John N. Gray

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John Gray, 2015

John N. Gray (born April 17, 1948 , in South Shields , County Durham ) is a British political philosopher and author. He held the Chair in European History of Ideas at the London School of Economics .

academic career

Gray studied Philosophy , Politics and Economics at Exeter College of Oxford University and was there for the Ph.D. PhD. He taught political theory at the University of Essex , was a fellow and tutor of politics at Jesus College, Oxford University , lecturer and finally professor of politics at Oxford University. 1985–1986 he worked as a visiting professor at Harvard University . From 1990-1994 he worked as a Stranahan Fellow at the Social Philosophy and Policy Center at Bowling Green State University . He was also visiting professor at the Murphy Institute at Tulane University in 1991 and at Yale University in 1994 .

From 1998 until his retirement in 2008 he was Professor of European Thought ( Professor of European History of Ideas ) at the London School of Economics.

Position and work

Influenced by Isaiah Berlin and Friedrich von Hayek , Gray initially represented the ideas of the neoliberal school and supported Thatcherism . He later criticized rampant globalization and conservative claims to supremacy. Gray was a member of the Mont Pelerin Society , which he left in 1996. He emphasizes the universality of human rights; He rejects the idea that they are purely cultural or legalistic constructs. However, he rejects the idea that these human rights can only be realized in a very specific political order.

Gray is a regular contributor to The Guardian , New Statesman, and The Times Literary Supplement . He wrote several authoritative works on political theory, including 2003 Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals , in which he turns against humanism . He calls it an ideology that is related to religious ideologies, calls it a superstition . He depicts humanity as a greedy species that exterminates other forms of life. “ Humans… cannot destroy the Earth, but they can easily wreck the environment that sustains them. In 2007 he published Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia .

He rejects teleological interpretations of history; As an argument, he brings up recent historical developments:

“The core of the belief in progress is that human values ​​and goals converge in parallel with our increasing knowledge. The twentieth century shows the contrary. Human beings use the power of scientific knowledge to assert and defend the values ​​and goals they already have. New technologies can be used to alleviate suffering and enhance freedom. They can, and will, also be used to wage war and strengthen tyranny. Science made possible the technologies that powered the industrial revolution. In the twentieth century, these technologies were used to implement state terror and genocide on an unprecedented scale. "

“The core of the belief in progress is the assumption that human values ​​and goals converge to the same extent as our knowledge grows. The 20th century proves the opposite. People use the power of science to affirm and defend the values ​​and goals they already have. New technology can be used to alleviate suffering and expand freedom. It can and is also used to wage war and consolidate tyranny. Science enabled the technology that drove the industrial revolution. In the 20th century this technology was and is used for state terror and genocide on an unprecedented scale. "

- John N. Gray : Joseph Conrad, Our Contemporary , in: Heresies: Against Progress and Other Illusions (2004)

Publications

Books

interview

  • Romain Leick: Humanism is a superstition . In: Der Spiegel . No. 9 , 2010, p. 136-140 ( Online - Mar. 1, 2010 ).

Literature on John Gray

  • Horton, John; Glen Newey (Ed.): The Political Theory of John Gray . London 2007: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-36647-X .

References and comments

  1. ↑ a b c Romain Leick: Humanism is a superstition . In: Der Spiegel . No. 9 , 2010, p. 136-140 ( Online - Mar. 1, 2010 ).
  2. ^ Plehwe / Walpen / Neunhöffer (eds.): Neoliberal Hegemony: A Global Critique , Routledge, New York 2006, p. 47.
  3. ↑ iwise.com ( Memento of the original from July 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , visited on March 20, 2010 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.iwise.com
  4. ↑ “ To affirm that humans thrive in many different ways is not to deny that there are universal human values. Nor is it to reject the claim that there should be universal human rights. It is to deny that universal values ​​can only be fully realized in a universal regime. Human rights can be respected in a variety of regimes, liberal and otherwise. Universal human rights are not an ideal constitution for a single regime throughout the world, but a set of minimum standards for peaceful coexistence among regimes that will always remain different. "(German:" To determine that people succeed in many different ways does not mean that there are no universal human values. Neither does it mean that the demand for universal human rights is to be rejected. It means to reject the idea that Universal values ​​can only be realized in a universal order. Human rights can be realized in a variety of systems, liberal and otherwise. Universal human rights are not an ideal template for a single worldwide order, but a set of minimum requirements for peaceful coexistence between systems, which will always be different. ”) John N. Gray, Two Faces of Liberalism
  5. ^ John Gray, Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals , Granta Books 2002, ISBN 1-86207-512-3 , p. 12; German: "Humans cannot destroy the earth, but they can easily ruin the environment on which they depend."

Web links

Portraits of people by John Gray

Newspaper articles

The Guardian

The Independent

The Observer

Interviews

Reviews

personal data
SURNAME Gray, John N.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British political philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH April 17, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH South Shields , Tyne and Wear