I'm a Believer
Written: Feb 02 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast reading, very insightful
Cons: a little slow to understand
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| Braveheart's Full Review: Daniel Quinn - Ishmael |
Like many others who've read this book it took me a little while to really understand what the author was trying to get across. It was almost like I knew what he was saying but I wasn't sure if he could be serious. Also unlike many others I have had similar ideas (although not to the extent Quinn has).
I have long been interested in the phenomenon of global overpopulation but it never really occurred to me how we (humans) had actually gotten ourselves into this dilemma. Daniel Quinn I believe has hit the nail on the head with his approach to teaching people about the harmful effects of our civilizations. He has broken the world up into two simple groups, the "takers" and the "leavers." The leavers are the people who live off the earth and never take more than they need--like the Native American Indians. The takers are the civilized people who overproduce and hunt more than they need to just to build up a surplus--like all modern civilizations. It's this surplus which feeds (in excess) generation after generation so the population continues to grow exponentially. The leaver peoples have little or no population growth because they take only what they need.
This concept may be hard to accept for those who believe in life at all costs but Quinn suggests they take another look at their beliefs and where they come from. Humans are animals, and even though we may be the smartest and most powerful of animals we are not smart enough to prevent our own destruction.
Ishmael is a book that I believe belongs in the same category as the Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad-Gita, and other "ways of living" books. Ishmael presents a way to live, not simply an enjoyable book of fiction.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Braveheart
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 1 member
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