Shlain, Leonard
The alphabet versus the goddess : the conflict between word and image / Leonard Shlain - xiv, 464 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 445-453) and index
1. Image/Word -- 2. Hunters/Gatherers -- 3. Right Brain/Left Brain -- 4. Males: Death/Females: Life -- 5. Nonverbal/Verbal -- 6. Cuneiform/Marduk -- 7. Hieroglyphs/Isis -- 8. Aleph/Bet -- 9. Hebrews/Israelites -- 10. Abraham/Moses -- 11. Thera/Matzah -- 12. Adam/Eve -- 13. Cadmus/Alpha -- 14. Sappho/Ganymede -- 15. Dionysus/Apollo -- 16. Athens/Sparta -- 17. Lingam/Yoni -- 18. Birth/Death -- 19. Yin/Yang -- 20. Taoism/Confucianism -- 21. B.C./A.D. -- 22. Jesus/Christ -- 23. Death/Rebirth -- 24. Patriarchs/Heretics -- 25. Reason/Madness -- 26. Illiteracy/Celibacy, 500-1000 -- 27. Muslin Veils/Muslim Words -- 28. Mystic/Scholastic, 1000-1300 -- 29. Humanist/Egoist, 1300-1500 -- 30. Protestant/Catholic -- 31. Faith/Hate -- 32. Sorcery/Science -- 33. Positive/Negative, 1648-1899 -- 34. ID/Superego, 1900-1945 -- 35. Page/Screen, 1945-2000
This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought about profound changes in history, religion, and gender relations. Making remarkable connections across brain function, myth, and anthropology, Dr. Shlain shows why pre-literate cultures were principally informed by holistic, right-brain modes that venerated the Goddess, images, and feminine values. Writing drove cultures toward linear left-brain thinking and this shift upset the balance between men and women, initiating the decline of the feminine and ushering in patriarchal rule. Examining the cultures of the Israelites, Greeks, Christians, and Muslims, Shlain reinterprets ancient myths and parables in light of his theory. Provocative and inspiring, this book is a paradigm-shattering work that will transform your view of history and the mind.
0670878839 0140196013 9780140196016
Written communication--Social aspects
Literacy--Social aspects
Alphabet--History
Language and culture
Patriarchy
Misogyny
History.
P211.7 / .S57 1998
302.2244 SH.A 1999 / 01540
The alphabet versus the goddess : the conflict between word and image / Leonard Shlain - xiv, 464 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 445-453) and index
1. Image/Word -- 2. Hunters/Gatherers -- 3. Right Brain/Left Brain -- 4. Males: Death/Females: Life -- 5. Nonverbal/Verbal -- 6. Cuneiform/Marduk -- 7. Hieroglyphs/Isis -- 8. Aleph/Bet -- 9. Hebrews/Israelites -- 10. Abraham/Moses -- 11. Thera/Matzah -- 12. Adam/Eve -- 13. Cadmus/Alpha -- 14. Sappho/Ganymede -- 15. Dionysus/Apollo -- 16. Athens/Sparta -- 17. Lingam/Yoni -- 18. Birth/Death -- 19. Yin/Yang -- 20. Taoism/Confucianism -- 21. B.C./A.D. -- 22. Jesus/Christ -- 23. Death/Rebirth -- 24. Patriarchs/Heretics -- 25. Reason/Madness -- 26. Illiteracy/Celibacy, 500-1000 -- 27. Muslin Veils/Muslim Words -- 28. Mystic/Scholastic, 1000-1300 -- 29. Humanist/Egoist, 1300-1500 -- 30. Protestant/Catholic -- 31. Faith/Hate -- 32. Sorcery/Science -- 33. Positive/Negative, 1648-1899 -- 34. ID/Superego, 1900-1945 -- 35. Page/Screen, 1945-2000
This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought about profound changes in history, religion, and gender relations. Making remarkable connections across brain function, myth, and anthropology, Dr. Shlain shows why pre-literate cultures were principally informed by holistic, right-brain modes that venerated the Goddess, images, and feminine values. Writing drove cultures toward linear left-brain thinking and this shift upset the balance between men and women, initiating the decline of the feminine and ushering in patriarchal rule. Examining the cultures of the Israelites, Greeks, Christians, and Muslims, Shlain reinterprets ancient myths and parables in light of his theory. Provocative and inspiring, this book is a paradigm-shattering work that will transform your view of history and the mind.
0670878839 0140196013 9780140196016
Written communication--Social aspects
Literacy--Social aspects
Alphabet--History
Language and culture
Patriarchy
Misogyny
History.
P211.7 / .S57 1998
302.2244 SH.A 1999 / 01540