We are animals too. Perhaps the most intelligent, almost certainly with the most developed consciousness (a whole 10% of our thought is conscious!), but we're still animals. Deny this at your peril. ( )

I gave it 2 stars because it was so depressing. But I will read it again. ( )

I rarely mark books down - I normally have something I can at least hold onto when I read a book.

However, here we go.

It draws spurious conclusions from poor research that is approached with no academic rigour. There is only one side to Gray's story ("HUMANISM BAD"). It is repeated on almost every second page. It is repeated on almost every second page.

Pessimism is one thing, but this is just bad research, poorly formed arguments and populist meanderings. A whole section is dedicated to belittling 19th Century philosophy, with no heed paid at all to 20th Century philosophy, as if it had never happened. You can learn nothing from this book that you can't learn from a half-hour Wikipedia hole, and you might learn a whole lot more there.

If you want to learn about human-ness, nature and technology read other theorists (I recommend Bernard Stiegler). Absolutely give this one a miss. ( )

Gray's book - like much of his work - is an attack upon religion, especially the monotheistic, Judaeo-Christian variety. He sees this as influencing the secular humanist beliefs in the fundamental goodness of human nature, and the possibility of social progress - both of which Gray rejects, arguing that that a distorted understanding of Darwinism is responsible. However, he argues, if we read Darwin correctly, then humans are merely animals, driven by irrational instincts, and therefore destined never to improve or escape these dictates. He also points out that Darwinian evolution has no end or purpose - another humanist misreading - and therefore that humanity cannot be seen as its highest expression. As such, he sees even Nietzsche as caught up in an alternative expression of the humanist spell. It is the tragic expression of these two mistakes that Gray traces in this and other books.

In contrast, Gray champions the pessimistic nihilism of Schopenhauer and looks similarly to Buddhism to relieve us of the necessary suffering implied in all existence. I'm not sure this really provides much solace, and we might also question the basis of Gray's assertions - his determinism, his reductive materialism, his pessimistic nihilism - which as Nietzsche himself pointed out, are no less value-driven conclusions.

That said, I do like his work. Like Nietzsche, even where you don't agree with him, his viewpoint provides a useful tool from which to dissect the inbuilt assumptions of and prejudices that drive the scientific humanism that still largely dominates the modern Western worldview.

Gareth Southwell is a philosopher, writer and illustrator.

From the premise that humans are not a special case, and rather just another species of animal that has evolved on Earth, Gray proceeds to tear down much of contemporary Western society.

The prose was easy to read, and despite the gloomy tone, the book was enjoyable. Each section was a short thought, building up to an overall picture of a human species that is unremarkable, and yet full of a fantastic conceit as to its place in the cosmos, and its destiny to greatness. This culture is apparent in the Christian faith, and its atheist successor humanism.

Christian and Humanist modes of thought are foundations of western culture, and the tendrils of this line of reasoning can be found in the big ideas of church and state, and right down to our own desire and motivation to find our personal calling.

The book doesn't offer any solutions to this situation. Rather, I get the feeling Gray has pulled the curtains back on the elaborate theatre of modern society, but leaves us to decide if we'll continue to play our assigned role.

( )