Customer Reviews

The Labyrinth in Culture and Society: Pathways to Wisdom

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I was pleased to discover this book was an easy read. Though it posits some complex interpretations of the labyrinth, Attali's ideas come alive in his strong, lucid prose. The book is chock full of physical and symbolic labyrinths of the past and present. I especially liked his references to nomadic cultures. An enjoyable book.

This book is probably the best way to start with the study of the multiple significations and applications of this ancient labyrinth science. Full of very good references, and stangely enlightened insights. Two flaws however: often stays at the surface of an idea, sometimes gets a little carried away. That's why it's more of an introduction than a true reference book. My advice: read this book and then go to Grace Cathedral in San Fransisco walk the labyrinth.

"As we are in the process of entering into the new age of rapid change and informational battlefield or what Jacques Attali dubs as the "virtual nomadism", there is an emergence of a dire need for a new type of thinking. The intellectual clique in the West is drifting away from the linear approach to the gradual acceptance of more convoluted modes of reasoning, coupled with the increased interest in a labyrinthine thinking and cognitive complexities. Who better than Dr. Attali can prepare us for the strange future that is lurking around the corner, to help us solidify the new realities on the firm basis of the ancient pathways to wisdom.

The Western consumerist society for far too long has been based on the unsustainable premises of endless and overindulging consumption driven by the desire for instant gratification, which inadvertently overshadowed the infinite treasure hidden deep within ourselves. Those who dare to survive in the current social transformation must embrace certain ideals in the form of nonlinear thinking and multi-tasking intellectual initiatives.

The Hollywood blockbuster movie Inception (2010) will serve as a visual aid in the author's hunt for the new spiritual meanings and intellectual techniques that will become useful in the journey to the center of many social labyrinths that we inhabit. The task can be achieved via understanding of ourselves. Inception shall be examined through the prism of Dr. Attali's intellectual brilliance on the topic of labyrinths and the concept of the new nomadic man, because that movie has all the earmarks of the classical labyrinthine structure, where the easiest and the shortest path is not always the correct one. Ultimately the meandering paths of the labyrinth can teach us about our inner beings and prepare us for a more nomadic and less sedentary world of tomorrow." (Taken from: [...])