generative insights
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This explores a diversity of pragmatic and intuitive positive mental emotional dynamics.TRANSCRIPT
Part 4 – Generative Insights
Section 1
The Sages Code: Twelve Transformative Noetic Essentials
I am developing a curriculum based on the 12 points listed below. I
envision this course to be the core philosophy regarding the positive
personal potentials vis-a-vis a noetic approach to human life. Any
comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
1. Play
2. Wonder
3. Gratitude
4. Beauty
5. Joy
6. Optimism
7. Reason
8. Purpose
9. Harmony
10. Compassion
11. Generosity
12. Spirituality
1) Play: A Serious Puzzle
The first item in my list of twelve transformative noetic essentials is
the notion of play. I find play to be a difficult essential to define.
Commonly, much is included in play such as ruthlessly competitive
sports, aggressively pursued games, and activities which involve
struggles for dominance or deceptive activities.
For me play is a pursuit which lacks obsessive agendas or tightly
structured strategies. For me play is a condition of delight involving a
number of people or even solo enjoyment of nature. Fun and
relaxation are the essentials of play; a delight in the common place
and an intuitive appreciation of social warmth and natural wonders.
I could only generate a short list of books supporting this notion. I
would appreciate additional suggestions.
- The Spell of the Sensuous, by David Abram
- Music Lesson, by Victor L. Wooten
- The Hand, by Frank R. Wilson
2) Wonder: How, Why
Wonder is the number two transformative noetic essential in my list of
twelve. Wonder is a quality of the human condition which drives the
curiosity which expands human culture. This curiosity can be cosmic
in nature or deeply personal.
I have chosen a literature base for wonder, which explores the
miraculous and the mysterious from cosmology to consciousness. I am
listing five diverse books which if read in sequence explores the full
dimension of human curiosity. And they are:
- The Fifth Miracle, by Paul Davies
- Nature Via Nurture, by Matt Ridley
- The Ape and Sushi Master, by Frans de Waal
- Peripheral Visions, by Mary Catherine Bateson
- Spectrum of Consciousness, by Ken Wilber
3) Gratitude: A Self-Vitalizing Essential
Gratitude is the third in my list of twelve transformative noetic
essentials. Western culture, through its Christian traditions, has
through the century confused the concept of gratitude with
bargaining, pleading, triumphalism and an array of negative baggage.
I am attempting in this offering to approach gratitude in a self-
vitalizing and multi-dimensional mental, emotional profile. I have
created a graphic entitled Seven Mental/Emotional Polarities to give
shape to my understanding of gratitude.
Gratitude is the culmination of emotional insight and enlightened
comprehension regarding gratitude as the ultimate self-vitalizing
mental/emotional profile.
Seven Mental/Emotional Polarities
Self-Poisoning
Profile
Self- Vitalizing Profile
Anger Self-Awareness
Fear Self-Confidence
Ignorance Enlightenment
Self-Doubt Self-Esteem
Resentment Joy
Guilt Tranquility
Greed Gratitude
The list of five books approach this subject with the above points in
mind. They give depth and perspective to my graphic.
- Doubt and Certainty, by Tony Rothman and George Sudarshan
- Becoming Animal, by David Abram
- A Passion for the Possible, by Jean Houston
- Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
- My Stroke of Insight, by Jill Bolte Taylor
4) Beauty Will Save the World
Recently, I entered twelve transformative noetic essentials as a base
configuration for a course on the transformative dimensions of the
noetic realm. The fourth item in the list is beauty. That concept does
stir fundamental and crucial notions about the human condition.
Writers such as David Abram and Oliver Sacks, beautifully explore the
interplay of noetic and biotic forces. Frequently the terms biosphere
and noesphere are used to express the same idea as the biotic and
noetic realm.
A powerful Russian literary tradition evoked by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
and reinvigorated by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, proclaims the
transformative power of beauty and beauty's ultimate capacity to be a
force of salvation for human kind. I invite contributions to this
discussion.
5) Joy – Happiness
Number five in my list of twelve transformative noetic essentials is the
notion of joy. Joy, happiness, exuberance are conceptually intertwined
as a state of being. Unfortunately, this noetic essential is easily
sabotaged by hidden angers and crippling fears. Obsessions and
ephemeral guilt are likewise poisonous to joy. If these negative
emotions can be flushed from your consciousness, then joy can be
released in a tide of healing and buoyant noetic transformations.
