The book of the month: Straw Dogs
John Gray's book is not an easy one. Or better, the prose is fairly straight forward and unassuming but contents are quite harsh and often, a little bit too negative for anyone to enjoy. For what matters, I did enjoy it. But that perhaps is because I am free of religious beliefs and prejudices and have no problems in contemplating the idea that maybe, after all, we are limited and meaningless creatures.
Gray's bottom line is: humans are like any other animal on this planet. They spend their lives searching for food, looking for a partner and fighting for their own territory. There is nothing philosophical about us – what is this book about then?
The ideas that Grey puts forward are very challenging in their total nihilism. Having said so, Gray's pessimism, in places, is lugubriously laughable as he fails to acknowledge any human value and ultimately, refuses point blank to see any motivation for getting out of bed.
Read it. But remember, it takes an open minded person to appreciate the ground Gray adventures in. Whether you agree with him or not, that is another matter altogether.
Gray's bottom line is: humans are like any other animal on this planet. They spend their lives searching for food, looking for a partner and fighting for their own territory. There is nothing philosophical about us – what is this book about then?
The ideas that Grey puts forward are very challenging in their total nihilism. Having said so, Gray's pessimism, in places, is lugubriously laughable as he fails to acknowledge any human value and ultimately, refuses point blank to see any motivation for getting out of bed.
Read it. But remember, it takes an open minded person to appreciate the ground Gray adventures in. Whether you agree with him or not, that is another matter altogether.
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