Anarchy or Authoritarianism: Which is Worse? - John Gray December 31, 2008

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/05/24/John_Gray_in_Conversation

British philosopher John Gray argues that authoritarian dictatorships may in some cases be better for society than no government at all. As an example, Gray states that life for most Iraqis may have been better under Saddam Hussein than in the "mixture of anarchy and theocracy" that followed his downfall.

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Celebrated philosopher and critic John Gray is one of Britain's great thinkers. His books include Straw Dogs, Al-Qaeda and What It Means To Be Modern, and Heresies.

His new book is Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia, a powerful and frightening argument about how apocalyptic religion has returned as a major force in global conflict. He speaks with Alan Saunders - Sydney Writers' Festival

John N. Gray is a prominent British political philosopher and author, formerly School Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics.Gray contributes regularly to The Guardian, New Statesman, and The Times Literary Supplement, and has written several influential books on political theory, including Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals, an attack on humanism, a worldview which he sees as originating in religious ideologies.