Using clear sight to shed fresh light on belief and unbelief

With great care, John Gray scrapes away the mould of error and illusion that has grown across the surface of the human world

John Gray: the philosopher wants merely to see the world as it is Pic: Getty

Non-fiction: Seven Types of Atheism, By John Gray Allen Lane, €21

There are no gods. There is no such thing as “humanity” – only human beings with disparate beliefs and desires. The soul and its modern analogue, the self, are illusions. There can be no such thing as a universal morality. Human beings are no different from animals. We may never be able to understand the universe in which we live. Science and ...