John Gray is that very rare breed: a celebrated political philosopher and historian of ideas. From False Dawn, Straw Dogs, Black Mass and now The Soul of the Marionette, he has consistently and eloquently questioned received wisdom and consensus about the political and social values underpinning daily life.
In The Soul of the Marionette, he brings together the religious, philosophic and fantastical traditions that question the very idea of human freedom. He argues that we flatter ourselves about the nature of freedom of choice and yet the most enormous forces – biological, physical, metaphysical – constrain our every action.
Do we have any say in how we’re governed and live or are we just marionettes?