#danielquinn

[edwardgdunn]

A Review of “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn: One Of The Most Profound Books I’ve Ever Experienced

Perhaps the most thought provoking book I’ve ever experienced. Every chapter seemed to be a lightbulb experience. I have shared this book, more than any other I’ve read.

Introduction

“Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn is a thought-provoking, philosophical novel that challenges conventional wisdom and encourages readers to question humanity’s place in the world. Published in 1992, it has garnered a passionate following and received numerous awards.

Daniel Quinn: The Man Behind the Message

Daniel Quinn, the author of “Ishmael,” was an American author and environmentalist whose life and personal journey deeply influenced his literary work. Born on October 11, 1935, in Omaha, Nebraska, Quinn’s early life was marked by a thirst for knowledge. He pursued his education at St. Louis University, where he earned a degree in English. After completing his studies, Quinn’s path to becoming a novelist was far from straightforward. He worked in various roles, including as a teacher, editor, and ghostwriter, before embarking on his career as a writer.

He was also in training to become a Trappist monk however was expelled from the seminary for his unconventional thinking which ran afoul of the church.

It was during these years of exploration and self-discovery that Quinn’s unique perspective on the world began to take shape. His experiences, interests, and unquenchable curiosity about human society, ecology, and the interconnectedness of all life on Earth led him to pen “Ishmael.” This novel, written in a Socratic dialogue format, became the culmination of Quinn’s deep reflections and insights, reflecting his quest for understanding the world and the urgent need for change.

The Story of “Ishmael”

“Ishmael” is a novel that takes the form of a dialogue between a nameless narrator and the eponymous character, Ishmael, who is a wise and telepathic gorilla. Ishmael’s unique perspective and wisdom serve as the catalyst for a profound journey of self-discovery and enlightenment for the narrator.

Key Lessons and Takeaways

1. The Taker and Leaver Cultures:

One of the central themes of “Ishmael” is the distinction between “Taker” and “Leaver” cultures. Takers are characterized by a mindset of domination and exploitation of the Earth, while Leavers live in harmony with nature. Quinn argues that human civilization, particularly in the industrialized world, has largely adopted the Taker culture, leading to ecological and societal problems.

Quinn’s work highlights the urgent need for a paradigm shift from a Taker mindset to a more balanced, Leaver perspective that respects the environment and all its inhabitants.

2. The Myth of Human Supremacy:

Quinn challenges the belief that humanity is inherently superior to all other species. He argues that this belief has led to the environmental degradation and ecological imbalances plaguing the planet. Instead, he suggests a more holistic view of our place within the web of life, emphasizing our interdependence with other species.

3. The Importance of Storytelling:

Ishmael emphasizes the role of storytelling in shaping human culture. Quinn contends that Taker societies are built on a dangerous narrative, which must be rewritten to foster a more sustainable and harmonious world.

Quinn’s narrative showcases the power of storytelling not only in understanding our current predicament but also in envisioning a more sustainable and harmonious future.

4. Responsibility and Change:

Quinn does not merely point out the problems but also suggests that humans have the power to change their course. He argues for a shift in consciousness, urging readers to take responsibility for their impact on the planet and adopt a more sustainable way of life.

“Ishmael” is a call to action, encouraging readers to become aware of their roles in the larger ecological narrative and make positive changes in their lives to contribute to a healthier planet.

5. Paradigm Shift:

“Ishmael” ultimately calls for a paradigm shift in human thinking. It encourages readers to reevaluate their beliefs, behaviors, and the societal systems that perpetuate ecological destruction. Quinn’s book serves as a call to action for a more sustainable future.

Through Ishmael’s wisdom, Quinn invites readers to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and positive change, suggesting that by altering our perspectives and behaviors, we can contribute to a more balanced and sustainable world.

Conclusion

“Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn is a remarkable literary work that challenges readers to reexamine their worldview and consider their role in the larger tapestry of life. Daniel Quinn’s personal journey and passion for environmentalism shine through in this engaging and thought-provoking novel. The book offers profound lessons about our relationship with the natural world and the urgent need to reevaluate our societal values and practices.

Through the wisdom of Ishmael, Quinn invites readers to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and positive change. It remains a timeless and essential read for anyone interested in the intersection of ecology, philosophy, and human society, making a compelling case for reimagining our place in the world and working towards a more harmonious and sustainable future.

