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THE WAY OF THE EARTH

ENCOUNTERS WITH NATURE IN ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY THOUGHT

This examination of how different cultures and religions view nature tends to flatten differences among various traditions into a kind of spiritual pancake. McLuhan (Touch the Earth, 1971), who has previously written about American Indians, is disturbed by the continuing and accelerating exploitation of the planet. In an effort to gain new insights that may help inhabitants of this island earth ``re- inhabit'' it intelligently, humanely, and sustainably, she looks at the various peoples of the world and their notions about the earth. There is, she contends, a remarkable similarity among various non- Western cultures in their concepts of the sacredness of nature. In her approach, a kind of unitive pluralism, a wide range of peoples from ancient Greece to modern times have more in common than they do not. McLuhan examines the Australian Aborigines and their concept of ``the dreaming,'' according to which every rock and rill is numinous and has importance for their life and faith. From Japan, she discusses the beliefs of both the Ainu (the indigenous population of the north) and Buddhists. Native African wisdom is plumbed and displayed. Of course, McLuhan returns to her prior interest as well. She discusses Indians from both South America (the Kogi, who still live much the same way they did before Columbus came) and North America. Numerous quotations from persons in the traditions, as diverse as Matsuo Basho (a 17th-century Japanese poet) and Nicholas Black Elk (the famous Sioux seer of Black Elk Speaks) enliven the text. Ignoring the fact that the peoples with which she is dealing are involved in complex cultural and religious systems from which isolated elements cannot be plucked, McLuhan finds a kind of false unity while sometimes steamrolling the beautiful, rich diversity.

Pub Date: July 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-671-75939-6

Page Count: 576

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1994

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ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.

This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005

ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

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THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

AND OTHER ESSAYS

This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955

ISBN: 0679733736

Page Count: 228

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955

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