A Volcano's Testament: Civilization and the Origin of Sin. I wouldn't be surprised if all of Mesopotamia was cleared, but metallurgy began and flourished in the mountains of the North. That's why it is more likely that the trees there would have been mowed down, and less likely elsewhere. I know the Roman Empire was the big one, as empires go, but their behavior mirrored all of the dinky predecessors before it, which is why I don't like skipping the period between Sargon of Akkad and the Rubicon. But cheers, mate, this article was amazing. Our arrogant behavior now has its roots somewhere, and you've done a good thing pointing your readers in the right direction.
Having struggled uphill against our climate and general ecological crises for years, only to see them worsen, drives me to look for those deeper roots. They are, indeed, old as civilization itself.
Wonderful article-sorry I got around to looking at it only now. The book sounds amazing! It sounds like it discusses similar themes to what my co-author and I do in our book, which addresses the forgotten roots of Mesopotamian civilization. Interesting to note – eastern Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia in general were once covered in dense, lush forests. Our advancements in metallurgy wiped them all out.
Yes, the entire swathe from Mesopotamia through the Mediterranean was wiped. The Roman Empire built on what the early empires started. What is the name of your book?
Wonderfully said Patrick. The one does not happen without the other. Among other things, one of the things we talk about in the book is that these early peoples turned their backs on each other, on their previous gods (thunder gods one and all), on themselves, on their nomadic neighbors – antecedents of the Hebrews – and, most of all, on Nature. No other creatures hoard like civilized persons. no other creatures do not fit like civilized persons. In the book we show why – hint: it's not good...
Thanks Patrick, from your postings it seems you follow in a similar mindset to me in understanding how unfathomably totalitarian the current condition on planet Earth really is. An incredibly caring, loving, compassionate, free species in humanity has been enslaved for centuries into a more and more machine like existence and attendant behavior. If you have not read Caliban and the Witch by Sylvia Federici I cannot recommend it highly enough, as it provides an in depth and exhaustively sourced look at the themes you have discussed, including the use of a massive campaign of state-sponsored terrorism in the 'witch hunts' to brutally hammer the institution of capitalism into medieval Europe, to then use said population to spread the system around the rest of the world. It is not oft acknowledged how different the world would have looked even five to six hundred years ago, as the true histories and free peoples of this planet have been destroyed and/or assimilated into the global capitalist empire.
It is necessary to say that there is nothing new here, neither in the essay or book. Indeed it has already been more eloquently and prohetically elaborated in the past century by Lewis Mumford in several worls including, among other titles: Technics and CivilIzation (published 1934); The City In History (pubished 1960); and his magnum opus The Myth of the Machine (1966 and 1967) its 2 volumes intended to complete the themes first interwoven together in the aforementioned Technics and Civilization. His critique of what has come to be the extant plan by today's techno-oligarchs to download their consciousness into an eternally living being, residing in hololgraphic metaverse, was predicted in 1960. It is so chillingly prescient that you might think it was written only a few months or years ago, but astoundingly, Mumford articulated his analysis 62 years ago. I would strongly recommend Technics and Civilization and The Myth of the Machine's two volumes to fully comprehend the ramifications of what we are witnessing today. They will certainly be depressing, but if the dim prospects of the planet's survival of a post-human epoch is of concern to the awakened among you, they perhaps may be a tonic to realistic pacificist action.
I am at a bit of a disadvantage in having read those works by Mumford some years ago. Though I revisited some of Mumford's work in "The City in History" recently, as I cited in the piece. Certainly Scheidler is inspired by Mumford, as he notes in crediting the concept of the Megamachine to Mumford. He is also inspired by a wide range of thinkers, and whatever Mumford wrote, Scheidler certainly brings it up to date with the range of crises the world now faces. Having read Mumford, I still find Scheidler fresh with insights, and a worthy read.
I could not agree more. Very good points about both Mumford and Scheidler. Mumford could not have quite imagined our contemporary situation, and he did not. Scheidler is writing from within this contemporary situation.
