Ideas of John Gray, by Theme

[British, fl. 2002, Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics.]

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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy
Human knowledge may not produce well-being; the examined life may not be worth living
13. Knowledge Criteria / C. External Justification / 9. Naturalised Epistemology
Knowledge does not need minds or nervous systems; it is found in all living things
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 5. Against Free Will
The will hardly ever does anything; most of our life just happens to us
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 5. Freedom of lifestyle
Nowadays we identify the free life with the good life
27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 4. Ecology
Over forty percent of the Earth's living tissue is human
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 5. Atheism
Free atheism should start by questioning its faith in humanity
29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 4. Dualist Religion
Gnosticism has a supreme creator God, giving way to a possibly hostile Demiurge
29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 2. Judaism
Judaism only became monotheistic around 550 BCE
29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 4. Christianity / a. Christianity
Without Christianity we lose the idea that human history has a meaning
What was our original sin, and how could Christ's suffering redeem it?
Christians introduced the idea that a religion needs a creed
29. Religion / C. Spiritual Disciplines / 3. Buddhism
Buddhism has no divinity or souls, and the aim is to lose the illusion of a self