Reading "A Short History of Progress" by Ronald Wright. Which I can't put down. I caught some of the lectures this is based on one night on CBC, specifically his bit on Easter Island, that bit is worth the price of the book. Wright is an incredible storyteller and this story is worth telling. He unravels the myth of progress and shows us the lessons we continually refuse to learn from the past. It is eye openening.
In this little book he defines myth, I think this is worth quoting:
"Myth is an arrangement of the past, whether real or imagined, in patterns that reinforce a culture's deepest values and aspirations. ...Myths are so fraught with meaning that we live and die by them. They are the maps by which cultures navigate through time." (p.4)
Told you it was good.
No comments:
Post a Comment