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RitaER
Posted October 20, 2011
An amazing amount of material is packed into this book, which traces the beginnings of the meme of "end times" from its origin with Zarathustra to its many current incarnations. How the idea of a final judgement orginated and spread is an interesting tale in itself. How it has influenced history, including its secular mainifestations in revolution, Y2K, and UFO cults is equally interesting. But Greer's object is not just to inform and entertain. He demonstrates that the idea of a end to history which we are helpless to stop and which will put an end to all our problems and daily concerns is a psychological detour from the actions needed to solve these problems.
Apocolypse Not is worth reading even if you only want to find out what the big deal is about the Mayan calender, but you will learn far more than you expect.
Greer writing is clear and concise. The book includes an index and a bibliography, making it useful for further study.
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Overview
For almost 3,000 years apocalypse prophecies have convinced people all over the world that the future is about to give them the world they want instead of the world they’ve got. All the end time prophecies splashed across the media in every age have had something else in common: every one of them has been wrong. Apocalypse Not is a lively and engaging survey of predictions about the end of the world, along with the failed dreams and nightmares that have clustered around them. Among the stories highlighted in ...