This book, citing numerous learned sources from the fields of archaeology, theology, science, visual art, and literature, to name a few, vividly illustrates much that is missing in the dominant view of western historical perspectives. The central message of this book, presented in an engaging but no less thorough style, is that, with the relatively recent scientific approach in archaeology, new information about the history of civilization has come to light that clearly challenges the long-held assumption that civilization has always been based on the ranking of one half of humanity over the other: the familiar domination of men over women, masters over slaves, etc.
As we are presented with mounting archeological evidence from a great many Neolithic cultural sites that proves humanity was capable of peaceful social organization and technological advances, Eisler presents an excellent social analysis of what this new knowledge implies for our present and future.
The crux of her message, that human potential is stunted in dominator societies that use force to maintain their rigid social hierarchies, is supported by ample evidence from numerous sources. The new alternative, a continuation of the interrupted ancient partnership model that emphasizes the linking of humanity in peaceful equality, starting with the most fundamental step of linking women with men, as opposed to the ranking of one half of humanity over the other, is presented as essential to our very survival as a species.
The book is superbly researched, and though it presents a broad, sweeping view that often leaves unanswered questions (one of my persistent questions is how to defend against force without simply presenting a counter-force), it offers a great array of resources for further reading. While I thought this book would answer my questions, it actually made me ask new questions and awoke within me a voracity to learn more, which I suspect is its intent. Above all, it gives us useful tools and terminology for reading between the lines and lies of our dominate cultural worldview, and these help dispel confusion and hopelessness for all who work for a peaceful world.
Now to address the inaccurate nature of some prior reviewers of this book (you know who you are):
Eisler clearly defines, numerous times, the difference between dominator hierarchies, in which a pyramidal social system uses force to maintain its power structure, and systems hierarchies, in which functions increase in complexity and function, as in biological systems such as cells to organs. The social parallels to the latter are virtually nonexistent, but Eisler is very careful with this definition nonetheless, to avoid confusion. Also, as it would be very clear to anyone who actually read the book, the characterization of life-affirming values such as caring, nurturing, creativity, and intuition as "feminine" in this book is always done in the context of how these values are perceived in a social system based on ranking and enforced by violence. The characterization of these qualities as feminine in this context is meant to discourage the male half of humanity from espousing them. The characterization masculine the qualities of domination and violence is how these rank-based systems maintain the status-quo. This idea of assigning a gender to specific life-affirming or destructive attributes is horribly damaging to men and women. To anyone who actually read the book, it would have been obvious that the alternative to social structures in which men dominate women is NOT those in which women dominate men. It is a society in which women and men are linked as equals. And if women happen to get mentioned ahead of men in this book, it is a literary courtesy whose time has come.
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Top reviews from other countries
- E17Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2018
The most powerful book I have read
- Tim MurpheyReviewed in Japan on April 12, 2021
Required Reading for Social and Natural Health of the Earth
