health - and how understanding your hormones is the first step to feeling like yourself again. This book is for women in their thirties, forties, and fifties who feel like they're falling apart. Women who feel like their brains and bodies are betraying them,...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • WHAKAWHETAI: Gratitude
    Kia ū ki te pai, kia whai hua ai. Hold on to what is good and good things will follow. An inspirational, bilingual gratitude journal, based on the Māori holistic approach to health, hauora. Discover the four dimensions of hauora: taha tinana (physical), taha hinengaro (mental), taha wairua (spiritual) and taha whānau (family). No matter how difficult life can seem,...
    Hardback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Strangers
    The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic Modern Love essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. "A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" β€” Joyce Carol Oates How do we go on when a loved one betrays us?...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Surviving White Island
    Surviving White Island - Surviving the unsurvivable. Healing from the unhealable. This is an inspiring memoir of physical and mental recovery, from someone who lived through the Whakaari White Island volcanic eruption. "I heard someone say, 'Wow!' And someone else exclaimed, 'Look at that!' I had my back to the crater. I turned around. The moment I saw it, I...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.