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

About the Author

Philip R Wood CBE, QC (Hon) is a distinguished lawyer at a major international law firm, 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.

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 *