The book deals with the invention ofwriting and its effect on religious culture. The alphabet versus the goddess quotes by leonard shlain. Review of the alphabet versus the goddess metanexus. Think tank article on longrunning debate over functions of left and right sides of brain. He spends 400 pages of the current book, the alphabet vs. Leonard shlain was a bestselling author, inventor and surgeon. At least, how i see it the alphabet versus the goddess is not an argument against literacy or writing. For california surgeoncumscientificstoryteller shlain art and physics, 1991, human history to date amounts to the tale of how a masculine, verbal mode of thinking, the linear, sequential, reductionist, and. The premise of this book is pretty straight forward.
It is a fascinating and beautifully written book, encompassing history, science, and religion studies. The first two reject of any goddess influence and ban any form of representative art. The first book written in an alphabet was the old testament and its most important passage was the ten commandments. At last, leonard shlains bestselling book, the alphabet vs the goddess is available as an audiobook. Shlains alphabet versus goddess lecture an hour and fifteen minutes. A fabulous book to pore over with a couple of kids. I dont personally agree with a lot of shlains values they point out masculine, christian europe as the cause of all the evil in the world and his view on religon implicit dislike of christianity as intolerant, but this book.
This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of. Id like to clear up some confusion and misconceptions about the book, however. This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought about profound changes in history, religion. Leonard shlain suggests exactly that in the alphabet vs. Alphabet vs the goddess notes global arts collective. The alphabet versus the goddess quotes showing 114 of 14 a medium of communication is not merely a passive conduit for the transmission of information but rather an active force in creating new social patterns and new perceptual realities. Presented at the distinguished lecture series pepperdine university malibu, california november, 2006. How the alphabet may have destroyed goddesses howstuffworks. The conflict between word and image compass book online at best prices in india on. The alphabet book on my current wishlist is if rocks could sing by leslie mcguirk. The conflict between word and image compass by shlain, leonard isbn. The conflict between word and image is a work of critical theory by american surgeon leonard shlain, published by viking press in 1998. Shlain argues that learning written language, especially alphabetic language, alters human brain function in a way that emphasizes linear thinking over holistic thinking.
For california surgeoncumscientificstoryteller shlain art and physics, 1991, human history to date amounts to the tale of how a masculine, verbal mode of thinking, the linear, sequential, reductionist, and abstract mode. 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. Admired among artists, scientists, philosophers, anthropologists and educators, leonard shlain authored three bestselling books. He delivered stunning visual presentations based upon his books in venues around the world. He delivered stunning visual presentations based upon his books in venues around the world including harvard, the new. Leonard shlain father of tiffany shlain quite the visionary and definitely worth a listen. The alphabet and the goddess, part 1 podcast episode. Mcluhan classified speech, pictographs, ideographs, alphabets, print, radio, film, and television as distinctive informationconveying media. Shlain begins with preliterate societies, showing us what life was like before alphabet literacy, and, coincidentally or not, before the demise of goddess religions, the demotion of images, and. Leonard shlain 19372009, san francisco surgeon and professor of medicine specialising in bloodflow to the brain, and bestselling author. Thats a pretty audacious claim, one that the alphabet versus the goddess provides extensive historical and cultural correlations to support. The alphabet vs the goddess global arts collective. How the invention of the alphabet usurped female power in.
Sep 11, 1999 think tank article on longrunning debate over functions of left and right sides of brain. The conflict between word and image is a work of critical. I was fortunate to be gifted with this book by the manager of borders bookstore in san jose. Leonard shlain has an idee fixe or in more colloquial and colourful terms, a bee in his bonnet. The alphabet versus the goddess by leonard shlain 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. The book that you are reading gives a number of bible verses for you to hide in your heart. The alphabet versus the goddess is a fascinating read in its entirety, certain to pull into question a great many of our cultural assumptions and perceived givens. Making remarkable connections across brain function, myth, and anthropology,dr. The love of mary, chivalry, and courtly love arose during the illiterate dark ages and plummeted after the invention of the printing press in. It sounds a lot like the white goddess, a book which tells us a lot about the inside of robert gravess head but nothing at all about anything that ever really happened.
