Review by Brian Griffith for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body Rating:
In this book Riane Eisler focuses on the issues surrounding joy. Why, she asks, are love and evil, cruelty and pleasure, so confounded in our private and public lives? Her answers involve a journey through the heart of civilization as we know it:
“…it may well be that at least in some instances the Christian condemnation of sexual “licentiousness” was due to the … all too common association of sex with violence and domination. … But the Church did not then – any more than it does now – condemn the association of sex with violence… Instead, it condemned sexual pleasure.”
Eisler sets out to reconstruct the history of sex and love, starting with the bonobos chimpanzees. She traces the biological evolution of pleasure and the “chemistry of love”. Endorphins become a powerful pleasure-reward for social bonding. Sex takes an importance far beyond reproduction. A different Darwinism emerges, stressing the survival of those with the greatest capacity for joy, love and mutual care. In Eisler’s critical path, the future belongs not to those with the greatest means of coercion, or even with the best means of production, but to those able to inspire partnership between former competitors.
It may seem odd, but the view that love and joy are central in human development is a dubious and unproven theory. Before it can be taken seriously, it must be backed with “hard” scientific and historical evidence. Eisler therefore supports her observations with a respectable 54 pages of reference notes.
Most of the book comes under the heading, “Where Do We Go From Here?”, in which Eisler spins her distinctive moral vision. To her mind, the modern media link of sex with violence:
“…is not (as is often claimed) a product of modern sexual “laxness”, but imbedded in ancient dominator traditions – this is not “the sexual revolution”. It is the dominator sexual counter-revolution.”
She turns to praising real people who are building families of mutuality, politics of compassion, or to use Hazel Henderson’s term, “the love economy”. Through her Partnership Studies Center, Eisler works with like-minded people around the world. She introduces some of them: the Ecopolis Culture and Health Center in Moscow, a network called Women Living Under Muslim Laws, the Oakland Men’s Project, the Mothers of El Salvador, Business for Social Responsibility, the Defense of Children International, the Prague-based East-West Gender Studies Center, or the Partnership Research Group at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing (which has produced a book called The Chalice and the Blade in Chinese Culture). As she writes, Eisler’s sentences grow longer, with the cadence of someone excited. The sympathetic reader may feel walls crumbling. If the sentences are run on, who cares?
In her last section, Eisler looks to myths and stories for a reconstruction of love. Among the stories she shares is a poem by her partner David Loye, transforming the tale of Adam and Eve into a tender touch after a bad dream.
Review by Wim van Heck for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body Rating:
The partnership-model, where Riane Eisler refers to is the healing tradition of Heaven and Earth, before humanity made the shift to separate nature and spirit in two different realms. And where one became more important than the other, with all its dehumanizing and destructive consequences. Although her tone is servere, it is not to put something in place, it is to highlight that, which is out of place, which is in utter disbalance. Before we act, we have first to see! Needed is the discovery of Heaven in ourselves, where all is One: to see the Grail(and this can be experienced) but at the same time asking the rebalancing question: Why is the Fisher-king Ill? And Riane Eisler answers this question with an astounding but uplifting compassion. She points not to a theory, another Utopia by and for men, but a practical living based on core values as freedom, respect and equavalence of man, woman and children. Don’t believe her but try for yourself. For me it is the most re-connecting experience in my live. As if my eyes for the first time starts to see.
Review by Tamala Gage for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body Rating:
A very interesting and enlightening book for anyone seeking to understand World Sexuality and Sexuality in our own lives. Modern times show us everything from burka’s to genuine hard-core pornagraphy that in American is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. How does one make sense of all this?? KNOWLEDGE Eisler’s book is a good place to start. As with “The Chalice and The Blade”, there are a lot of proven historical facts. Makes one take a closer look…. especially in regards to what we consdier “sacred”. 5000 years of historical information will make one rethink their own personal values.
Review by techatoui@ivillage.com for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body Rating:
It is patently stupid to imply that the human urge towards partnership cannot possibly be real because “we haven’t gotten there after 25 million years.” We WERE there once. We can be there again. We’re sentient creatures, after all, and uniquely gifted with the ability to act on our sentience. Never mind politics or bruised egos; it’s about time the species grew up and quit committing species suicide. This book gives us one instrument for that purpose.
Review by Paul David Tuff for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body Rating:
Read this book and celebrate, or read it and condemn it because you’re still mired in dominator ideology. For those of you who want some of the answers to the most important questions facing humanity, this book provides plenty of them. For those of you who don’t see the answers this book provides, I hope you eventually learn to ask the right questions!