Check out the podcast episode…

Check out the Happiness 2.0 Podcast — https://podcast.edwardgdunn.com/

Read the Happiness 2.0 Blog — https://edwardgdunn.com/blog

[levysoft]

L'argomento principale che voglio sostenere è che se si usa Docker, non si scrive più software , ma piuttosto si creano immagini immutabili . Immagini che vengono sviluppate localmente, testate in CI e distribuite in produzione, ma, cosa importante, l'immagine in ciascuna di queste fasi è esattamente la stessa : riproducibile a ogni svolta. C'è poco valore nello sviluppare e testare una cosa se ciò che si distribuisce in produzione è qualcosa di completamente diverso. Ditelo con me:

Metti alla prova ciò che sviluppi. Distribuisci ciò che testi.

Questo modello ha molti vantaggi, il più forte dei quali è probabilmente la semplicità. Riduce notevolmente il numero di trucchi e hack di cui hai bisogno per far funzionare i tuoi vari ambienti, riducendo così le sorprese (e il codice extra!) in tutte le fasi. Richiede tuttavia un cambiamento nel modo in cui potresti essere abituato a costruire le cose. Ma va bene così. […] 

[golge-gezgin]

https://golgegezgin.blogspot.com/2022/04/travel-ankara-149-beypazar.html

Dünyadaki en önemli varlıklar olduğumuzu, dünyanın patronları ve kodamanları olduğumuzu düşünmemize rağmen, aslında sadece genlerimiz ölümsüzlüğe doğru yol alırken bir kereliğine kullanılıp elden çıkarılan makineleriz. 

( Daniel Quinn, Medeniyetin Ötesi )

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[ Ankara, Beypazarı, 23.04.2022 ]

[goodbearblind]

"...— In posti come quello — riprese a raccontare dopo un po' — gli animali non hanno altro da fare che restare chiusi in gabbia, e in genere sono più portati a pensare che non i loro cugini in libertà. Questo dipende dal fatto che anche il più ottuso non può evitare di intuire che c'è qualcosa di sbagliato in quello stile di vita. Quando sostengo che sono portati a pensare, non voglio dire che acquistino il raziocinio; ma, ciò nonostante, la mente della tigre che percorre nervosamente la gabbia avanti e indietro è senza dubbio assorta in qualcosa che un uomo definirebbe pensiero. E questo pensiero è una domanda: perché? Perché, perché, perché, perché, perché, perché?, chiede la tigre a se stessa ora dopo ora, giorno dopo giorno, anno dopo anno, mentre continua il suo interminabile andirivieni dietro le sbarre. Non può analizzare la domanda né elaborarla. Se potessimo chiederle: perché cosa?, non sarebbe in grado di rispondere. Tuttavia questa domanda brucia nella sua mente come una fiamma perenne, causandole un dolore che non si attenua fino a quando l'animale non cade in quella letargia che i guardiani riconoscono come l'irreversibile rifiuto di vivere. E, com'è ovvio, questa domanda è qualcosa che nessuna tigre affronta nel suo normale habitat." (N.b. Qui chi racconta è un gorilla...) [DANIEL QUINN, Ishmael, 1992, (11 ottobre 1935 - 17 febbraio 2018) è stato un autore americano (principalmente romanziere e fabulista), critico culturale ed editore di testi educativi, noto soprattutto per il suo romanzo Ishmael] . . #danielquinn #Ishmael (presso Planet Earth) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNy-vBpljLU/?igshid=24v3dcobz3tz

[bonnettsbooks]

A pair of #DanielQuinn's Ishmael books arrived not too long ago. A contemplative read as opportunities to visit with nature approach in Spring. 2/9/22 Open 6-9p Mask req'r'd. No open beverages, plz. (at Bonnett's Book Store) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZxTpgqPqhr/?utm_medium=tumblr

[slickcatbooks]

