Books › Cows, pigs, wars, & witches
Cows, pigs, wars, & witches
First published 1974 · 282 pages
A provocative, paradigm-shifting journey that strips away the mystique of human behavior to reveal the cold, fascinating logic beneath.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like putting on a pair of X-ray glasses that suddenly reveal the hidden scaffolding of human society. It is a brisk, intellectually exhilarating experience that takes the most baffling cultural practices from sacred cows to witch hunts and dismantles them with cool, pragmatic logic. The narrative voice is assertive and unapologetically rational, guiding you out of the fog of mysticism and into the sharp light of material reality. You will find yourself constantly pausing to reevaluate your own deeply held beliefs as the text systematically proves that even the most bizarre human behaviors are rooted in survival and economics. It is a deeply satisfying read for curious skeptics who crave a grounded, demystifying approach to the chaos of human history.
- Mood
- intellectually stimulating
- grounded
- eye-opening
- pragmatic
- Tone
- analytical
- provocative
- rational
- polemical
- demystifying
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the hidden logic of human behavior · ecological constraints · demystification of the sacred · material conditions shaping belief · rationality of the irrational
- The writing
- Clear, assertive, and highly accessible, favoring sharp logic and concrete evidence over dense academic jargon.
- The arc
- Moves from a sense of bewilderment at seemingly bizarre cultural practices to a deeply satisfying, grounded clarity.
- Who it's for
- Curious skeptics and armchair anthropologists who love having their assumptions challenged and discovering the hidden rules behind human behavior.
Content notes
- animal slaughter
- warfare
- witch trials and executions
- religious critiques
About the book
This book challenges those who argue that we can change the world by changing the way people think. The author shows that no matter how bizarre a people's behavior may seem, it always stems from concrete social and economic conditions. It is by isolating and identifying these conditions that we will be able to understand and cope with some of our own apparently senseless life styles. In a devastating attack on the shamans of the counterculture, the author states the case for a return to objective consciousness and a rational set of political commitments.
Description from Open Library.
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