John N. Gray
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. "
Publications
Books
- Mill on Liberty: A Defense. 1983, ISBN 0-7100-9270-9 .
- with Zbigniew Pelczynski: Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy. 1984
- Hayek on Liberty. 1984
- Liberalism. 1986, ISBN 0-8166-1521-7 .
- Liberalisms: Essays in Political Philosophy. 1989, ISBN 0-415-00744-5 .
- with GW Smith: JS Mill, "On Liberty": In Focus. 1991, ISBN 0-415-01001-2 .
- Beyond the New Right: Markets, Government and the Common Environment. 1993, ISBN 0-415-09297-3 .
- Postliberalism: Studies in Political Thought. 1993, ISBN 0-415-13553-2 .
- Enlightenment's Wake: Politics and Culture at the Close of the Modern Age. 1995, ISBN 0-415-16335-8 .
- Isaiah Berlin. 1995, ISBN 0-691-04824-X .
- After Social Democracy: Politics, Capitalism and the Common Life. 1996
- Endgames: Questions in Late Modern Political Thought. 1997, ISBN 0-7456-1882-0 .
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False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism. 1998, ISBN 1-56584-592-7 .
- The false promise. Global capitalism and its consequences. Fest, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-8286-0086-7 ; Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt 2001, ISBN 3-596-15008-6
- Voltaire. 1998, ISBN 0-415-92394-8 .
- Two Faces of Liberalism. 2000, ISBN 1-56584-589-7 .
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Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals. 2002, ISBN 1-86207-512-3 .
- From humans and other animals. Farewell to humanism. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-608-94610-9 .
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Al Qaeda and What it Means to be Modern. 2003, ISBN 1-56584-805-5 .
- The birth of al-Qaeda from the spirit of modernity. Kunstmann, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-88897-355-4
- Heresies: Against Progress and Other Illusions. 2004, ISBN 1-86207-718-5 .
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Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia. 2007, ISBN 0-7139-9915-2 .
- Politics of the Apocalypse. How religion plunges the world into crisis. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-608-94114-2 .
- Gray's Anatomy: Selected Writings. 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66788-3 .
- The Immortalization Commission: Science and the Strange Quest to Cheat Death. 2011, ISBN 978-1-84614-219-2 .
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The Silence of Animals: On Progress and Other Modern Myths. 2013, ISBN 0-374-22917-1 .
- Predator human. The illusion of progress . Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2015, ISBN 978-3-608-94884-4 .
- The Soul of the Marionette: A Short Inquiry into Human Freedom. 2015, ISBN 978-1-84614-449-3 .
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
- ↑ a b c Romain Leick: Humanism is a superstition . In: Der Spiegel . No. 9 , 2010, p. 136-140 ( Online - Mar. 1, 2010 ).
- ^ Plehwe / Walpen / Neunhöffer (eds.): Neoliberal Hegemony: A Global Critique , Routledge, New York 2006, p. 47.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ “ 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
- ^ 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
- Portrait of John Gray at The Guardian
- Portrait of John Gray on The Independent ( Memento from May 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- Portrait of John Gray in The Sunday Times ( May 17, 2011 memento on the Internet Archive )
Newspaper articles
The Guardian
- Look out for the enemy within , July 2005
- The death of this crackpot creed is nothing to mourn , July 2007
- Review: The Shock Doctrine , The Guardian , September 15, 2007
- We trusted this country. Look how it treats us , February 2008
- The atheist delusion , March 15, 2008
- Folly of the progressive fairytale , September 9, 2008
The Independent
- Neoconned !: How Blair took New Labor for a ride, June 2007 ( Memento from April 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
The Observer
- Monarchy is the Key to Our Liberty , July 2007
Interviews
- John Gray radio interview on 'Philosopher's Zone' Part 1 , June 28, 2008
- John Gray radio interview on 'Philosopher's Zone' Part 2 , July 5th 2008
- John Gray at 'Philosopher's Zone' about Isaiah Berlin
- Audio: John N. Gray at BBC World
Reviews
- AC Grayling at New Humanist on Black Mass
- Ian Hargearves on New Humanist on Straw Dogs .
- Terry Eagleton at The Guardian on Straw Dogs
- Eckart Löhr: Review of the politics of the apocalypse
- Eckart Löhr: Review of From humans and other animals
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 |