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(out of 11 reviews)
Review by Brian Griffith for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body
Rating:
In this book Riane Eisler focuses on the issues surrounding joy. Why, she asks, are love and evil, cruelty and pleasure, so confounded in our private and public lives? Her answers involve a journey through the heart of civilization as we know it:
“…it may well be that at least in some instances the Christian condemnation of sexual “licentiousness” was due to the … all too common association of sex with violence and domination. … But the Church did not then – any more than it does now – condemn the association of sex with violence… Instead, it condemned sexual pleasure.”
Eisler sets out to reconstruct the history of sex and love, starting with the bonobos chimpanzees. She traces the biological evolution of pleasure and the “chemistry of love”. Endorphins become a powerful pleasure-reward for social bonding. Sex takes an importance far beyond reproduction. A different Darwinism emerges, stressing the survival of those with the greatest capacity for joy, love and mutual care. In Eisler’s critical path, the future belongs not to those with the greatest means of coercion, or even with the best means of production, but to those able to inspire partnership between former competitors.
It may seem odd, but the view that love and joy are central in human development is a dubious and unproven theory. Before it can be taken seriously, it must be backed with “hard” scientific and historical evidence. Eisler therefore supports her observations with a respectable 54 pages of reference notes.
Most of the book comes under the heading, “Where Do We Go From Here?”, in which Eisler spins her distinctive moral vision. To her mind, the modern media link of sex with violence:
“…is not (as is often claimed) a product of modern sexual “laxness”, but imbedded in ancient dominator traditions – this is not “the sexual revolution”. It is the dominator sexual counter-revolution.”
She turns to praising real people who are building families of mutuality, politics of compassion, or to use Hazel Henderson’s term, “the love economy”. Through her Partnership Studies Center, Eisler works with like-minded people around the world. She introduces some of them: the Ecopolis Culture and Health Center in Moscow, a network called Women Living Under Muslim Laws, the Oakland Men’s Project, the Mothers of El Salvador, Business for Social Responsibility, the Defense of Children International, the Prague-based East-West Gender Studies Center, or the Partnership Research Group at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing (which has produced a book called The Chalice and the Blade in Chinese Culture). As she writes, Eisler’s sentences grow longer, with the cadence of someone excited. The sympathetic reader may feel walls crumbling. If the sentences are run on, who cares?
In her last section, Eisler looks to myths and stories for a reconstruction of love. Among the stories she shares is a poem by her partner David Loye, transforming the tale of Adam and Eve into a tender touch after a bad dream.
Review by Wim van Heck for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body
Rating:
The partnership-model, where Riane Eisler refers to is the healing tradition of Heaven and Earth, before humanity made the shift to separate nature and spirit in two different realms. And where one became more important than the other, with all its dehumanizing and destructive consequences. Although her tone is servere, it is not to put something in place, it is to highlight that, which is out of place, which is in utter disbalance. Before we act, we have first to see! Needed is the discovery of Heaven in ourselves, where all is One: to see the Grail(and this can be experienced) but at the same time asking the rebalancing question: Why is the Fisher-king Ill? And Riane Eisler answers this question with an astounding but uplifting compassion. She points not to a theory, another Utopia by and for men, but a practical living based on core values as freedom, respect and equavalence of man, woman and children. Don’t believe her but try for yourself. For me it is the most re-connecting experience in my live. As if my eyes for the first time starts to see.
Review by Tamala Gage for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body
Rating:
A very interesting and enlightening book for anyone seeking to understand World Sexuality and Sexuality in our own lives.
Modern times show us everything from burka’s to genuine hard-core pornagraphy that in American is a multi-billion dollar a year industry.
How does one make sense of all this?? KNOWLEDGE
Eisler’s book is a good place to start. As with “The Chalice and The Blade”, there are a lot of proven historical facts. Makes one take a closer look…. especially in regards to what we consdier “sacred”.
5000 years of historical information will make one rethink their own personal values.
Review by techatoui@ivillage.com for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body
Rating:
It is patently stupid to imply that the human urge towards partnership cannot possibly be real because “we haven’t gotten there after 25 million years.” We WERE there once. We can be there again. We’re sentient creatures, after all, and uniquely gifted with the ability to act on our sentience. Never mind politics or bruised egos; it’s about time the species grew up and quit committing species suicide. This book gives us one instrument for that purpose.
Review by Paul David Tuff for Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body
Rating:
Read this book and celebrate, or read it and condemn it because you’re still mired in dominator ideology. For those of you who want some of the answers to the most important questions facing humanity, this book provides plenty of them. For those of you who don’t see the answers this book provides, I hope you eventually learn to ask the right questions!