Main content

The Usefulness of Pessimism

John Gray on why regular fits of collective insanity are part of what it means to be human.

John Gray argues that the power of the imagination fuels the worst kind of politics.

'Nobody', he argues, 'is in overall charge of events. There are patterns in history, but particular human events are mostly random. We prefer an illusion of order to the brute fact of chaos.'

But, he says, pessimism may be the key to changing our fate.

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Sun 10 Dec 2023 08:48

Broadcasts

  • Fri 8 Dec 2023 20:50
  • Sun 10 Dec 2023 08:48

Podcast