Critical appraisal of the book of abraham wikipedia. The conflict between word and image by leonard shlain 1998 vikingpenguin 432 pages of all the sacred cows allowed to roam unimpeded in our culture, few are as revered as literacy. Takeaways from the alphabet versus the goddess by leonard shlain. Shlain shows why preliterate cultures were principally informed by holistic, right. Its benefits have been so incontestable that in the five millennia since the advent of the written word numerous poets and writers have. This book proves the hurt from singling out one side vs another side. Shlain argues that learning written language, especially alphabetic language, alters human brain function in a way that emphasizes linear thinking over holistic th. Goddess harshly rejected from israelite belief system. In the alphabet versus the goddess, leonard shlain proposes that alphabetic literacy is the direct cause of many of the worlds ills, and sets out to prove it.
Images of any kind proscribed in first culture to worship written words. The conflict between word and image by american surgeon, author and inventor leonard shlain 19372009. I really liked this book for the way it forced me to look at things in a completely new way, but i should mention that shlain sometimes attributes cause and effect to two events without showing how he arrived at that conclusion. In this episode of stuff to blow your mind, robert lamb and joe mccormick explore leonard shlains hypothesis from his 1998 book the alphabet versus the goddess, in which the author argues that the brainaltering power of written language unbalanced human civilization in favor of misogyny, tyranny and the worship of abstract. The alphabet versus the goddess goes into all sorts of metaphysical commentary on an endless variety of subjects. In a class with sjoo and moore, eisler, and merlin stone, the alphabet vs. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Joe mccormick and i explored the topic in a pair of stuff to blow your mind episodes and, while the hypothesis might not win you over, it will certainly make you. The alphabet versus the goddess nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse. The author has found rocks in the shapes of the alphabet letters as well as items representing those letters. Every so often i read a book that makes me groan, wishing that id seen the connection first, that i were a writer, that id written this book. Thats the central argument in the 1998 book the alphabet versus the goddess. The alphabet vs the goddess the conflict between word and image 1998 dr. Nov 01, 2012 admired among artists, scientists, philosophers, anthropologists and educators, leonard shlain authored three bestselling books.
May 25, 2018 thats the central argument in the 1998 book the alphabet versus the goddess. According to smith, the book comprised ancient records. The letter q isnt traditionally used for transliterating the greek alphabet to the latin alphabet. I am both an artist and a voracious reader and so expected to have strong sympathies on both sides of shlains argument. After being on the national best seller list, penguin distributed his book internationally in. Today goddess misinformation has entered the curriculum in far more places than most people realize. Shlain shows why preliterate cultures were principally informed by holistic, rightbrain modes that venerated the. Admired among artists, scientists, philosophers, anthropologists and educators, shlain authored three bestselling books.
This correlation found in the egyptian alphabet and grammar between abraham 1. This article about an anthropologyrelated book is a stub. Nov 21, 2016 i really liked this book for the way it forced me to look at things in a completely new way, but i should mention that shlain sometimes attributes cause and effect to two events without showing how he arrived at that conclusion. The conflict between word and image was published by viking in hardcover in 1998 and met with critical acclaim. Because the bible is important for the life of your soul, and because each bible verse in this devotional book begins with a different letter of the alphabet, we call this book gods alphabet for life. Surgeonturnedhistorian leonard shlains argument is thus. Sep 01, 1998 the premise of this book is pretty straight forward. This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought. Continually engaging, although on the whole quite woolly, this monumentally ambitious tome treats all history as one great struggle between the verbal and the visual.
The book of abraham is an 1835 work produced by latter day saints lds movement founder joseph smith that he claimed were translated from egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition. Kalilil gibran said read a womans mouth, instead of her words. With these values for keys, the alphabet versus the goddess aligns major human endeavors and movements with either the left brain or the right brain. The alphabet versus the goddess by leonard shlain about the book 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. He is the chief of laparoscopic surgery at california medical center in san francisco. Shlains thesis takes readers from the evolutionary steps that distinguish the human brain from that of the primates to the development of the internet. This book offers a comprehensive yet provocative answer literacy is to blame.
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