The frustration in exploring the possibilities for legitimate positive action for the benefit of humanity and the planet is in the realization of the fact that at this time, the enemy has successfully constructed a system that gives it every possible advantage in the suppression of the human spirit and popular mass movements to restore genuine life on the planet. To my understanding, the last time of such significant movements on the planet (or at least in the U.S.) occurred in the 1960's and 70's, and those movements themselves were up against adversaries (both public ie the state and private) with massive advantages, including control of national media apparati and a centrally planned society (from an architectural perspective, in terms of the urban-suburban-rural dispersed model) that made/makes/would make it that much more difficult for populations to physically come together in large numbers, were people to even wish to do so now. Beyond that, my feeling is that these Satanic (in the sense of existing solely to increase their own power and control at the expense of all life on the planet) architects have endeavored to control humanity at the deepest core level, such that the identities, beliefs, sentiments and hope of people today are so hopelessly chained and wedded to the system that the idea of organizing people to actually overthrow a system based on money and private property would sound confusing or illogical at best, and downright offensive at worst. Perhaps this sentiment would hold less true amongst younger populations, but I feel it to be every bit accurate in response to the slumbering (though dwindling) middle class suburban populations.
I am going through a rough patch right now (in these New Normal times, who is not?) and will reply both to you and Patrick Mazza ASAP. I would like to briefly [and gently] reply apropos your observation that 'this sentiment would hold less true amongst younger populations', that it's been my discouraging experience--through no fault of their own, but rather as the same tightly held grip on academia that the sinister architects hold on mass media--attempting to catalyze youth out of their state sponsored indoctrination has been a losing battle. In the overwhelming number of my encounters with young people (even with college/universtiy educated graduates) I find myself having to tread through what I can only characterize as smiley faced, thought disordered mass who aspire to be rich beyond all imaginings via the route of unfetttered government entrepreneurship. They worship the idols of Musk, Bezos et al. My original reply to Patrick Mazza was written in haste and was not intended to be brusque, as I reread my original post. But I would like to reply at greater, more thoughtful length to put forth my case. Thank you (and Patrick M. for your responses. Best wishes...
A Volcano's Testament: Civilization and the Origin of Sin. I wouldn't be surprised if all of Mesopotamia was cleared, but metallurgy began and flourished in the mountains of the North. That's why it is more likely that the trees there would have been mowed down, and less likely elsewhere. I know the Roman Empire was the big one, as empires go, but their behavior mirrored all of the dinky predecessors before it, which is why I don't like skipping the period between Sargon of Akkad and the Rubicon. But cheers, mate, this article was amazing. Our arrogant behavior now has its roots somewhere, and you've done a good thing pointing your readers in the right direction.
Having struggled uphill against our climate and general ecological crises for years, only to see them worsen, drives me to look for those deeper roots. They are, indeed, old as civilization itself.
Wonderful article-sorry I got around to looking at it only now. The book sounds amazing! It sounds like it discusses similar themes to what my co-author and I do in our book, which addresses the forgotten roots of Mesopotamian civilization. Interesting to note – eastern Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia in general were once covered in dense, lush forests. Our advancements in metallurgy wiped them all out.
Yes, the entire swathe from Mesopotamia through the Mediterranean was wiped. The Roman Empire built on what the early empires started. What is the name of your book?
Wonderfully said Patrick. The one does not happen without the other. Among other things, one of the things we talk about in the book is that these early peoples turned their backs on each other, on their previous gods (thunder gods one and all), on themselves, on their nomadic neighbors – antecedents of the Hebrews – and, most of all, on Nature. No other creatures hoard like civilized persons. no other creatures do not fit like civilized persons. In the book we show why – hint: it's not good...
Thanks Patrick, from your postings it seems you follow in a similar mindset to me in understanding how unfathomably totalitarian the current condition on planet Earth really is. An incredibly caring, loving, compassionate, free species in humanity has been enslaved for centuries into a more and more machine like existence and attendant behavior. If you have not read Caliban and the Witch by Sylvia Federici I cannot recommend it highly enough, as it provides an in depth and exhaustively sourced look at the themes you have discussed, including the use of a massive campaign of state-sponsored terrorism in the 'witch hunts' to brutally hammer the institution of capitalism into medieval Europe, to then use said population to spread the system around the rest of the world. It is not oft acknowledged how different the world would have looked even five to six hundred years ago, as the true histories and free peoples of this planet have been destroyed and/or assimilated into the global capitalist empire.
