The patterning instinct : a cultural history of humanity's search for meaning
(Book)

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Published
Amherst, New York : Prometheus Books, 2017.
Status
Rapid City Public Library - Social Science - Adult
SOCIAL SCIENCE 306.4 LEN
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Published
Amherst, New York : Prometheus Books, 2017.
Format
Book
Physical Desc
569 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Language
English
UPC
40027281388

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 457-541) and index.
Description
"This fresh perspective on crucial questions of history identifies the root metaphors that cultures have used to construct meaning in their world. It offers a glimpse into the minds of a vast range of different peoples: early hunter-gatherers and farmers, ancient Egyptians, traditional Chinese sages, the founders of Christianity, trail-blazers of the Scientific Revolution, and those who constructed our modern consumer society. Taking the reader on an archaeological exploration of the mind, the author, an entrepreneur and sustainability leader, uses recent findings in cognitive science and systems theory to reveal the hidden layers of values that form today's cultural norms. Uprooting the tired cliches of the science-religion debate, he shows how medieval Christian rationalism acted as an incubator for scientific thought, which in turn shaped our modern vision of the conquest of nature. The author probes our current crisis of unsustainability and argues that it is not an inevitable result of human nature, but is culturally driven: a product of particular mental patterns that could conceivably be reshaped. By shining a light on our possible futures, the book foresees a coming struggle between two contrasting views of humanity: one driving to a technological endgame of artificially enhanced humans, the other enabling a sustainable future arising from our intrinsic connectedness with each other and the natural world. This struggle, it concludes, is one in which each of us will play a role through the meaning we choose to forge from the lives we lead"--
Description
"Explores key patterns of meaning underlying various cultures, from ancient times to the present, showing how values emerge from the ways in which cultures find meaning and how those values shape the future"--

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Lent, J. R. (2017). The patterning instinct: a cultural history of humanity's search for meaning . Prometheus Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Lent, Jeremy R., 1960-. 2017. The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning. Prometheus Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Lent, Jeremy R., 1960-. The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning Prometheus Books, 2017.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Lent, Jeremy R. The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning Prometheus Books, 2017.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.