John Gray (1) (1948–)
Autore di Cani di paglia: pensieri sull'uomo e altri animali!
Per altri autori con il nome John Gray, vedi la pagina di disambiguazione.
Sull'Autore
John Gray is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including Seven Types of Atheism, The Silence of Animals, The Immortalization Commission, Black Mass, and Straw Dogs. A regular contributor to The New York Review of Books, he has been a professor of politics at Oxford, a visiting mostra altro professor at Harvard and Yale, and a professor of European thought at the London School of Economics. He now writes full-time. mostra meno
Fonte dell'immagine: Gray in 2014 by The Nexus Institute (youtube)
Opere di John Gray
Opere correlate
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Nome legale
- Gray, John Nicholas
- Altri nomi
- Gray, John W.
Gray, J. - Data di nascita
- 1948-04-17
- Sesso
- male
- Nazionalità
- UK
- Luogo di nascita
- South Shields, County Durham, England, UK
- Istruzione
- Oxford University (Exeter College) (B.A.) (philosophy, politics and economics)
Oxford University (Exeter College) (M.A.)
Oxford University (Exeter College) (Ph.D.) - Attività lavorative
- Professor of Politics
Professor of European Thought
lecturer in political theory - Organizzazioni
- London School of Economics and Political Science
Jesus College, Oxford
University of Essex
Utenti
Recensioni
Liste
Five star books (1)
Reading list (2)
Premi e riconoscimenti
Potrebbero anche piacerti
Autori correlati
Statistiche
- Opere
- 49
- Opere correlate
- 5
- Utenti
- 4,683
- Popolarità
- #5,390
- Voto
- 3.7
- Recensioni
- 89
- ISBN
- 1,098
- Lingue
- 32
- Preferito da
- 14
Author gives us overview of the ways humans paint themselves for themselves so they can live with themselves, various myths starting from how we generally describe ourselves as civilized (chapter about Naples was horrifying), and how we flirt with our divine role on this world. We live with so many noise in our heads that very way of handling this static is what actually makes human a human. Though sometimes unbearable this noise is what drives us forward and enables us to create beautiful and amazing things but also forces us to come up as so unintelligent at times it is unbelievable.
It is constant search for meaning of life. While rest of the living world (even non-living if we are to allow for some of the philosophies) lives in peace satisfied with their own existence (or at least they are living their existence without constant attempts to reinvent themselves) humans are in essence incapable of such a feat. Humans want to find the meaning of life because it seems that living the life for life's sake is just not enough. And of course this causes so many short circuits in the brain that people do things that range from wonderful to deeply terrifying and disturbing.
Take religion for example. It always had its place in human life (again this constant strive for purpose and meaning) and we can never remove it, it is part of human psyche and required for normal functioning of humans that every replacement, be it science, sociological theories or various theories on human past, present and future only ends up being revered as a new religion (in standard fashion of out with the old, in with the new). As author states we say to ourselves (and thus we build myths) we do not need it but we constantly create new religions to which we want to devote our lives to. We do not call them religion but approach it with same zeal that for objective outside observer (if such thing was possible) would see no difference at all.
I especially liked chapters on Freud and Jung, author managed to capture the very essence of their disagreement and it is not surprising that Jung became the more famous one while Freud was shunned away - his thesis and approach was too close to the target.... and that hurts.
What permeates the entire book is the notion that no matter how far we think we have come we are still only an advanced animal and I mean this not in some romantic but pure biological sense. We need to come to terms with that if we want to progress and actually level up scientific/technological and social achievements. We need to change our own behavior. Unfortunately same as the author I am skeptical that this will happen any time soon. If anything this year proved maxim that remains true and unfortunately will remain true for a long time - humans are and will remain irrational and incapable of common sense behavior, they want drama and chaos because then they can find the meaning of life at least as martyrs in forced hard conditions of life. And that is one very sad fact.
I cannot but chuckle whenever I hear how we will conquer the space:) it seems like 1960's happened in parallel universe. Short episode in human history, time of enlightenment that was cut short because only small number of people was involved - for majority this was something that happened at the edge of their perception and this is where this breakthrough period withered and died. Reality and survival will always prevail over something that for majority is unreachable and in the end does not have immediate practical value.
Very interesting book, author's style is great and draws you in a way that you are glued to the book till the very end - you will find yourself constantly saying just one more page. And this is quite an achievement for the the philosophical/sociological work.
Highly recommended.… (altro)