Search results for ""author john gray""

Cuando revisamos otros ateísmos más antiguos, nos damos cuenta de que algunas de nuestras más firmes convicciones ?laicas o religiosas? son harto cuestionables. Si esa posibilidad nos molesta, puede que lo que andemos buscando no sea libertad de pensamiento, sino libertad para no pensar. Un sugerente ensayo que se acerca a una heterogénea galería de pensadores y escritores ?desde el marqués de Sade y su furibundo odio a Dios hasta Schopenhauer y su ateísmo místico, sin olvidar a Bertrand Russell, un escéptico a su pesar, a Dostoievski, Nietzsche, Conrad, Santayana?? que, en diferentes momentos y lugares, se esforzaron por comprender mejor las peliagudas cuestiones de la salvación, la razón, el progreso y el mal y, en último término, el sentido mismo de lo que es ser humanos.

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In Two Faces of Liberalism, John Gray argues that liberal thought has always contained two incompatible philosophies. In one, liberalism is a theory of a universal rational consensus, which enables the achievement of the best way of life for all humankind. In the other, liberalism is the project of seeking terms of peaceful coexistence between different regimes and ways of life. John Gray argues that the liberalism of rational consensus is anachronistic in a time when most late modern societies contain several ways of life, with many people belonging to more than one. The future of liberalism lies with a project of modus vivendi, first outlined in the writings of Thomas Hobbes. In the course of his argument, Gray presents a new interpretation of liberal toleration and argues that value-pluralism in ethics can support a revised view of universal human rights. This accessible book will be of great interest to students and scholars of political thought, moral and political philosophy, social and critical theory and cultural studies.

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Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) was the greatest intellectual historian of the twentieth century. But his work also made an original and important contribution to moral and political philosophy and to liberal theory. In 1921, at the age of eleven, Isaiah Berlin arrived in England from Riga, Latvia. By the time he was thirty he was at the heart of British intellectual life. He has remained its commanding presence ever since, and few would dispute that he was one of Britain's greatest thinkers. His reputation extends worldwide--as a great conversationalist, intellectual historian, and man of letters. He has been called the century's most inspired reader. Yet Berlin's contributions to thought--in particular to moral and political philosophy, and to liberal theory--are little understood, and surprisingly neglected by the academic world. In this book, they are shown to be animated by a single, powerful, subversive idea: value-pluralism which affirms the reality of a deep conflict between ultimate human values that reason cannot resolve. Though bracingly clear-headed, humane and realist, Berlin's value-pluralism runs against the dominant Western traditions, secular and religious, which avow an ultimate harmony of values. It supports a highly distinctive restatement of liberalism in Berlin's work--an agnostic liberalism, which is founded not on rational choice but on the radical choices we make when faced with intractable dilemmas. It is this new statement of liberalism, the central subject of John Gray's lively and lucid book, which gives the liberal intellectual tradition a new lease on life, a new source of life, and which comprises Berlin's central and enduring legacy. In a new introduction, Gray argues that, in a world in which human freedom has spread more slowly than democracy, Berlin's account of liberty and basic decency is more instructive and useful than ever.

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'The most prescient of British public intellectuals' Pankaj Mishra, Financial TimesUpdated with a new foreword and two new chapters of John Gray's writing.Why is progress a pernicious myth? Why do beliefs that humanity can be improved end in farce or horror? Is atheism a hangover from Christian faith? John Gray, one of the most iconoclastic thinkers of our time, smashes through civilization's long cherished beliefs, overturning our view of the world and our place in it.

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'Why can't a human be more like a cat? That is the question threaded through this vivid patchwork of philosophy, fiction, history and memoir ... a wonderful mixture of flippancy and profundity, astringency and tenderness, wit and lament' Jane O'Grady, Daily Telegraph'When I play with my cat, how do I know she is not passing time with me rather than I with her?' MontaigneThere is no real evidence that humans ever 'domesticated' cats. Rather, it seems that at some point cats saw the potential value to themselves of humans. John Gray's wonderful new book is an attempt to get to grips with the philosophical and moral issues around the uniquely strange relationship between ourselves and these remarkable animals.Feline Philosophy draws on centuries of philosophy, from Montaigne to Schopenhauer, to explore the complex and intimate links that have defined how we react to and behave with this most unlikely 'pet'.At the heart of the book is a sense of gratitude towards cats as perhaps the species that more than any other - in the essential loneliness of our position in the world - gives us a sense of our own animal nature.

