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A review by savaging
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
2.0
This book aims to critique Western culture but wholly adopts some of its worst features while making the argument. Like:
-The belief that a Great Man with a Great Idea is what creates change. (just get everyone to read Daniel Quinn and we'll save the earth)
-The belief that detached logical analysis, without the messiness of heartfelt connection to other beings, holds Truth.
-The belief that education means a Teacher asking a question with One Right Answer, then scolding and punishing the pupil until they guess right.
But then again, this book actually holds true to the Socratic heritage. I mean have you ever actually read the Socratic dialogues? They're painful and maddening and dull. Rather than two people delving into questions together to figure out something that could be true, it's Socrates again and again pwning others by tying them in mental knots until they humbly agree with all of his ideas.
And all of this makes me mad like this because I think the questions this book addresses are so important. We need brave, hard conversations about the earth's carrying capacity and human population growth. Like, I want to believe that we can fix it by ending capitalism and inequality, but is that entirely true? What kind of culture would we need to not kill off every ecosystem, and how could we feasibly get from here to there?
But this book presents a vision, with bored arrogance, where the answer seems to be: cut all food aid, control populations through starvation, murder any outsider who invades your territory, make sure there are more men than women. Only idiots (who have forgotten their 'brainy pill' today) could seriously question these conclusions, says Socrates-in-a-gorilla-suit.
Just because I don't like these conclusions doesn't mean they're not true. It's just that Quinn gives me no reason to trust him or his methods. Even if he pretends to be a telepathic gorilla.
-The belief that a Great Man with a Great Idea is what creates change. (just get everyone to read Daniel Quinn and we'll save the earth)
-The belief that detached logical analysis, without the messiness of heartfelt connection to other beings, holds Truth.
-The belief that education means a Teacher asking a question with One Right Answer, then scolding and punishing the pupil until they guess right.
But then again, this book actually holds true to the Socratic heritage. I mean have you ever actually read the Socratic dialogues? They're painful and maddening and dull. Rather than two people delving into questions together to figure out something that could be true, it's Socrates again and again pwning others by tying them in mental knots until they humbly agree with all of his ideas.
And all of this makes me mad like this because I think the questions this book addresses are so important. We need brave, hard conversations about the earth's carrying capacity and human population growth. Like, I want to believe that we can fix it by ending capitalism and inequality, but is that entirely true? What kind of culture would we need to not kill off every ecosystem, and how could we feasibly get from here to there?
But this book presents a vision, with bored arrogance, where the answer seems to be: cut all food aid, control populations through starvation, murder any outsider who invades your territory, make sure there are more men than women. Only idiots (who have forgotten their 'brainy pill' today) could seriously question these conclusions, says Socrates-in-a-gorilla-suit.
Just because I don't like these conclusions doesn't mean they're not true. It's just that Quinn gives me no reason to trust him or his methods. Even if he pretends to be a telepathic gorilla.