Another view of the world

Below is part of an interview with Daniel Quinn and a synopsis of his book Ishmael and the ideas contained in it. Directions: Underline the passages that you agree with, disagree with, and have questions about. Next to the passages you agree with write “A”, next to the passages that you disagree with write “D”, and next to the passages you have questions about write, a big “?.”

Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn: Below is a synopsis of the book and the main ideas in the book.

From Publishers Weekly:

Quinn won the Turner Tomorrow Award's half-million-dollar first prize for this fascinating and odd book. The unnamed narrator is a disillusioned modern writer who answers a personal ad ("Teacher seeks pupil. . . . Apply in person.") and thereby meets a wise, learned gorilla named Ishmael that can communicate telepathically. Through Ishmael, Quinn offers a wide-ranging if highly general examination of the history of our civilization, illuminating the assumptions and philosophies at the heart of many global problems. Despite some gross oversimplifications, Quinn's ideas are fairly convincing; it's hard not to agree that unrestrained population growth and an obsession with conquest and control of the environment are among the key issues of our times. Quinn also traces these problems back to the agricultural revolution and offers a provocative rereading of the biblical stories of Genesis.

The Takers And The Leavers

There are two types of men, the first being the Leavers, the second being the Takers. The Leavers are the classic hunter-gathers that the ancestors of Homo sapiens were. They take what they can find and kill what animals they can kill. Only a few tribes of these “savage” tribes remain today.

The Takers, however, make their own food. They plant their own crops and raise their own livestock. It is this disruption of the cycle of living things that make the Takers the destroyers of the world.

Mother Culture

Mother Culture may be thought of as Mother Nature’s evil stepsister. It is culture that dictates to man what is acceptable and what is not. This force tells Leavers to be Leavers, and it tells Takers to be Takers. Mother Culture is the culprit behind a lot of man’s criminal action against nature. She tells us that farming is the only way to produce food, that humans we are superior to animals, and that anyone who does not feel this way is a savage.

Man Breaks the Law of Nature

All living things are in a constant struggle for survival. If the predator catches the prey the prey dies. However, if the prey gets away, the predator may die from hunger. It is this balance that keeps the population of species down. This is the unspoken law of life. However, man has broken the law.

Man has killed species after species, voluntary or not, that have gotten in the way of his safety or the safety of his food supply. Through this destruction and expanded food supply, the human population has grown to gigantic quantities. With the expansion more habitat has been destroyed and more species have been killed. Thus, man has begun the process of destroying the world.

The Destruction of Creation

The result of man breaking the law is not only the destruction of the world but the destruction of creation. He has taken control of the natural selection process. He kills what species he wants and makes stronger what species he feels needs to be stronger. Through this process he has ultimately taken control of creation and halted natural process.

The Difference between the Leavers and Takers

While Takers and Leavers live two very different lives, they are both content with them. Takers enjoy the freedom they have given themselves and refuse to change their habits because their culture leaves no room to change. Leavers, on the other hand, are perfectly fine living off the land and under the laws of nature. They find nothing wrong with this life so they see no reason to change.

The difference between the Takers and the Leavers is that many Takers would want to see the Leavers convert. However, the Leavers find nothing wrong with their life and that it is not necessary to change the Taker’s views.

Due: Thursday, January 13