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The author of the most well-known and trusted relationship book of all time returns with an updated guide for today's generation. Two decades ago, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus revolutionized the way we thought about love and partnership. John Gray's work has helped countless readers improve and even save their relationships. But as society evolves, relationships do, too. It's time to move beyond Mars and Venus, toward a new relationship model for modern couples. Today, men and women are no longer trapped by rigid societal roles. Now more than ever, we have the freedom to be our authentic selves. Women can access their masculine side, and men can embrace their feminine side. This new freedom is a good thing, but it also brings new challenges. Men and women still need the right tools and skills to help build stronger relation- ships. While previous generations sought "role mate" relationships, based on the more rigid gender roles of the time, today's couples need a new kind of relationship: a "soul mate" relationship. These more emotionally satisfying relationships require a deeper understanding of our partners' individual needs. In Beyond Mars and Venus, Gray teaches you how to strengthen your bond and grow in love together, so you and your loved one can meet each other's needs in the best way possible, bringing you lasting happiness and a fulfilling partnership.

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'One of the most important thinkers alive' The Times'Britain's best philosopher' The TelegraphEver since its publication in 1651, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan has unsettled and challenged how we understand the world. Condemned and vilified by each new generation, Hobbes' cold political vision continues to see through any number of political and ethical vanities.In his wonderfully stimulating book The New Leviathans, John Gray allows us to understand the world of the 2020s with all its contradictions, moral horrors and disappointments through a new reading of Hobbes' classic work. The collapse of the USSR ushered in an era of near-apoplectic triumphalism in the West: a genuine belief that a rational, liberal, well-managed future now awaited humankind and that tyranny, nationalism and unreason lay in the past. Since then, so many terrible events have occurred and so many poisonous ideas flourished, and yet still our liberal certainties treat them as aberrations which will somehow dissolve away. Hobbes would not be so confident.Filled with fascinating and challenging perceptions, The New Leviathans is a powerful meditation on historical and current folly. As a species we always seem to be struggling to face the reality of base and delusive human instincts. Might a more self-aware, realistic and disabused ethics help us all?

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'Judge a man by his questions, rather than by his answers.' VoltaireVoltaire was one of the first philosophers to be commercially successful internationally. Famous for his strong views on the importance of civil liberties, he was equally renowned for his wit. A prolific letter writer, he was also the author of over 2,000 books and pamphlets, including the novel Candide, which criticises and ridicules many of the events and philosophies of the time. It is widely recognised as one of the most glorious satires of the 18th century.John Gray's short account is the ideal introduction to one of the great thinkers of all time.

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A prophetic warning against the foolishness of crusades, John Gray's Black Mass challenges our belief in human progress. Our conventional view of history is wrong. It is founded on a pernicious myth of an achievable utopia that in the last century alone caused the murder of tens of millions. In Black Mass John Gray tears down the religious, political and secular beliefs that we insist are fundamental to the human project, examines the interaction of terrorism, declining world resources, environmental change, human myths of redemption and a flawed belief in Western democracy, and shows us how a misplaced faith in our ability to improve the world has actually made it far worse. 'Brilliant, frightening, devastating' John Banville, Guardian 'A brilliant polemic ... Gray's most powerful argument yet' J.G. Ballard, Guardian, Books of the Year 'Causes vertigo when it does not cause outrage' Sunday Times 'Exhilarating, invigorating' Literary Review 'Savage. Gray raises profound and valid doubts about the conventional "plot" of modern history' Financial Times 'A load of bollocks ... could hardly be more bonkers if it was crawling with lizards' Sunday Telegraph 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 books include False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism, Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals and The Immortalization Commission: The Strange Quest to Cheat Death. His selected writings, Gray's Anatomy, was published in 2009.

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Mars and Venus in the Bedroom offers practical, heartfelt and wise advice to help you to transform your love life and enjoy a sexually and emotionally fulfilling relationship. This edition of John Gray's bestselling book explains how to keep passion alive in a long-term relationship and reveals what men and women really want from each other. He understands that there may be differences between you, but explains why instead of causing friction, these differences can make life much more fun and fulfilling.

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Todos envidiamos el aristocrático desapego con el que los gatos contemplan el mundo y lo cómodos que parecen sentirse en su propio pellejo, como si supieran algo fundamental que nosotros ignoramos.John Gray, uno de los grandes pensadores de nuestra época, defiende que tenemos mucho que aprender de los gatos y de su comportamiento, y partiendo de su experiencia personal con estos misteriosos y carismáticos animales, y acudiendo también a las brillantes páginas que les han dedicado autores como Montaigne, Junichiro Tanizaki o Patricia Highsmith, nos propone una suerte de filosofía felina que sirva de guía para una vida más auténtica y sosegada.Las preguntas sobre el sentido de la existencia y el secreto de la felicidad nos persiguen desde los albores de la civilización, y quizá en esas lides, sugiere Gray, los gatos sean tan buenos maestros como los grandes filósofos.Los amantes de los gatos disfrutarán esta celebración del mito felino, desde los dioses gatos del antiguo Egipt

