John Gray
John Gray was formerly Emeritus Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian and the New Statesman, and author of more than a dozen books, including False Dawn, the bestselling Straw Dogs, and most recently The Immortalization Commission.
Books by John Gray
Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life
by John Gray
Lots of fans of cats and British philosopher John Gray will be delighted to hear that he's devoted a whole book to them. In his interview with us, Gray recommended books on 'critiques of utopia and apocalypse.'
Black Mass
by John Gray
That book accounts for a lot of things for me. One is how the intelligence was manipulated when we went into Iraq
Straw Dogs
by John Gray
What I like about the book is the anti-humanism, the rejection of this idea we all have, that humanity is at the centre of the Cosmos, which is a post-Christian thing. John Gray is an unreconstructed pessimist, particularly on environmental issues. He thinks that we are going to hell in a hand basket and there is nothing that we can do about it.
False Dawn
by John Gray
False Dawn by British philosopher John Gray, published in 1998, is interesting to read, decades on, for its take on the limits of global capitalism for bringing good to the world. He sees belief in an unfettered free market as a 'utopia', along the same lines as communism. "Over time it may come to rival it in the suffering that it inflicts," he writes.
You can read our interview with John Gray about utopias here.
Interviews with John Gray
Critiques of Utopia and Apocalypse, recommended by John Gray
Is it inevitable that the desire to build a perfect world should end in disaster? John Gray considers the flaws in utopian thinking and the essential nature of humans. He recommends the best critiques of utopia and apocalypse.
Interviews where books by John Gray were recommended
The best books on The Environment, recommended by Mark Lynas
The British author, journalist and environmental activist talks to us about climate change. Warns that mankind has become a global catastrophe and discusses books that reveal our impact on the planet
The best books on Espionage, recommended by Robert Baer
The former CIA operative lifts the lid on the reality of spying. He says the intelligence service knew there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the war, but politicians and reporters didn’t listen