It is necessary to say that there is nothing new here, neither in the essay or book. Indeed it has already been more eloquently and prohetically elaborated in the past century by Lewis Mumford in several worls including, among other titles: Technics and CivilIzation (published 1934); The City In History (pubished 1960); and his magnum opus The Myth of the Machine (1966 and 1967) its 2 volumes intended to complete the themes first interwoven together in the aforementioned Technics and Civilization. His critique of what has come to be the extant plan by today's techno-oligarchs to download their consciousness into an eternally living being, residing in hololgraphic metaverse, was predicted in 1960. It is so chillingly prescient that you might think it was written only a few months or years ago, but astoundingly, Mumford articulated his analysis 62 years ago. I would strongly recommend Technics and Civilization and The Myth of the Machine's two volumes to fully comprehend the ramifications of what we are witnessing today. They will certainly be depressing, but if the dim prospects of the planet's survival of a post-human epoch is of concern to the awakened among you, they perhaps may be a tonic to realistic pacificist action.
I am at a bit of a disadvantage in having read those works by Mumford some years ago. Though I revisited some of Mumford's work in "The City in History" recently, as I cited in the piece. Certainly Scheidler is inspired by Mumford, as he notes in crediting the concept of the Megamachine to Mumford. He is also inspired by a wide range of thinkers, and whatever Mumford wrote, Scheidler certainly brings it up to date with the range of crises the world now faces. Having read Mumford, I still find Scheidler fresh with insights, and a worthy read.
I could not agree more. Very good points about both Mumford and Scheidler. Mumford could not have quite imagined our contemporary situation, and he did not. Scheidler is writing from within this contemporary situation.
The frustration in exploring the possibilities for legitimate positive action for the benefit of humanity and the planet is in the realization of the fact that at this time, the enemy has successfully constructed a system that gives it every possible advantage in the suppression of the human spirit and popular mass movements to restore genuine life on the planet. To my understanding, the last time of such significant movements on the planet (or at least in the U.S.) occurred in the 1960's and 70's, and those movements themselves were up against adversaries (both public ie the state and private) with massive advantages, including control of national media apparati and a centrally planned society (from an architectural perspective, in terms of the urban-suburban-rural dispersed model) that made/makes/would make it that much more difficult for populations to physically come together in large numbers, were people to even wish to do so now. Beyond that, my feeling is that these Satanic (in the sense of existing solely to increase their own power and control at the expense of all life on the planet) architects have endeavored to control humanity at the deepest core level, such that the identities, beliefs, sentiments and hope of people today are so hopelessly chained and wedded to the system that the idea of organizing people to actually overthrow a system based on money and private property would sound confusing or illogical at best, and downright offensive at worst. Perhaps this sentiment would hold less true amongst younger populations, but I feel it to be every bit accurate in response to the slumbering (though dwindling) middle class suburban populations.
I am going through a rough patch right now (in these New Normal times, who is not?) and will reply both to you and Patrick Mazza ASAP. I would like to briefly [and gently] reply apropos your observation that 'this sentiment would hold less true amongst younger populations', that it's been my discouraging experience--through no fault of their own, but rather as the same tightly held grip on academia that the sinister architects hold on mass media--attempting to catalyze youth out of their state sponsored indoctrination has been a losing battle. In the overwhelming number of my encounters with young people (even with college/universtiy educated graduates) I find myself having to tread through what I can only characterize as smiley faced, thought disordered mass who aspire to be rich beyond all imaginings via the route of unfetttered government entrepreneurship. They worship the idols of Musk, Bezos et al. My original reply to Patrick Mazza was written in haste and was not intended to be brusque, as I reread my original post. But I would like to reply at greater, more thoughtful length to put forth my case. Thank you (and Patrick M. for your responses. Best wishes...
Graeber is one of Scheidler’s key sources. I haven’t read his book yet, but plan to.