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The Alphabet versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain

From the books web page:

In the bestselling book, The Alphabet Versus The Goddess, Leonard Shlain proposes that the invention of writing, particularly alphabetic writing, rewired the brains of the people who learned how to communicate using this culture-changing tool. Great benefits to society followed. However, a precipitous decline in feminine values manifested by women’s status, goddess veneration, nature, and representative art occurred in tandem. For example, the European witchhunts followed closely in the heels of the printing press. The return of the image in the modern age through the medium of photography, film, television, and the internet have brought about a sharp rise in the values denigrated during the 5000 year reign of patriarchy and literacy.

“… the European witchhunts followed closely in the heels of the printing press.” I have been reading with interest the Playboy McLuhan interview and the same printing press is just prior to nationalism and industrialisation. Makes sense to me that they are all linked. Good reviews on Amazon.

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