Today’s Literary Calendar birthdays boys and girls! Today we our happy birthday wishes go out to: Bruce Bartlett, Daniel Quinn, Doris Piserchia, Elmore Leonard, Frances E. Henne, Francois Mauriac, James McPherson, Paul Sereno, Richard Paul Evans, Russell Freedman, Steen Steensen Blicher! Learn more about each at: https://slickcatbooks.com/pages/literary-calendar-2021 #slickcatbooks #greatbooksgreatmemories #literarycalendar #birthdays #authorsbirthdays #brucebartlett #danielquinn #dorispiserchia #elmoreleonard #francesehenne #francoismauriac #jamesmcpherson #paulsereno #richardpaulevans #russellfreedman #steensteensenblicher https://www.instagram.com/p/CU5ot_kFxuU/?utm_medium=tumblr

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Rubber (2010)

One night, a group of friends and myself gathered specifically to comb through Netflix in search of something that none of us had seen yet.  My friend group was pretty diverse and knowledgeable, so it took many, many strikeouts before we settled upon Rubber.  With no clue what we were getting into to, we settled in, started up the film, and found ourselves forever changed roughly 90 minutes later.

A group of strangers gathered in the desert are given a speech from Sheriff Chad (Stephen Spinella) about how things in movies tend to happen for ‘no reason’, and that the ‘film’ they are about to watch happens, indeed, for ‘no reason’.  An accountant (Jack Plotnick) then hands each audience member a pair of binoculars, and the group turns to survey the desert.  After several moments, Robert (a tire), emerges from the dirt.  Several wobbly, unsuccessful attempts at movement are made before the tire suddenly gains the ability to roll around.  A bit more time unveils that the tire has a psychic ability to make the head of any object that it focuses on long enough explode.  Amazed and confused, the group watches the tire and the drama that unfolds around it for several days.

If Wrong (his follow-up film) is a celebration of the absurd, then Rubber is an indoctrination of it.  From the very beginning, we are unsure how things are going to work, as the buildup to Sheriff Chad’s speech is long and meticulous, and the audience he is speaking to is not revealed until his speech is complete, making the audience think he is literally addressing us based on the framing.  The audience quite often comments or reflects in ways that mirror exactly what is going on in your head at the time.  Things get so ridiculous during the proceedings that, at a certain moment, the participants of the ‘film’ stop doing their job/roles due to a misunderstanding, and are forced to immediately snap back into place upon learning they’re wrong, even though continuity is now completely busted in ways you have to see to believe.  The humor is nice and dark, and the tire being put in the starring role makes the horror extremely deceptive, and only realized when you look at things on a base level.

As per usual, the level of absurdity is completely matched by the skill and filmmaking prowess shown by Quentin Dupieux.  There really isn’t anyone else making films quite like the ones he is making.  In the case of Rubber, the way that the language of film is used to make Robert emote is extremely precise and powerful.  Be it a higher frame rate and wider aperture for Robert’s discovery of mobility, music cues to symbolize his sense of freedom and lack of responsibility, and even stylistic tracking shots and camera framing let you know exactly how you should be feeling about Robert at most every turn of the film.  The humans he interacts with, by comparison to Robert, either gain your compassion or are seen as meaningless fodder for Robert to destroy, which is more so a reflection of the individual viewer than the character found at the business end of Robert’s abilities.  

In a way, I believe that this film is Dupieux’s way of both commenting on films and their audiences, as well as educating an audience in the varied aspects of processing a film.  Sheriff Chad could easily symbolize the head of a studio, the accountant a distributor or theater owner, the audience an immediate surrogate for us or critics, and the inhabitants of the film world would serve as a production’s cast and crew.  The tongue in cheek jokes, the ‘power’ that Robert possesses, the constant bickering and observations between audience members with opposing viewpoints, and the premature shutdown of the ‘production’ are all symbolism that is not hard to unpack, but the presentation of these aspects is extremely unique and effective.

Jack Plotnick plays the accountant, puppet to what we assume is a much darker force in control, and the malaise that he projects comes off extremely strong, making it hard to discern his intentions.  Daniel Quinn and Devin Brochu play a hilarious father/son duo who, along with Charley Koontz, Ethan Cohn, Wings Hauser, Hayley Holmes and Haley Ramm, are endlessly entertaining as the audience on the hill.  Roxane Mesquida plays a mysterious woman that becomes the first target of Robert that we feel afraid for, and manages to make the connection with us using very little in the way of dialogue or screen time.  David Bowe is hilarious as the owner of the hotel that plays as main location for the majority of the middle third of the film.

