The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain

The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain

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Summary

A thesis which claims that the invention of the alphabet and the process of reading resulted in the immediate decline in the status of women and the rise of monolithic masculine cultures. The analysis centres on the idea that literacy develops the left hand side of the brain at the expense of the right.

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The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain

This text proposes that the invention of the alphabet and the process of reading itself fundamentally rewired the human brain, with profound consequences for culture, history and religion. It claims that the result was an immediate decline in the status of women and the rise of monolithic masculine cultures. Making connections across subjects including brain anatomy and function, anthropology, history and religion, the author argues that the very act of reading reinforced the brain's left hemisphere at the expense of the holistic, concrete, feminine right. The balance between men and women shifted, initiating the decline in women's social and political status.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780713992977
ISBN 10 0713992972
Title The Alphabet Versus the Goddess
Author Leonard Shlain
Series Allen Lane History S
Condition Unavailable
Publisher Penguin Putnam~Trade
Year published 1999-04-29
Number of pages 480
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.