I have selected five particularly valuable books for developing and
understanding of joy, happiness, exuberance. I would recommend
these books be read in the order in which they are presented for the
sake of continuity.
- Dancing In The Streets, by Barbara Ehrenreich
- The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner
- The Happiness Hypothesis, by Jonathan Haidt
- Happy for No Reason, by Marci Shimoff
- Exuberance, by Kay Redfield Jamison
6) Optimism: Hope, Creativity, and Positive Intuition
In my profile of twelve transformative noetic essentials, number six is
Optimism. Without doubt, one of the most healing and generative
forces possessed by the human mind is the capacity for optimism.
Optimism suffuses creativity, hope, and positive awareness.
Learning to use subconscious resources for maximizing the
transformative power of optimism is crucial. The list of books
presented below provide a wealth of insight for creatively using the
subconscious mind. The eight books, when read in sequence, move
from subconscious resources to active and concrete everyday
behaviour.
- How To Enjoy Your Life In Spite of It All, by Ken Keyes, Jr.
- Peace Is Every Step, by Thich Nhat Hanh
- The Knack of Using Your Subconscious Mind, by John K. Williams
- Your Maximum Mind, by Herbert Benson
- The Act of Creation, by ARthur Koestler
- Treat Yourself to Life, by Raymond Charles Barker
- Head First, by Norman Cousins
- Positive Living and Health, by The Editors of Prevention Magazine
7) Reason: Logic, Empiricism, Science, Knowledge, Wisdom
Number seven in my list of transformative noetic essentials is
Reason.I have connected reason with such intellectual pursuits as
logic, and wisdom. All of these interwoven ideas listed in the title are
supportive of the human quest for cultural enrichment and technical
accomplishments.Reason needs to be appreciated as a historical
dynamic as well as an epistemological accomplishment. The noetic
realm is energized by reason and constuctively builds civilization.
The eight books listed below, when read in sequence, explores reason
and the corollary concepts mentioned in the title. Many more books
could be added to the list, yet these eight are extraordinarily brilliant
and thorough.
- The Dream of Reason, by Anthony Gottlieb
- Ingenious Pursuits, by Lisa Jardine
- Science, Order, and Creativity, by David Bohm and F. David Peat
- Return to Reason, by Stephen Toulmin
- Towards a New World View, by Russel E. Di Carlo
- Intellectual Capital, by Thomas A. Stewart
- From Knowledge to Wisdomm by Nicholas Maxwell
- A Passion for Wisdom, by Robert C. Solomon and Kathleen M
Higgins
8) Purpose – Leadership
The eighth transformative noetic essential I have listed as Purpose. It
seems reasonable to me to link purpose with leadership.
All human endeavours, whether small scale personal matters, or
massive scale national issues, are all fed in a healthy state by creative
purpose and constructive leadership.
I have selected seven books relevant to this topic which I will list in a
sequence for building a coherent approach to purpose and leadership.
- The Power of Four, by Joseph Marshall III
- Making Waves and Riding the Currents, by Charles Halpern
- Leading with Kindness, by William Baker and Michael O'Malley
- Leadership and the New Science, by Margaret Wheatley
- Managing for the Future, by Peter Drucker
- Microtrends, by Mark Penn
- The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
9) Harmony: From the Personal to the Global
For at least two and a half millennia, Taoism has energized Oriental
culture with the theme of harmony vis-a-vis humanity with nature vis-
a-vis the personal with the communal. In recent generations, western
intellectuals have borrowed from the east to enrich the west. This
process has been troubled with the cross currents of war and civil
disturbances of every kind.
Now more than ever the west needs to ingest harmony as an ethos
and build personal as well as communal life on the energy of harmony.
The books listed below build on this line of thought, from the personal
to the global.
- Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl
- Love Is Letting Go of Fear, by Gerald G. Jampolsky
- No Boundary, by Ken Wilber
- The Roots of Coincidence, by Arthur Koestler
- The Phenomenon of Man, by Teilhard de Chardin
- The Book of Balance and Harmony, by Thomas Cleary
- Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu
- Speeches That Changed the World (Jesus of Nazareth, Mohandas K.
Ghandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. (I have a dream)), by Simon
Sebag Montefiore
- Civil Society in Question, by Jamie Swift
10) Compassion: Empathy, Civility, Respect, and Tolerance
In my list of twelve noetic transformative essentials, compassion is
number ten. For untold centuries, Buddhism has focused on
compassion as a central theme . For well over a century, western
thought has been borrowing from eastern philosophical streams.
