John Gray: Cats, Humans and the Good Life

Recorded at the British Library on 23 January 2019 to accompany the exhibition Cats on the Page.

What can cats teach us about how to live? And why we should celebrate the solitary hunters among us? The independence of cats is one of the features most admired by those of us who love them. Given their evolutionary history as solitary hunters, it is all the more extraordinary that one particular type of cat – Felis silvestris, a small and sturdy tabby – should have been able to spread worldwide as a result of learning to live with human beings. Philosopher John Gray explores the relationship between humans and cats, the benefits they bring us, their sense of self and capacity for contentment, and the many other fascinating characteristics of this indepedently dependent creature.

The ideas in this talk were further developed in his book Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life published by Allen Lane, October 2020.

John Gray is a political philosopher with interests in analytic philosophy and the history of ideas. He retired in 2008 as School Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His previous books include the highly praised Seven Types of Atheism, Straw Dogs, Black Mass, The Soul of the Marionette and The Silence of Animals. Gray contributes regularly to The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement and the New Statesman, where he is the lead book reviewer. He has kept feline companions for over thirty years.

Photo of John Gray by Justine Stoddart.