In the best selling book, The Alphabet Versus The
Goddess, Leonard Shlain proposes that the invention
of writing, particularly alphabetic writing, rewired
the brains of the people who learned how to communicate
using this culture-changing tool. Great benefits to
society followed. However, a precipitous decline in
feminine values manifested by women's status, goddess
veneration, nature, and representative art occurred
in tandem. For example, the European witch hunts followed
closely in the heels of the printing press. The return
of the image in the modern age through the medium
of photography, film, television, and the internet
have brought about a sharp rise in the values denigrated
during the 5000 year reign of patriarchy and literacy.
(From
the website http://www.alphabetvsgoddess.com/ )
Hear Dr. Leonard Shlain speak! Read the book! Come
and join us in the discussions (and get flex credit
for doing so)!