Recently, compassion has become a mainstream line of social analysis
and even scientific research. Many concepts are woven together
related to compassion. I believe compassion is the most active
perception of such ideas, however, there are more passive
conceptions such as tolerance.
I have chosen seven books which develop this line of thought in North
American culture. If read in sequence as presented, these seven books
provide a powerful shift in the view of the human condition with
potential salvational implications for the future.
- Born for Love, by Maia Szalavitz and Bruce Perry
- Born to be Good, by Dacher Keltner
- The Age of Empathy, by Frans de Waal
- The Empathic Civilization, by Jeremy Rifkin
- Wired to Care, by Dev Patnaik
- A Paradise Built in Hell, by Rebecca Solnit
- The Moral Landscape, by Sam Harris
11) Generosity: A Necessary Essential for the Successful Evolution of the Noosphere
No essential in the noetic realm (noosphere) is more crucial than
generosity. Humanity is hard wired for sharing as a necessary
condition for human survival from the origins of homo sapiens over
100,000 years ago to the civilized order of contemporary urban life.
The literature base chosen for this essential consists of 4
anthropologists, 2 economists and 3 historians of religion. Whether
the subject is paleoanthropology or massive nation states, all authors
chosen provide powerful arguments for the role of generosity as the
essential necessary for human survival in any environmental or
organizational context.
The previous essential, compassion, linked with this essential,
generosity, characterize the caring and sharing necessary to the
noetic realm even though many scientists may fail to appreciate this
reality.
Without sharing and caring there is no humanity.
- Origins, by Richard E. Leaky
- Women's Work, by Elizabeth Wayland Barber
- When God Was a Women, by Merlin Stone
- The Way of the Shaman, by Michael Harner
- The Spirit of Shamanism, by Roger N. Walsh
- A Seat at the Table, by Huston Smith
- The Invisible Heart, by Nancy Folbre
- Systems of Survival, by Jane Jacobs
- Buddha, by Karen Armstrong
12) Spirituality: The Interplay of the Human Mind and the Divine Realm
Spirituality, the twelfth and last of the transformative noetic
essentials, is a realm of inquiry which brings the entire profile into
focus.
This noetic essential stimulates an inquiry into five of the most
important questions which need to be addressed by any civilization.
1) What is the nature of the cosmos?
2) What is a truly healthy relationship with the environment?
3) What is a generative and vital ethical framework for any civil
order?
4) What is an intuitive and insightful understanding of oneself?
5) How does the human mind engage with the metaphysical
dimensions of mind with the mystical essence of spirit?
The twelve books presented below attempt answers in an organic and
multidimensional manner to these fundamental questions. The
interplay of science and religion, and a rich understanding of history
as well as a thorough appreciation for cultural anthropology, help to
conclude this profile in a thoughtful and clarifying manner.
- The 5th Miracle, by Paul Davies
- The Physics of Immortality, by Frank J. Tipler
- Belonging to the Universe, by Fritjof Capra & David Steindl-Rast
- The Great Transformation, by Karen Armstrong
- Gnosis, by Kurt Rudolph
- Essays on World Religion, by Huston Smith
- Shamanism, by Shirley Nicholson
- States of Grace, by Charlene Spretnak
- Peace, Love & Healing, by Bernie S. Siegel
- Gaia & God, by Rosemary Radford Ruether
- An Altar in the World, by Barbara Brown Taylor
- The Best Buddhist Writing, by Melvin McLeodSection 2
Personal Action – Pragmatic Philosophy
IntroductionThe four items in this package are intended to give a rich resource base for discussion groups, formal or informal. Across North America discussion groups are forming around the problem of bringing the philosophy into everyday life. Socrates advocated this approach two thousand four hundred years ago, and the need now is greater than ever.
Socrate's Cafe: Refinement of Ethics, Expansion of Insight, Enrichment of Wisdom (Part 1)
Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy by Christopher
Phillips (W. W. Norton & Company, 2002)
Description: A modern-day Socrates takes to the road to bring
philosophy back to the people. Journalist-turned-philosopher
Christopher Phillips is on a mission: to revive the love of questions
that Socrates once inspired in ancient Athens. With great charisma
and optimism, he travels around the country, gathering people to
participate in Socrates cafes in bookstores, senior centers, elementary
schools and universities, and prisons. In this accessible, lively
account, Phillips recalls what led him to start his itinerant program
and recreates some of the most invigorating sessions. Harvard
psychiatrist Robert Coles praises the "morally energetic and
introspective exchanges with children and adults from all walks of
life," which come to reveal sometimes surprising, often profound
reflections on the meaning of love, friendship, work, growing old, and
other large questions of life. Phillips also draws from his own
academic background to introduce us to the thought of philosophers
through the ages. Socrates Cafe is an engaging blend of philosophy
and storytelling.
