Product Description

In Beyond Civilization, Daniel Quinn thinks the unthinkable. We all know there's no one right way to build a bicycle, no one right way to design an automobile, no one right way to make a pair of shoes, but we're convinced that there must be only one right way to live -- and the one we have is it, no matter what.

Beyond Civilization makes practical sense of the vision of Daniel Quinn's best-selling novel Ishmael. Examining ancient civilizations such as the Maya and the Olmec, as well as modern-day microcosms of alternative living like circus societies, Quinn guides us on a quest for a new model for society, one that is forward-thinking and encourages diversity instead of suppressing it. Beyond Civilization is not about a "New World Order" but a "New Personal World Order" that would allow people to assert control over their own destiny and grant them the freedom to create their own way of life right now -- not in some distant utopian future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26102 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-07
• Released on: 2000-11-07
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Amazon.com
Futurist Daniel Quinn (Ishmael) dares to imagine a new approach to saving the world that involves deconstructing civilization. Quinn asks the radical yet fundamental questions about humanity such as, Why does civilization grow food, lock it up, and then make people earn money to buy it back? Why not progress "beyond civilization" and abandon the hierarchical lifestyles that cause many of our social problems? He challenges the "old mind" thinking that believes problems should be fixed with social programs. "Old minds think: How do we stop these bad things from happening?" Quinn writes. "New minds think: How do we make things the way we want them to be?"

Whether he is discussing Amish farming, homelessness, "tribal business," or holy work, Quinn's manifesto is highly digestible. Instead of writing dense, weighty chapters filled with self-important prose, he's assembled a series of brief one-page essays. His language is down to earth, his metaphors easy to grasp. As a result, readers can read about and ponder Beyond Civilization at a blissfully civilized pace. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly
With the publication of his trilogy of novels (Ishmael; The Story of B; My Ishmael), Quinn became something of a cult figure in visionary fiction. In those books, Quinn explored the self-sustaining nature of tribal societies and his belief that the current worldwide ecological and economic crises are due to the agriculture-based organization of civilized societies. He now turns his hand to nonfiction, with an appeal for universal renewal through a "New Tribal Revolution." Acknowledging that it would be impossible for most civilized humans to return to the hunting and gathering typical of tribes, Quinn argues that modern men and women need to invent a completely different mode of existence. To do this, they must question a basic assumption of all civilized societies: "Civilization must continue at any cost and must not be abandoned under any circumstances." Quinn, borrowing from Richard Dawkins, calls this assumption a "meme," the cultural equivalent of a gene. Quinn's main examples are peoples like the Maya and Anasazi, who returned to tribalism after unsuccessful attempts at other types of social organization, and the communal structure of traditional circuses. The author has a knack for stating the obvious with tremendous personal conviction. His articulation of a simpler way of life will appeal to those made frantic by globalization and all the forces conspiring to make people dance as fast as they can. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Using parable and dialog, Quinn introduces the reader to some of the philosophical views that have led to our tacit assumption that civilization is the answer to humanity's problems. He offers critical reminders, without being either polemical or technical, that civilization may not be the answer. Rather, he asserts that we should move beyond hierarchy to a new form of tribal livingAnot the communal style of the 1960s but one suffused with conscious, purposeful awareness of each action's greater impact. Quinn notes, "Beyond civilization isn't a geographical space...it's a cultural space that opens up among people with new minds." As is characteristic of his philosophical novels, Ishmael, The Story of B, and My Ishmael, the prose is readable and the sociological discussion unobtrusive. Fans of Quinn's earlier works will welcome this title. Libraries seeking to provide contemporary discussion on human ecology will find this title an asset.
-ALeroy Hommerding, Citrus Cty. Lib. Syst., Inverness, FL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Pointer to Other Relevant Works
I considered this book, and found the reviews so very informative, as well as negative on what the "next steps" should be, that I enter this contribution not as a review of the book, but as a pointer to other books that go beyond this book. Epoch B Swarm B Leadership, Transpartisanship, and bottom-up Citizen Wisdom Councils is what comes after civilization deconstructs and the nation-state model is finally devolved to tighter regional alliances and the end of predatory immoral capitalism (in favor of moral green capitalism).

Here are ten books I have read and reviewed that I believe readers and admirers of this author will find most beneficial:
The leadership of civilization building: Administrative and civilization theory, symbolic dialogue, and citizen skills for the 21st century
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition
The Handbook of Large Group Methods: Creating Systemic Change in Organizations and Communities (Jossey-Bass Business & Management)
The Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Today's Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems
Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time
The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

My thanks again to the reviewers. I buy and read a great many books, and the reviews help me make tough choices within my limit of five books a week. I hope the links above are considered helpful.

Words of Advice
At the close of his work, Quinn offers 140 words of advice to the notion that "You don't have all the answers." He should have left it at the five words that follow... "Certainly I don't have them." He clearly doesn't. This is a ramble of a book that is selfindulgence at its height. My best advice would be to not waste your time, the few times he begins to ask and discuss good questions (genetic predispositions of types of social behavior, social transmission of "memes" etc) he cops out and begins to pontificate and ramble on. I can see why it's out of print. I'm quite sure a few tribes would "vote him off the island" to quote another mindless mess. I guess this review makes me an evil "old mind."

A book worth having, reading, and re-reading.
The fact that "Beyond Civilization" begins with a fable that captures the entire essence of what's wrong with our civilization is an absolute winner in my eyes.

I read this book with pleasure. Like Ishmael, Quinn's other winner, I could not help but experience the ambivalence of getting angry about our human backwardness, yet encouraged to keep myself from falling into the traps of "Mother Culture" and the thoughts of "old minds."

As a "new mind" I wrote two books: "The Awakened Leader: One Simple Leadership Style That Works Every Time, Everywhere," and "Spirituality in the Workplace: What it is; Why it Matters; How to Make it Work for You" (the last one co-authored with Dr. Satinder Dhiman and Dr. Richard King)

Both of these books present ways to apply wakefulness in our lives, and with that, make a positive difference for ourselves and others.

Beyond civilization is a great and inspiring reader, and so are "The Awakened Leader," and "Spirituality in the Workplace."