Our epitaph

[dreamer_easy]

"That book [Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals] aimed its fire particularly at the prevailing belief of our time: that of the inevitably steady forward progress of humankind brought about by liberal democracy. When the book came out, as George W Bush was demanding 'regime change' in Iraq, it struck a particular nerve. In the two decades since, its argument that the advance of rational enlightened thought might not offer any kind of lasting protection against baser tribal instincts or environmental destruction or human folly has felt like prophecy."
-- John Gray: 'What can we learn from cats? Don't live in an imagined future'

(I guess this is what the Dadaists understood about culture.)

ETA: lol, the next sentence of the interview is "Gray never bought the idea that his book was a handbook for despair."

Comments

[outsdr]

Even in the darkest times, I will always firmly believe in the innate goodness of the human race, and that there is more than enough compassion to go around.

[dreamer_easy]

Yer a Buddhist, Harry!