The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image"Literacy has promoted the subjugation of women by men throughout all but the very recent history of the West," writes Leonard Shlain. "Misogyny and patriarchy rise and fall with the fortunes of the alphabetic written word." That's a pretty audacious claim, one that The Alphabet Versus the Goddess provides extensive historical and cultural correlations to support. Shlain's thesis takes readers from the evolutionary steps that distinguish the human brain from that of the primates to the development of the Internet. The very act of learning written language, he argues, exercises the human brain's left hemisphere--the half that handles linear, abstract thought--and enforces its dominance over the right hemisphere, which thinks holistically and visually. If you accept the idea that linear abstraction is a masculine trait, and that holistic visualization is feminine, the rest of the theory falls into place. The flip side is that as visual orientation returns to prominence within society through film, television, and cyberspace, the status of women increases, soon to return to the equilibrium of the earliest human cultures. Shlain wisely presents this view of history as plausible rather than definite, but whether you agree with his wide-ranging speculations or not, he provides readers eager to "understand it all" with much to consider. |
Contents
IMAGEWORD 1 | 1 |
HUNTERSGATHERERS | 8 |
RIGHT BRAINLEFT BRAIN | 17 |
Copyright | |
30 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image Leonard Shlain Limited preview - 1999 |
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image Leonard Shlain Limited preview - 1999 |
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image Leonard Shlain Limited preview - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
abstract Akhenaton alphabet literacy ancient Asherah became began believed birth Buddha Cadmus called Calvin Catholic century B.C. CHAPTER Chinese Christ Christianity Church civilization communication Confucianism Confucius culture dark death deity Despite Dionysus divine Egypt Egyptian Elaine Pagels Europe faith father female feminine Gnostics Goddess gods Gospels Greek Hebrews historians hominid human hunting Hyksos Ibid iconic images invention Islam Israelites Jesus Jewish Jews killed king language Lao-tzu left brain linear literate living Luther male Marduk masculine misogyny monotheism mortal Moses mother Muslims myth nature Old Testament Orthodox patriarchal patriarchy Paul Paul Johnson pharaoh Pope priests printing press Prophet Protestant Protestant Reformation Reformation religion religious Renaissance right brain right hemisphere rituals role Roman Rome sacred sexual society speech story symbol Taoism television Tiamat tion Western witch witch craze woman women worship writing written word wrote Yahweh young Zeus