Customer Reviews

Invisible Walls: Why We Ignore the Damage We Inflict on the Planet . . . and Ourselves

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Five hundred years from now this book will be revered as one of the most important publications of our time. Or it will be discovered by an advanced faraway civilization that will read it and come to the conclusion that it was truly a pity that our unique civilization didn't survive; especially since a man (Peter Seidel) had modestly offered solutions for some of our most pressing problems and was, unfortunately, ignored. By no means are the solutions offered modest. But the gargantuan effort on the part of a modest man demands to be acknowledged by a greatful public. In no other work of its kind does an author attempt, as Seidel does, to integrate important information from a variety of fields and cogently present them to his reading public with such clarity and vision. This is not an easy book to read. I don't mean that the writing is terribly turgid or dull. On the contrary, except in the beginning where the author feels his way into an acceptable style of expression, this book is written for the lay person. Every word and combinations of words, every sentence and combinatioins of sentences are very easy to read. The meaning of those sentences, however, is not always easy to digest. The problem is that Seidel poses some formidable moral dilemas regarding humankind's stewardship of this planet. It is in that sense an uncomfortable book. And probably the reason why it won't be a best seller and will eventually be discovered by that faraway advanced civilization mentioned above. As a filmmaker/teacher I am expecially interested in Seidel's critique of the media in modern society and the role the media plays in perpetuating behavior on the part of the public which renders them inactive, comatose, lobotomized and generally incapable of dealing with important issues -- like the survival of the species and planet. We all want to be entertained and therein lies the crux of the issue. We all feel a little numb, a little dull as vast institutions and agencies move toward us with seemingly benign intentions. It's just that we all feel a little duller, a little less human. And most importantly, we are all rendered less capable of powerful emotions such as moral indignation at acts of injustice, greed and selfdestruction. Although much in the book gives us cause to be depressed, it is surprisingly a very hopeful book. It offers suggestions and courses of action to turn things around. It appeals to the best in us, to the highest aspirations that humans have and the author is modest and humble in suggesting solutions. Seidel is no "expert" . He is rather someone who cares. And if you care, you should order ten copies and pass them out to schools, libraries, friends and strangers. That's what I'm doing.

The book has pointed out some problems which definitely will affect our future on the poor Earth. Chinese people should pay more attention on those problems, because overpopulation and overusing resources would ruin our homeland and slow down economic development. I appreciate the book that can help more people to realize the severity of those difficulties,and encourage people to struggle with those ugly things in the world.

Peter Seidel's refreshing thinking on the human-environment relationships makes the 'invisible walls' that block up our way to a sustainable world visible. These 'walls' are the limits of our brain in learning the environment, the ways we have conventionally thought about and treated the nature, and the structures in which our societies have been organized. In addition to warning us the existance and the threats of the 'walls', Seidel offers us solutions to overcome the 'walls' emphasizing the importance of the responsible actions of individuals, social groups, and governments. The Invisible Walls is an excellent book with full of insights. I highly recommend it. The book should also be made available in other languages, given the global scope of the issue discussed.

Peter Seidel has distilled down incredibly complex environmental and political problems into a concise, masterful work in Invisible Walls. This book analyzes the political, socioeconomic and PSYCHOLOGICAL context in which the fast pace of environmental change is now occuring. Seidel faces the problems head on and tackles them in a novel way with vigor and sophistication. It makes you, as the reader, reflect on the very grounds for your attitudes towards the world that are so easily taken for granted and rarely self-assessed. This is no alarmist book. Yes, it points out many challenges and warning signs and problems in the world today. But we MUST grapple with the problems. Best of all, Seidel offers SOLUTIONS. This is most refreshing! It lifts us from a despair about the environment and the world and motivates us to take whatever steps we are each in our own way empowered to take. I agree with Seidel in the need for civic responsibility and political activism. As an environmental lawyer and biologist in my 20s, I plan on spreading the word about this book to all my friends. The narrative, first-person style makes Invisible Walls easy to read and I highly recommend it. It'll make you see the world anew.

Every educated responsible citizen of this planet should be aware of the material discussed in this book. It should be required reading for college students.

"Invisible Walls" is a plea for humanity to do a better job at taking care of our world--before it decides to "take care" of us. Seidel is an architect and city planner by training, but clearly a man of wide-ranging interests. This book deserves far more attention than it has received. The points Seidel covers are so important, yet even many environmentalists are unaware of them. I really enjoyed the discussion of the hidden subsidies in gasoline, and the cult of economic growth. I also thought the discussion of the need for broader perspectives and less preaching to the converted was very good. Some great quotes from the book:

". . . if nature is harmed, in time people will suffer."
"An important task for our thinkers, professionals, and other motivated individuals should be to challenge muddled thinking. The proponents of harmful thoughts should be asked difficult questions and be forced to defend their positions."
"The papacy and others who oppose artificial birth control should be asked to explain what should be done when human numbers increase to a point where there is no possible way to prevent mass starvation."

