TRIBE sounds pretty good. I would probably join along in a discussion.
Junger is a journalist, also the author of THE PERFECT STORM. One of the most pressing issues facing modern America is the disintegration of community. I've a number of books on the subject, but none approach it from an evolutionary perspective.
If you ever wonder why some westerners want to join ISIS, you might refer to this quote:
"Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians-but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species."
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What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
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Re: What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
Tribe seems like it hits on several topics that we've discussed here over the years. I'd like to see where Junger goes with the general argument that we do best as a species when we have a sense of belonging to small groups. I'm not sure if I worded that properly. To me this desire to associate with small groups or tribes is a double-edged sword. On the positive side it creates a sense of community, belonging and kinship, but on the negative side it fosters a sense of "us vs them," where anyone not a part of your tribe is the enemy. Isn't part of our cultural evolution the process of moving away from these small groups into a more inclusive global community?
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Re: What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
Humans evolved in bands. That is our natural organisation. Maintaining mental health at the national and global level involves some very heavy mythology to let men pretend to be part of a band of brothers and for women to form a sisterhood. Religion is about how humans can achieve stability at larger levels than the band. Tribes and other bigger groups cannot know everyone so they have to resort to simplified beliefs or myths.. Jared Diamond discusses these themes in The Rise And Fall Of The Third Chimpanzee:Chris OConnor wrote:Tribe seems like it hits on several topics that we've discussed here over the years. I'd like to see where Junger goes with the general argument that we do best as a species when we have a sense of belonging to small groups. I'm not sure if I worded that properly. To me this desire to associate with small groups or tribes is a double-edged sword. On the positive side it creates a sense of community, belonging and kinship, but on the negative side it fosters a sense of "us vs them," where anyone not a part of your tribe is the enemy. Isn't part of our cultural evolution the process of moving away from these small groups into a more inclusive global community?
"Today, while we may divide the world's people into 'us' and 'them', we know that there are thousands of types of 'them', all differing from each other as well from us in language, appearance and habits. It is hard to transfer ourselves back into the frame of mind prevailing throughout much of human history. Like chimps, gorillas, and social carnivores, we lived in band territories. The known world was much smaller and simpler than it is today; there were only a few known types of 'them', one's immediate neighbours."
http://homepage.eircom.net/~odyssey/Quo ... anzee.html
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Re: What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
Hi,
I would suggest this book. The Author is from former USSR. So she had to switch from socialism to capitalism.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FZIBPNM
I would suggest this book. The Author is from former USSR. So she had to switch from socialism to capitalism.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FZIBPNM
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Re: What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
I believe TRIBE would be an excellent choice for this group to discuss.
Re: What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
The historical importance of the Silk Road.
A really good exposition of this is by Peter Frankopan and is called The Silk Roads - A new history of the world.
A really good exposition of this is by Peter Frankopan and is called The Silk Roads - A new history of the world.
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- Chris OConnor
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Re: What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
Actually, you posted on my Facebook wall that you're looking forward to reading it so I'm taking that as a "yes."
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Re: What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
Is Junger the same one who has identified the real cause of suicides by returning armed forces members as withdrawal of the strong tribal ties they'd had while enlisted? That's a novel explanation.
"Groupishness" received a lot of attention in Jonathan Haidt's last book, The Righteous Mind.
"Groupishness" received a lot of attention in Jonathan Haidt's last book, The Righteous Mind.
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Re: What non-fiction book or topic would you like to discuss next?
DWill, interesting theory that makes a lot of sense.