A Point of View

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A Point of View: The Usefulness of Pessimism

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The Usefulness of Pessimism

BBC Radio 4 - A Point of View, The Usefulness of Pessimism

John Gray argues that pessimism can be a force for change.

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

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