On occasion Seidel seems to get confused between what's necessary to stop the downhill slide of environmental degradation, and the goals of traditional liberalism. He is hardly alone in this. (Take the Sierra Club's recent refusal to take a stand on the question of immigration.) For example, Seidel complains about violence on TV; but there simply isn't any strong evidence that TV violence leads to real violence. Japan watches a lot of violent TV, but has a society with far less real violence than the U.S. does. Seidel also assumes Social Security is a great program. I disagree.

Some of Seidel's suggestions are a bit too vague to be useful, such as suggesting that government must be structured to protect our future. True, but that won't take us very far. In my opinion, what is needed today is more research on how to teach environmentalism to people effectively. It has become abundantly clear in recent years that without solid public support, environmentalism cannot make progress. Religions do scientific research on the best way to convert people to their ideas (I know this as a former missionary). Environmentalists need to do the same, and stop assuming that just being right will win out in the end.

Ecological economics is my own area of research. I think Seidel doesn't say enough on the need to reform the economics profession. Conventional economists have gotten away for far too long with absurd and destructive policy recommendations, together with widespread use of misleading statistics such as the GDP.

"Invisible Walls, by Peter Seidel, is not just another book describing problems. Instead, it gets down to the basic reasons why we do such a poor job of resolving them and are caught where we are. The reasons given apply to a broad range of problems such as, protecting the environment, maintaining peace, improving education, balancing the national budget, and even personal ones. I have never come across a broad discussion like this before. "Invisable Walls" tells us much about ourselves, the world we live in, and how we interact with other people. Besides learning a lot, I enjoyed reading this book immensely!

This is an important book! It should be required reading for every college student. I recommend it to everyone who lives on this planet.

Peter Seidel should be commended for his thorough and well-documented study of humanity's INVISIBLE WALLS. He brings to the forefront the ways the culture, its institutions, and our own thoughts and behaviors generate the problems that surround us. To know what the barriers are is to empower us to act to overcome them. It is only by studying and acknowledging "what is," that we will be able to imagine and work effectively towards "what could be." Seidel's solutions are the first steps in assisting readers to tackle their own proposals for remedies to the world's pressing environmental concerns.

Peter Seidel, an architect by profession writes about the global problems we face now and how inadequate our politics, psychology, and management of the crisis is. He writes in detail the limitations as humans to face the ecological problems we have created. It is an excellent book and it can be a primer for people concerned about global problems that have their root in the activities of every one of us.
The danger of perpetual growth syndrome, over population, sprawling cities, global warming, misuse of democracy, manipulation of minds by advertising, ills of materialism and consumerism are the main subject matter. Another important discussion in the book is how non sense and temporary solutions are adopted instead of long term solutions for permanent change and also how as citizens we can be manipulated and our priorities are changed by constant advertisement of consumerism is explained in detail. As concerned citizens we have to keep ourself aware of politics without which the face of democracy will change completely unless protected
by informed citizens. Although a good read about the problems and our limitations to deal with them, the solution to the problems are hard to implement in a society completely overtaken by temporary gratification.
We need enlightened leaders who can be tough and steer the way to a better future and ideals for the society.

Highly recommended.

Seidel gives in this book a fantatic account of so many things about which most of us have read, heard or thought ourselves, but said in an incredible lucid style, which is easy and precise at the same time. However, despite the easy syntax and style, this is an extremely profound book. It deals with our intrinsic limitations, that come from evolutionary biology, and from psychology. That alone would make reading it worthwhile. Then it goes on to analyze the limitations we have because we live in organized societies, and how we may indulge in "group thinking". Indeed, it's easier to go along with the crowd; thinking differently requires a lot of intellectual courage. If we choose to do so, we must be prepared many times to withstand criticism, rejection, discrimination and even attacks. However, it is worth it! The book then moves to an analysis of our organizations. It is specially important to note how and to what extent we are being constantly indoctrinated, for commercial and political purposes, and how irrational we may all become as a result. Finally, he offers "solutions". The quote marks are not intended to mean that his proposals are wrong, very much to the contrary. They mean that, at least I myself, am tremendously skeptical that they will ever be implemented. The reason for that lies in ourselves, but to an even larger extent, in the "powers that be", determined to maintain the status quo at all costs. However, I am recommending the book to everybody I care about, and even buying new copies to give to the people I love most. I recommend it without reservations!!!