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In Two Faces of Liberalism, John Gray argues that liberal thought has always contained two incompatible philosophies. In one, liberalism is a theory of a universal rational consensus, which enables the achievement of the best way of life for all humankind. In the other, liberalism is the project of seeking terms of peaceful coexistence between different regimes and ways of life. John Gray argues that the liberalism of rational consensus is anachronistic in a time when most late modern societies contain several ways of life, with many people belonging to more than one. The future of liberalism lies with a project of modus vivendi, first outlined in the writings of Thomas Hobbes. In the course of his argument, Gray presents a new interpretation of liberal toleration and argues that value-pluralism in ethics can support a revised view of universal human rights. This accessible book will be of great interest to students and scholars of political thought, moral and political philosophy, social and critical theory and cultural studies.

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In the midst of the current financial crisis, John Gray revisits his brilliant polemic against the forces of global capitalism and deregulation. Written over ten years ago, False Dawn is a remarkably prescient book, sharply criticizing the greed and unsustainable economic practices which have proved to be the seeds of a worldwide recession. In a substantial new chapter, Gray considers how the economic landscape has shifted in a decade, and asks the crucial question: where do we go from here?

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'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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From first look and first date to first fight, breaking up and making up, the world of dating can be a minefield for the unprepared. International relationship guru, John Gray turns his expertise to the language and behaviour of dating couples. Asking questions such as:-How should you act on your first date?-How can you tell if your partner means what he says?-Is this love or just lust at first sight?John Gray helps new couples figure out whether they are partners for life or just enjoying a brief encounter. His approach will help both men and women play the dating game with its complex rules of etiquette and behaviour, and explains how to separate fact from fantasy in conversation, body language and future expectations. His humorous insight and practical advice will help young and old alike to reach closer understanding, love and commitment, and have fun on the way!

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John Gray's books have brought a powerful message to millions of people across the world. In this groundbreaking parenting book he addresses an area of fundamental importance for all families - the well-being of our children. In MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS, CHILDREN ARE FROM HEAVEN, John Gray provides the ultimate guide for parenting, addressing the unique bond between parents and children. Geared to parents of chidren from birth to teens, this invaluable handbook shows parents how to help their children become strong, confident, morally responsible adults by focusing on self-esteem and responsibility.

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Gray asemeja la libertad humana a la libertad de las marionetas. En nuestro caso, el titiritero habita oculto en nuestra propia conciencia, y los hilos vienen dados por nuestra historia e ideas, pero nada implica que podamos evadirnos de los límites que constriñen y determinan nuestros actos en el mundo. John Gray observa que el anhelo sigue siendo liberar de una vez por todas al ser humano de sus ataduras, para dar comienzo a una nueva era de libertad humana y de plenitud. En cambio, en una magistral vuelta de tuerca, John Gray argumenta con lucidez casi lo contrario: justo ahí donde creemos liberarnos de las cadenas que nos atan, los seres humanos nos revelamos como simples marionetas incapaces de admitir las fronteras a las que irremediablemente nos constriñe nuestra condición.

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By the author of the best-selling Straw Dogs, this book is a characteristically trenchant and unflinchingly clear-sighted collection of reflections on our contemporary lot. Whether writing about the future of our species on this planet, the folly of our faith in technological progress, or the self-deceptions of the liberal establishment, John Gray dares to be heretical like few other thinkers today.

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From John Gray, author of the phenomenal multi-million copy bestseller Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, comes the definitive book for men and women seeking lasting love in the face of modern pressures. Why Mars and Venus Collide is the most important relationships manual since Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus redefined the boundaries of male and female relationships. Men and women are different – we all know that. But if our genes have stood still then social changes have not. Overworked, stressed-out and time-poor, we can barely keep up with the frenzied pace of our lives – and our relationships are breaking down as a result. In Why Mars and Venus Collide, John Gray, the best-selling relationships author of all time, shows how everyone can strengthen their relationships and make them last. He explains: Why couples fight – the physiological reasons why females and males behave differently under stress, How to stop fighting, How to seek support – and find it, How to lower your stress levels in everyday life, How to communicate equably and amicably, even when you’re raging inside. Now repackaged to relate to a new generation of readers, Why Mars And Venus Collide proves why John Gray is known as the greatest living authority on how men and women relate.