A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy by
Robert C. Solomon, Kathleen M. Higgins (Oxford University Press US,
1998)
Description: Readers eager to acquire a basic familiarity with the
history of philosophy but intimidated by the task will find in A Passion
for Wisdom a lively, accessible, and highly enjoyable tour of the
world's great ideas. Here, Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins tell
the story of philosophy's development with great clarity and
refreshing wit.
The authors begin with the most ancient religious beliefs of the east
and west and bring us right up to the feminist and multicultural
philosophies of the present. Along the way, they highlight major
philosophers, from Plato and the Buddha to William James and Simone
de Beauvoir, and explore major categories, from metaphysics and
ethics to politics and logic. The book is enlivened as well by telling
anecdotes and sparkling quotations. Among many memorable
observations, we're treated to Thomas Hobbes' assessment that life is
"nasty, brutish, and short" and Hegel's description of Napoleon as
"world history on horseback." Engaging, comprehensive, and
delightfully written, A Passion for Wisdom is a splendid introduction
to an intellectual tradition that reaches back over three thousand
years.
Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption are Undermining America by Arianna Huffington
(Random Houseof Canada, 2003)
Description: Who filled the trough? Who set the table at the banquet
of greed? How has it been possible for corporate pigs to gorge
themselves on grossly inflated pay packages and heaping helpings of
stock options while the average American struggles to make do with
their leftovers?
Provocative political commentator Arianna Huffington yanks back the
curtain on the unholy alliance of CEOs, politicians, lobbyists, and Wall
Street bankers who have shown a brutal disregard for those in the
office cubicles and on the factory floors. As she puts it:
“The economic game is not supposed to be rigged like some shady
ring toss on a carnival midway.” Yet it has been, allowing corporate
crooks to bilk the public out of trillions of dollars, magically making
our pensions and 401(k)s disappear and walking away with
astronomical payouts and absurdly lavish perks-for-life.
The media have put their fingers on pieces of the sordid puzzle, but
Pigs at the Trough presents the whole ugly picture of what’s really
going on for the first time—a blistering, wickedly witty portrait of
exactly how and why the worst and the greediest are running
American business and government into the ground.
Tyco’s Dennis Kozlowski, Adelphia’s John Rigas, and the Three
Horsemen of the Enron Apocalypse—Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and
Andrew Fastow—are not just a few bad apples. They are
manifestations of a megatrend in corporate leadership—the rise of a
callous and avaricious mind-set that is wildly out of whack with the
core values of the average American. WorldCom, Enron, Adelphia,
Tyco, AOL, Xerox, Merrill Lynch, and the other scandals are only the
tip of the tip of the corruption iceberg.
Making the case that our public watchdogs have become little more
than obedient lapdogs, unwilling to bite the corporate hand that feeds
them, Arianna Huffington turns the spotlight on the tough reforms we
must demand from Washington. We need, she argues, to go way
beyond the lame Corporate Responsibility Act if we are to stop the
voracious corporate predators from eating away at the very
foundations of our democracy.
Devastatingly funny and powerfully indicting, Pigs at the Trough is a
rousing call to arms and a must-read for all those who are outraged by
the scandalous state of corporate America.
Dark Age Ahead by Jane Jacobs (Random House of Canada, 2005)
Description: A dark age is a culture's dead end. In North America, for
example, we live in a virtual graveyard of lost and destroyed
aboriginal cultures. In this powerful and provocative book, renowned
author Jane Jacobs argues convincingly that we face the coming of our
own dark age.
Throughout history, there have been many more dark ages than the
one that occurred between the fall of the Roman Empire and the dawn
of the Renaissance. Ten thousand years ago, our ancestors went from
hunter-gatherers to farmers and, along the way, lost almost all
memory of what existed before. Now we stand at another monumental
crossroads, as agrarianism gives way to a technology-based future.
How do we make this shift without losing the culture we hold dear—
and without falling behind other nations that successfully master the
transition?
