The Alphabet Versus the Goddess

The Conflict Between Word and Image

The Conflict Between Word and Image

By Leonard Shlain

By Leonard Shlain

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Part of Compass

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The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain

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Sep 01, 1999 | 496 Pages

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Sep 01, 1999 | 496 Pages

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    About The Alphabet Versus the Goddess

    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.

    About The Alphabet Versus the Goddess

    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.

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    Table Of Contents

    The Alphabet Versus the Goddess Preface
    Acknowledgments
    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
    Epilogue
    Notes
    Bibliography
    Index

    About Leonard Shlain

    Leonard Shlain is the author of Art & Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time & Light, and The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image. He is the chief of laparoscopic surgery at California Medical Center in… More about Leonard Shlain

    About Leonard Shlain

    Leonard Shlain is the author of Art & Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time & Light, and The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image. He is the chief of laparoscopic surgery at California Medical Center in… More about Leonard Shlain

    Product Details

    Paperback
    Published by Penguin Books
    Sep 01, 1999 | 496 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-7/16 | ISBN 9780140196016

    Ebook
    Published by Penguin Books
    Sep 01, 1999 | 496 Pages | ISBN 9781101573914

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