The alphabet versus the goddess

Description

Making remarkable connections across a wide range of subjects including brain anatomy and function, anthropology, history, and religion, Shlain argues that, with the advent of literacy, the very act of reading an alphabet reinforced the brain's left hemisphere - linear, abstract, predominantly masculine at the expense of the right holistic, concrete, visual, feminine. This shift upset the balance between men and women, and initiated the disappearance of goddesses, the abhorrence of images, the decline of women's social and political status, and a long reign of patriarchy and misogyny. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess tracks the correlations between the rise and fall of literacy and the changing status of women in society, mythology, and religion throughout European history, and in other cultures as well. Shlain goes on to describe a colossal shift he calls the iconic revolution, now under way, that began in the nineteenth century: the return of the image. The invention of photography and the discovery of electromagnetism have brought us film, television, video, computers, advertising, graphics - and a shift from the dominance of the left hemisphere to reassertion of the right. Image information has gradually been superseding print information, and in the resulting social revolution women have benefited as society shifts to embrace feminine values.

First Sentence

Of all the sacred cows allowed to roam unimpeded in our culture, few are as revered as literacy.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The alphabet versus the goddess: the conflict between word and imagePenguin/Compass1999-01-01
• The alphabet versus the goddessViking1998-01-01
• The alphabet versus the goddessAllen Lane1999-01-01
• The Alphabet Versus the GoddessPenguin (Non-Classics)1999-09-01
• The Alphabet Versus the GoddessPaperbackPenguin (Non-Classics)1999-09-01
• The Alphabet Versus the GoddessPaperbackPenguin Books Ltd2000-04-27