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The legendary relationships guide that mothers recommend to their daughters, friends give as gifts and brothers steal from their sisters, MEN ARE FROM MARS AND WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS is inarguably the definitive book on having a happy relationship. ‘A treasure’, ‘a bible’ and ‘an heirloom’ are some of the words used to describe the book that has saved countless relationships and improved innumerable others. Now repackaged to relate to a new generation of readers, this phenomenal book continues to carry its legacy of understanding and trust into the world. Since its first publication, over a staggering 15 million copies of MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS have sold globally to single men and women looking for guidance on how to find the perfect partner, married couples seeking to strengthen their bond, and divorcees hoping to fathom where it all went wrong. Gray’s insights into how to allow your other half to “pull away” like an elastic band, prevent your emotional baggage from polluting your current relationship, and translate the phrases of the opposite sex are as relevant now as when they were first published. With straightforward, honest writing from that precious male perspective, Gray unlocks the secrets hidden in your partner’s words and actions to enable you both to reach true mutual understanding and a lifetime of love. Discover for yourself why thousands believe that MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS should be mandatory reading for everyone.

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TLS BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2016'Gray must be one of the best read of contemporary philosophers, trawling insouciantly through high-, middle- and low-brow literature with the sharp-eyed eclecticism of a magpie of genius' John Banville, Guardian'Like Isaiah Berlin with a thing for sci-fi' Tibor Fischer, SpectatorEveryone thinks they want to be free - or do they? John Gray's thought-stirring new book on freedom draws together insights from Gnosticism, science fiction, ancient sacrifice and the occult to show that freedom is an illusion and that, like fairground puppets, humans dream of escaping the burden of choice altogether.

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The powerful, beautiful and chilling sequel to the bestselling Straw Dogs'By nature volatile and discordant, the human animal looks to silence for relief from being itself while other creatures enjoy silence as their birthright'Why do humans seek meaning to life? How do our imaginations leap into worlds so far beyond our actual reality? In this chilling and beautiful sequel to Straw Dogs, John Gray explores how we decorate our existence with countless fictions, twisting and turning to avoid acknowledging that we too are animals. Drawing on an extraordinary array of writers who are mesmerized by extremity, from Ballard to Conrad, Gray makes us re-imagine our place in the world.

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John Gray's The Immortalization Commission: The Strange Quest to Cheat Death raises vital questions about the 'truths' science can offer, the technology we are still exploiting for immortality - and exactly what it means to be human. At the heart of all human experience lies our obsession with death. For many years, we turned to religion for our answers, but at the turn of the twentieth centuries ideas from evolution and politics seemed to suggest that our lives - and afterlives - were in our own hands. These ideas would have both trivial and terrible effects, from the nightmares of H. G. Wells's science fiction and the wild, sweeping craze of séances to the murder of millions in the Stalinist terror. 'Our sharpest critic of utopian fantasies skewers the crazed but enduring dream of cheating age, time and death' Boyd Tonkin, Independent 'Elegant ... He is on to something important regarding the delusion that science consists of indefinite progress' Sunday Telegraph 'One of the most important and insightful polemicists currently writing in English... humanism's most vocal critic' Financial Times 'Gray is an engaging writer, an entertaining historian and a controversialist whose opinions can never be taken for granted' New Statesman 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 books include False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism, Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia and Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals. His selected writings, Gray's Anatomy, was published in 2009.

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Everybody wants a love that will last forever. . . but for many reasons relationships end. Each year millions of people are widowed, break up with their long-term partner or get divorced. The healing period after such a loss can be difficult, but getting over the grief, anger and pain can be much easier with expert help. In this book, relationship expert and dynamo John Gray offers comfort and empowering advice on how to overcome loss and gain the confidence to meet new people and engage in new relationships. There is hope. For the millions of newly single people in the UK, Mars and Venus Single Again is like a lifeguard at the dating pool.

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Un libro necesario para quienes, viviendo en pareja o con deseos de hacerlo, quieren dar y obtener lo máximo de su amor.Hombres y mujeres parecen proceder de distintos planetas. Son biológicamente similares, usan las mismas palabras, comparten el mismo espacio geográfico; pero sus códigos de comportamiento, su idioma (lo que quieren expresar con sus palabras), sus valores existenciales... son distintos.Esta obra es tanto una guía para la comprensión de las actitudes y palabras del sexo opuesto como una propuesta para minimizar desde una perspectiva afectivamente positiva las consecuencias de los desencuentros. Un libro, pues, absolutamente necesario para quienes, viviendo en pareja o con deseos de hacerlo, quieren dar y obtener lo máximo de su amor.

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El filósofo John Gray argumenta que las ideas que estructuran y dan sentido a nuestras sociedades ?principalmente la idea de progreso?, en realidad son una continuación de la estructura de pensamiento religioso. Paradójicamente, la puesta en práctica de utopías que producirían una especie de paraíso en la tierra es parcialmente culpable de algunas de las mayores calamidades contemporáneas, como lo demuestra el caos producido en Oriente Medio por invasiones llevadas a cabo con el fin de exportar la democracia. Como resultado, lejos de vivir una época en donde las ideologías ya no determinan nuestra existencia, es posible que, al negar su impacto real, nos encontremos bajo su dominio como nunca antes en la historia de la humanidad.

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