John Gray is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including The Silence of Animals, The Immortalization Commission, Black Mass, and Straw Dogs. A regular contributor to The New York Review of Books, he has been a professor of politics at Oxford, a visiting professor at Harvard and Yale, and a professor of European thought at the London School of Economics. He now writes full-ti
"On the face of it, "Feline Philosophy" would seem like a departure
for Gray -- a playful exploration of what cats might have to teach
humans in our never-ending quest to understand ourselves. But the
book, in true Gray fashion, suggests that this very quest may
itself be doomed . . . Gray has always been a shrewd critic, nimbly
dismantling high-minded schemes and their unintended
consequences."
--Jennifer Szalai, New York Times "A short but serious polemic
attacking much of the western tradition of moral thought. It's
worth a read even if -- perhaps especially if -- you hate
cats."
--Robert Armstrong, The Financial Times "Academia puts scholars
through the wringer. Few -- very few, in fact -- come out willing
or even able to express complex ideas in ways appealing to
non-academics. John Gray is one of those rare intellectuals . . .
Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life is broadly
appealing. Even more impressive, it has readers seriously consider
radical ideas . . . Intertwining stories and facts about cats with
philosophy, Gray invites serious reflection without telling readers
how to reason or what to think . . . The real joy of Feline
Philosophy comes from the very experience of reading it. The book
does not attempt to 'prove' anything."
--Paul J. D'Ambrosio, Los Angeles Review of Books "This new account
of what cats can teach us about how to live corresponds closely
with what the philosopher John Gray has been teaching us about how
to live life for the past few decades. Although his previous works
contain occasional hints about what he considers to be the good
life, this is the most direct pounce at the subject. If, like me,
you consider him to be one of the most important thinkers alive,
you will be eager to know what he has to say. . . In our pious age
his attack on the cheap solace of moral convictions is
invigorating."
--James Marriott, The Times "Cat lovers will enjoy the celebration
of feline mythos, from the cat gods of ancient Egypt to purring
contemporary domestics, while hardcore Gray fans will be reassured
by the usual reference to immortality cults, Hobbes, gulags and so
on."
--Charles Arrowsmith, The Washington Post "The intellectual cat's
pyjamas . . . Gray's is the perfect book for the estranging oddness
of the pandemic."
--Tim Adams, The Observer "Engaging, amusing, perceptive and
untimely, in the most admirable Nietzschean sense."
--Mark Rowlands, New Statesman "Curious and exploratory . . . Gray
moves freely among writing modes, including several of the potted
biographies that are common to popular works of philosophy. But he
also tells stories of famous cats, dabbling in evolutionary history
and showing a clear appreciation for his subject. Above all, the
book is an ode to cats, and Gray gives the impression of having
learned from them how to take pleasure where he finds it."
--Kirkus "A wonderful mixture of flippancy and profundity,
astringency and tenderness, wit and lament."
--Jane O'Grady, The Telegraph "Gray offers well-timed scratches at
tender bits of the human psyche and sinks some sharp teeth into a
few of our most cherished self-conceptions."
--Ian Ground, Times Literary Supplement "Silly, playful . . . as
enlightening as it is delightful."
--John Banville, Irish Times "Magnificent."
--Kathryn Hughes, Literary Review
"Gray's work makes a strong case that our species is incorrigibly
irrational, and it raises questions about humanist beliefs that
should be particularly important for those of us on the political
left to consider...Gray pursues the deep interest in the nonhuman
world that makes his critique of humanism so shard in fang and
claw."
--Oliver Hall, Dangerous Minds "For philosophers and philosophical
cat lovers. Lots of endnotes for further discovery."
--Booklist
"The book does not attempt to 'prove' anything. Gray has survived
the wringer and now expertly plays with his philosophical
reflections."
--Paul J. D'Ambrosio, LA Review of Books "The bulk of Gray's
fantastic book does not concern cats . . . Gray focuses on
humanity's insatiable (and predominantly fruitless) attempts at
happiness and our inability to reckon with the illusion of
morality. . . His ten feline commandments are ultimately for
us."
--Derek Beres, Big Think
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