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Every book John Gray recommended on podcasts
John Gray appears on Conversations with Tyler as a thinker and writer deeply engaged in philosophical pessimism, political economy, religion, and the history of ideas. Across his podcast appearances, he reflects on foundational texts that shape human understanding and criticizes or analyzes major intellectual traditions. Gray recommends several key works to form an ideal educational curriculum, including the Bhagavad Gita from Eastern traditions, Taoist foundational texts like Zhuangzi and Laozi, and Herman Melville's novel The Confidence Man. He discusses the Bible as a central text for understanding the human situation, specifically highlighting the Book of Genesis and the Book of Job as essential documents of skepticism and early narrative depth. Furthermore, Gray reflects on his long-term reading preferences and intellectual influences, mentioning Marcel Proust's multi-volume Remembrance of Things Past as the only exceptionally long book he genuinely enjoys. He also discusses Herman Melville's Moby-Dick and notes R. G. Collingwood's The New Leviathan as a vital early influence that contributed to the development of his own philosophical thoughts over decades. Through these references, Gray demonstrates a vast intellectual scope that spans ancient religious texts, classic philosophical inquiries, and sprawling nineteenth-century literature.
Books recommended by John Gray
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The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is an ancient religious and philosophical text offering profound guidance on duty, action, and the nature of existence.
Recommended“So I would pick great points in our tradition and also other traditions, the Bhagavad Gita, Taoist works like Zhuangzi and Laozi, and I would give them a whole range of those.”
Where to get it
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The Confidence Man
Herman Melville's final novel The Confidence Man is a darkly satirical and deeply philosophical work set aboard a Mississippi River steamboat on April Fool's Day, examining human gullibility, trust, and deception.
Recommended“Uh The Confidence Man is a great book for example.”
Where to get it
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MOBY-DICK; or, THE WHALE
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville is a classic American novel detailing Captain Ahab's obsessive quest for revenge against the giant white sperm whale.
Discussed“How so? about I don't know about influence because I'm not a novelist but I it's one of the books I Moby Dick.”
Where to get it
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Principles of Political Economy
Discussed“In other words, I'm not talking about the famous population conclusion in him whereby if you have a vast world and everybody's lives are barely worth living in you add up the utility, it could be better than a smaller world with many fewer human beings whose lives were much higher.”
Where to get it
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Remembrance of Things Past
Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust is a monumental multi-volume modernist novel that explores themes of memory, time, and involuntary recollection sparked by sensory experiences like taste and smell.
Discussed“The only very long book I like which is um Proust's Remembrance of Things Past.”
Where to get it
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The book of Genesis
Discussed“The whole of the Bible, one of the key texts for me is the Book of Genesis, two books, the Book of Genesis and the Book of Job.”
Where to get it
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The Book of Job
The Book of Job by Richard Green Moulton is a profound literary interpretation and presentation of a foundational biblical text exploring the heavy themes of human suffering and divine justification.
Discussed“The whole of the Bible, one of the key texts for me is the Book of Genesis, two books, the Book of Genesis and the Book of Job.”
Where to get it
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The new Leviathan
Discussed“And he he was the one person who introduced me to R.G. Collingwood's book The New Leviathan, singular, uh on which I wouldn't say this book is based, it's quite different in every respect, but it gave me the thoughts that 60 years later then found fruition or in the in this book of mine.”
Where to get it
Books John Gray wrote
- Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus
- False Dawn
- The Boy Crisis
- Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Gray on Pessimism, Liberalism, and Theism | Conversations with Tyler | 2023-11-29 | 8 |