If you’re looking for something eye-opening and offbeat, then Rubber will quell those desires and then some.  Outside of the other films in the Quentin Dupieux catalog, there really isn’t much out there like it, which is a great thing.

[marctucci]

#ishmael #danielquinn https://www.instagram.com/p/CAbzY_dHOfa/?igshid=i5t4uxurcid2

[cum-om-me]

Some coffee and light reading this morning

[suiriswhite]

"There's nothing fundamentally wrong with people. Given a story to enact that puts them in accord with the world, they will live in accord with the world. But given a story to enact that puts them at odds with the world, as yours does, they will live at odds with the world. Given a story to enact in which they are the lords of the world, they will ACT like lords of the world. And, given a story to enact in which the world is a foe to be conquered, they will conquer it like a foe, and one day, inevitably, their foe will lie bleeding to death at their feet, as the world is now." - Daniel Quinn, Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit💫 Finished reading this book last Friday and it's still in the back of my mind all the time. Even joined a Facebook group to talk to people who read it as well. Because to be honest, I just felt so alone, lost and hopeless after reading this book. It's like my world has been shaken. I know this wasn't the intention of the author but it's just how I felt and still feel about this whole topic. Guess you can't hear it anymore but it's really important to me and this is why I say it again: Read this book.📙👁 . . . #ishmael#danielquinn#mustread#stories#enactastory#readmorebooks#reading#lifechanging#gamechanger#awareness#consciousness#wakeup#society#feedinglies#spiritual#spirituality#alwaysonmymind#thinkaboutit#newideas#newtheories#magical#yourownmagic#ourearth#ourplanet#norightwaytolife#takersandleavers#takerslifestyle#leaverslifestyle#plantifulalex

[zazielavraie]

#ishmael #danielquinn #editionslibre #dgr #gorille #ecologie

[adafine]

I’ve never seen this before but I definitely remember the VHS box at Red’s #scannercop2theshowdown #danielquinn #patrickkilpatrick #khrystynehaje #robertforster #stevebarnett #vinegarsyndrome #4kbluray #firsttimewatch (at Eastpointe Apartments) https://www.instagram.com/p/CP54EjGAH-_/?utm_medium=tumblr

[golge-gezgin]

https://golgegezgin.blogspot.com/2022/09/travel-ankara-172-beypazar-macun.html

İnsanların yaşaması için tek bir doğru yol yoktur.

( Daniel Quinn, Medeniyetin Ötesi )

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[ Ankara, Beypazarı, Macunköy, Yaşayan Köy, 18.09.2022 ]

[goodbearblind]

"Cercai finché non diventai maturo e smisi di prendere in giro me stesso, ma dentro di me morì qualcosa, qualcosa che in un certo senso avevo sempre amato e ammirato. Al suo posto restò una cicatrice, una ferita rimarginata ma sempre dolente." [DANIEL QUINN, Ishmael, 1992, (11 ottobre 1935 - 17 febbraio 2018) è stato un autore americano (principalmente romanziere e fabulista), critico culturale ed editore di testi educativi, noto soprattutto per il suo romanzo Ishmael] . . #danielquinn #danielquinnishmael https://www.instagram.com/p/CN1nm_yFlIo/?igshid=1f3wmf8km4242

[jackiehadel1]

“They put their shoulders to the wheel during the day, stupefy themselves with drugs or television at night, and try not to think too searchingly about the world they’re leaving their children to cope with.” ― #danielquinn #Ishmael @ishmael.lords #readishmael 1dec18 #gorilla #streetart #wynwood #florida #usa #mural #art #street #igers #tokidokinomadblog #instagood #photooftheday #photography #urbanart #artbasel2018 #miamiartbasel #artbaselmiami #artbaselmiami2018 #wallart #travel #graffiti #gopro https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq3tI3FnN2t/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=v5ud34rumnvs

[gonzosam81]

Re-reading this book, for the first time in almost Two WHOLE Decades! Forgot just how #Powerful this book is!!! #Ishmael #DanielQuinn #AgriculturalRevolution #MotherCultureLies #TakersandLeavers #HumansLostEquilibriumWithNature #FooledIntoThinkingWeHaveTheWisdomOfTheGods #ExemptedOurselvesFromLimitedCompetition #ThisBookChangesLives (at Morrisania, Bronx)