Iconoclast David F. Noble traces the evolution and eclipse of the biblical mythology of the Promised Land, the foundational story of Western Culture. Part impassioned manifesto, part masterful survey of opposed philosophical and economic schools, Beyond the Promised Land brings into focus the twisted template of the Western imagination and its faith-based market economy.
From the first recorded versions of "the promise" saga in ancient Babylon, to the Zapatistas' rejection of promises never kept, Noble explores the connections between Judeo-Christian belief and corporate globalization. Inspiration for activists and students alike.
David Noble is the author of Progress Without People (BTL, 1995) and Digital Diploma Mills (BTL, 2002). He teaches history at York University, Toronto.
Anonymous
Posted April 18, 2006
David Noble has summed up what it means to be a part of the Reality-Based Community. He lays bare the ever-elusive myth of the promised land and charts its course from early Western religious scriptures to the beliefs of today's politicians and economists. His argument is that belief in the 'promised land' of U.S.-style democracy and deregulated markets is an inheritance from the Judeo-Christian template. Criticism of this template (by global justice activists and the like), he says, signals a fundamental rethinking of the Western paradigm - and it's about time.
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Overview
Iconoclast David F. Noble traces the evolution and eclipse of the biblical mythology of the Promised Land, the foundational story of Western Culture. Part impassioned manifesto, part masterful survey of opposed philosophical and economic schools, Beyond the Promised Land brings into focus the twisted template of the Western imagination and its faith-based market economy.
From the first recorded versions of "the promise" saga in ancient Babylon, to the Zapatistas' rejection of ...