First we must concede that things are awry. Jacobs identifies five
central pillars of our society that show serious signs of decay:
community and family; higher education; science and technology;
governmental representation; and self-regulation of the learned
professions. These are the elements we depend on to stand firm—but
Jacobs maintains that they are in the process of becoming irrelevant.
If that happens, we will no longer recognize ourselves.
The good news is that the downward movement can be reversed.
Japan avoided cultural defeat by retaining a strong hold on history
and preservation during war, besiegement, and occupation. Ireland
nearly lost all native language during the devastations of famine and
colonialism, but managed to renew its culture through the steadfast
determination of its citizens. Jacobs assures us that the same can
happen here—if only we recognize the signs of decline in time.
Dark Age Ahead is not only the crowning achievement of Jane Jacob's
career but one of the most important works of our time. It is a
warning that, if heeded, could save our very way of life.
Zeno and the Tortoise: How to Think Like a Philosopher by
Nicholas Fearn (Grove Press, 2002)
Description: For those who don't know the difference between
Lucretius's spear and Hume's fork, Zeno and the Tortoise explains not
just who each philosopher was and what he thought, but exactly how
he came to think in the way he did. Nicholas Fearn presents
philosophy as a collection of tools—the tricks of a trade that, in the
end, might just be all tricks, each to be fruitfully applied to a variety
of everyday predicaments. In a witty and engaging style that
incorporates everything from Sting to cell phones to Bill Gates, Fearn
demystifies the ways of thought that have shaped and inspired
humanity—among many others, the Socratic method, Descartes's use
of doubt, Bentham's theory of utilitarianism, Rousseau's social
contract, and, of course, the concept of common sense. Along the way,
there are fascinating biographical snippets about the philosophers
themselves: the story of Thales falling down a well while studying the
stars, and of Socrates being told by a face-reader that his was the face
of a monster who was capable of any crime. Written in twenty-five
short chapters, each readable during the journey to work, Zeno and
the Tortoise is the ideal course in intellectual self-defense. Acute,
often irreverent, but always authoritative, this is a unique introduction
to the ideas that have shaped us all.
ocrate's Cafe: Refinement of Ethics, Expansion of Insight, Enrichment of Wisdom (Part 2)
Infinite Life: Seven Virtues for Living Well by Robert Thurman
(Souvenir Press Limited, 2006)
Description: In Infinite Life, Columbia University professor and
bestselling author Robert Thurman invites us to examine our
assumptions about living and dying and to take into account the
possibility that not only are our lives not meaningless, they have
tremendous impact. He asks us to consider that instead of having one
shot to get it right for either oblivion or eternity, we might indeed
have an infinite past and future. And if that is the case, if we are
evolving over infinite time, then every action in our lives has infinite
consequences for ourselves and others. Therefore, we must take
responsibility in the present for our actions and their effects—we must
live our immortality now. But balanced against that tremendous
responsibility is the opportunity for a life of infinite joy, infinite
connection with other beings, and infinite power to do good.
There is no escaping the facts that our thoughts create actions and
that our actions affect others around us in ways we cannot see or
predict. The ripples of every impulse last long after we are gone.
Following the ancient teachings of the Buddha, Infinite Life introduces
seven Buddhist virtues for carefully reconstructing body and mind in
order to reduce the negative consequences and cultivate the positive
in our lives. Thurman shows us how to let go of our rigid sense of
"self" and experience full satisfaction with ourselves, others, and our
world. He invites us to take responsibility for our actions and their
consequences while reveling in the knowledge that our lives are truly
infinite. Infinite Life is the ultimate guidebook to understanding our
place in the universe and realizing how we can personally succeed
while helping others.
A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity
and Islam by Karen Armstrong (Random House of Canada, 1994)
Description: Why does God exist? How have the three dominant
monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—shaped and
altered the conception of God? How have these religions influenced
each other? In this stunningly intelligent book, Karen Armstrong, one
of Britain's foremost commentators on religious affairs, traces the
history of how men and women have perceived and experienced God,
from the time of Abraham to the present.
The epic story begins with the Jews' gradual transformation of pagan
idol worship in Babylon into true monotheism—a concept previously
unknown in the world. Christianity and Islam both rose on the
foundation of this revolutionary idea, but these religions refashioned
"the one God" to suit the social and political needs of their followers.
From classical philosophy and medieval mysticism to the Reformation,
the Enlightenment, and the modern age of skepticism, Karen
Armstrong performs the near miracle of distilling the intellectual
history of monotheism into one superbly readable volume, destined to
take its place as a classic.
Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality by Fritjof Capra, David Steindl-Rast,
Thomas Matus (HarperSanFrancisco, 1992)
Description: In this remarkable work, bestselling author Capra and
Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk renown for making fresh sense of
Christian faith, share insights into how science and religion seek to
make us at home in the universe. A remarkably compatible view of the
universe.
The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Harper
Colophon, 1975)
Description: Pierre Teilhard De Chardin was one of the most
distinguished thinkers and scientists of our time. He fits into no
familiar category for he was at once a biologist and a paleontologist of
world renown, and also a Jesuit priest. He applied his whole life, his
tremendous intellect and his great spiritual faith to building a
philosophy that would reconcile Christian theology with the scientific
theory of evolution, to relate the facts of religious experience to those
of natural science.
The Phenomenon of Man, the first of his writings to appear in
America, Pierre Teilhard's most important book and contains the
quintessence of his thought. When published in France it was the
best-selling nonfiction book of the year.
The World We Want: Virtue, Vice, and the Good Citizen by Mark
Kingwell (Viking Books, 2000)
Description: More and more, as the globe turns into a billboard for
corporate propagation, the nature of citizenship is becoming skewed.
For the cellphone-brandishing inhabitants of a world carved up into
markets and territories determined by production and consumption,
transcending the traditional boundaries of nation-states, what does it
mean to be a citizen?
In The World We Want, Mark Kingwell explores the idea of citizenship
in the current post-national context, arguing that old ideas of civic
belonging, historically tied to blood, belief, and law, need to be
reconceived. What happens to political responsibility in an age of
fractured identities, global monoculture, and crumbling civic
nationalism? How do we make sense of a situation where the uniform
spread of cola, television, and market rationalism is accompanied by
resurgent ethnic hatreds?
Kingwell traces the idea of citizenship from its roots in ancient Greece
to the contemporary realities of consumerism and cultural banality. It
is these voices from the past that provide the much needed context for
the conflicts and confusions of the present day.
It is obvious that we cannot simply adopt past models of citizenship
that are heavily based on exclusion and nationalism, but Kingwell
argues that it is too early to give up on citizenship altogether. We
need a new model of citizenship, he writes, one based on participation
as opposed to bloodline, constitution, or religion—one that will give
voice and structure to our longing to be part of something larger than
we are.
Adventures of Ideas by Alfred North Whitehead (Free Press, 1967)
Description: The title of this book, Adventure of Ideas, bears two
meanings, both applicable to the subject-matter. One meaning is the
effect of certain ideas in promoting the slow drift of mankind towards
civilization. This is the Adventure of Ideas in the history of mankind.
The other meaning is the author's adventure in framing a speculative
scheme of ideas which shall be explanatory of the historical
adventure.
The book is in fact a study of the concept of civilization, and an
endeavour to understand how it is that civilized beings arise. One
point, emphasized throughout, is the importance of Adventure for the
promotion and preservation of civilization.
Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, 1972-1977 by Michel Foucault, Colin Gordon (Random House of
Canada, 1980)
Description: Michel Foucault has become famous for a series of books
that have permanently altered our understanding of many institutions
of Western society. He analyzed mental institutions in the remarkable
Madness and Civilization; hospitals in The Birth of the Clinic; prisons
in Discipline and Punish; and schools and families in The History of
Sexuality. But the general reader as well as the specialist is apt to
miss the consistent purposes that lay behind these difficult individual
studies, thus losing sight of the broad social vision and political aims
that unified them.
Now, in this superb set of essays and interviews, Foucault has
provided a much-needed guide to Foucault. These pieces, ranging
over the entire spectrum of his concerns, enabled Foucault, in his
most intimate and accessible voice, to interpret the conclusions of his
research in each area and to demonstrate the contribution of each to
the magnificent—and terrifying—portrait of society that he was
patiently compiling.
For, as Foucault shows, what he was always describing was the
nature of power in society; not the conventional treatment of power
that concentrates on powerful individuals and repressive institutions,
but the much more pervasive and insidious mechanisms by which
power "reaches into the very grain of individuals, touches their bodies
and inserts itself into their actions and attitudes, their discourses,
learning processes and everyday lives."
Foucault's investigations of prisons, schools, barracks, hospitals,
factories, cities, lodgings, families, and other organized forms of
social life are each a segment of one of the most astonishing
intellectual enterprises of all time—and, as this book proves, one
which possesses profound implications for understanding the social
control of our bodies and our minds.