The Soul of the Marionette

The Soul of the Marionette

A Short Enquiry into Human Freedom

Summary

TLS BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2016

'Gray must be one of the best read of contemporary philosophers, trawling insouciantly through high-, middle- and low-brow literature with the sharp-eyed eclecticism of a magpie of genius' John Banville, Guardian

'Like Isaiah Berlin with a thing for sci-fi' Tibor Fischer, Spectator

Everyone thinks they want to be free - or do they? John Gray's thought-stirring new book on freedom draws together insights from Gnosticism, science fiction, ancient sacrifice and the occult to show that freedom is an illusion and that, like fairground puppets, humans dream of escaping the burden of choice altogether.

Reviews

  • A generous and energising tumble of ideas...he is inventive and penetrating
    Galen Strawson, Financial Times

About the author

John Gray

John Gray is a political philosopher, whose books include Seven Types of Atheism, Straw Dogs, Black Mass, The Soul of the Marionette, The Silence of Animals and Feline Philosophy. He now principally writes for the New Statesman.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more