Could the very structure of our written language be responsible for the historical decline of goddess worship? Imagery and the Alphabet Part 2 with Leonard Shlain offers a compelling look into how the transition from visual communication to text fundamentally rewired human consciousness.
In this engaging dialogue, host Jeffrey Mishlove sits down with the visionary author for a classic Leonard Shlain Thinking Allowed interview. Shlain expands on his groundbreaking work, The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, which explores how the rise of alphabetic literacy disrupted the ancient, egalitarian balance between genders. By examining the impact of writing on human consciousness, Shlain illustrates how the visual imagery vs written word dynamic created a profound cognitive shift from images to alphabet. This transition, he argues, favored left-brain linear processing over right-brain holistic perception, laying the foundation for his patriarchy and the alphabet theory.
This exploration of left brain right brain literacy reveals how the dominance of the written word reshaped societal values. Shlain posits that before the written word, human cultures universally revered the feminine and lived in harmony with nature's cycles. However, as alphabetic literacy spread, it reinforced linear, abstract, and analytical thinking, which ultimately marginalized the holistic, visual, and intuitive aspects of the human mind. This neurological imbalance, Shlain suggests, directly correlates with the rise of highly militaristic, patriarchal societies and the suppression of goddess worship.
Shifting Consciousness from Image to Text
- The Neurological Shift: Understand how left brain right brain literacy dynamics changed as linear, alphabetic reading began to dominate holistic, image-based processing.
- The Rise of Patriarchy: Explore the historical correlation between rising literacy rates and the decline of goddess-worshipping societies in the Western world.
- The Modern Visual Renaissance: Discover how 20th-century media like film and television are bringing visual imagery back to the forefront, sparking a modern resurgence of feminine values.
Begin your exploration into the deep connections between language, gender, and human history. Start watching this thought-provoking episode of Thinking Allowed on Gaia today.
