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Straw Dogs
Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals
Series: Best of Granta
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Straw Dogs
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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?
Included in the BEST OF GRANTA launch list for 2023: an exciting, radical work of philosophy that challenges our most cherished assumptions about what it means to be human
Included in the BEST OF GRANTA launch list for 2023: an exciting, radical work of philosophy that challenges our most cherished assumptions about what it means to be human
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
Powerful and brilliant ... Straw Dogs challenges all our assumptions about what it is to be human, and convincingly shows that most of them are delusions.' - J. G. Ballard
From Plato to Christianity, from the Enlightenment to Nietzsche, the Western tradition has been based on arrogant and erroneous beliefs about human beings and their place in the world. In his radical work of philosophy, John Gray sets out to challenge our most cherished assumptions about what it means to be human.
Philosophies such as liberalism and Marxism enthrone humankind as a species whose destiny is to transcend natural limits and conquer the Earth. Even in the present day, despite Darwin's discoveries, nearly all schools of thought take as their starting point the belief that humans are radically different from other animals.
John Gray argues that this belief in human difference is a dangerous illusion and explores how the world and human life look once humanism has been finally abandoned. The result is an exhilarating, sometimes disturbing book that leads the reader to question our deepest-held beliefs.
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Straw Dogs
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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?
Straw Dogs by John Gray has been described as a powerful and essential guide challenging modern assumptions about humanity. The book delivers a compelling, provocative critique of liberal humanism, often unsettling yet captivating. Widely considered important, it offers a lucid and engaging examination of humankind, stirring both thought and emotion.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781803510088
Publisher: Granta Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 17 August 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Granta Books
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 15.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 190g
Pages: 256
About the Author
John Gray has been Professor of Politics at Oxford University, Visiting Professor at Harvard and Yale and Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics. His many books include Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals, The Immortalization Commission: The Strange Quest to Cheat Death, Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia and Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life.
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