Ishmael and Whorled Leaves

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Originally uploaded by paynehollow.

The crew over at Whorled Leaves is currently reading the book, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Ishmael is fiction, but it's more philosophy than anything else.

The bulk of the book involves a series of socratic dialogs between the Teacher (Ishmael) and the Student. The Student has come to the Teacher because he wants to Save the World (fairly grand, that), and the Teacher wants to teach just that.

The Teacher is trying to get the Student to question the Story that we've told ourselves, the assumptions we make about how we MUST live and whether or not the Story that we've been told is a lie and if there isn't a better Story.

In other words, the book is suggesting that our ways as we've built civilization are unsustainable and that we must learn new ways or die. I found it an interesting book although I'm not sure if I accept all of Ishmael's conclusions, and suggested it to the Whorled Leaves group for a book study (we have books we read and discuss each month at WL).

I suggest you may want to visit WL and read the discussions - even get involved and offer your insight, if you'd like. About this particular book, but about all the books we read there. They never fail to be fascinating.