Listmania!
Understanding and criticizing civilization - NonFiction
A Language Older Than WordsA Language Older Than Words by Derrick Jensen
Buy used from: £3.53
A powerful book that presents destruction in society with much emotion, and explores communication with the natural world.
Walden: Lessons for the New MillenniumWalden: Lessons for the New Millennium by Henry David Thoreau
Buy used from: £1.23
A classic where Thoreau brilliantly exposes the ills of our society and how a simple life can make you much happier than you are.
A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great CivilizationsA Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations by Clive Ponting
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Gets boring at times, but a must-read nonetheless to see how we exploit the world and its people, as well as what happens to civilizations that overuse their ecosystem's resources.
Against Civilization: Readings and ReflectionsAgainst Civilization: Readings and Reflections
Buy used from: £19.49
A great book assembling excerpts from the greatest books written against the institution of civilization. The comparisons between our way of life and tribal ways are particularly interesting.
The Unabomber Manifesto: Industrial Society and Its FutureThe Unabomber Manifesto: Industrial Society and Its Future by "F.C."
Buy used from: £7.64
An excellent book; everybody should read it. It's very well and clearly written; each sentence has obviously been thought through very carefully.
Bowling for Columbine [DVD] [2002] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]Bowling for Columbine [DVD] [2002] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
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A great movie that investigates violence in society, both at personal and social levels.
Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things (New Report, No 4)Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things (New Report, No 4) by John C. Ryan
Buy new: £8.21 / Used from: £3.39
Not a pleasant read, but something everyone should be aware of.
The Fifth Dicipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning OrganisationThe Fifth Dicipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organisation by Peter M. Senge
Buy used from: £1.74
great book on systems thinking. It is a bit dense but definitely worth reading as it gives you the tools to understand how a society as a whole works.
Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions (Enriched Classics)Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions (Enriched Classics) by John (Fire) Lame Deer
Buy new: £3.96 / Used from: £1.15
The life of a "medicine man" with reflections on white society.
Running on Emptiness: The Pathology of CivilisationRunning on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilisation by John Zerzan
Buy new: £6.10 / Used from: £4.99
The first half of the book is too esoteric for my taste and I don't totally agree with Zerzan's arguments. The second half is much better and concrete.
The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary PsychologyThe Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology by Robert Wright
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A good introduction to evolutionary psychology, although at the end the author exposes his own propaganda.
Providence: a 50 Year Vision QuestProvidence: a 50 Year Vision Quest by Daniel Quinn
Buy new: £8.78 / Used from: £1.22
This is interesting if you really want to know how Ishmael came about. Otherwise, I would not recommend it.
Future Primitive and Other Essays (New Autonomy)Future Primitive and Other Essays (New Autonomy) by John Zerzan
Buy used from: £22.95
This is a powerful book if you can deal with Zerzan's writing style, which is, like his ideas, radical.
In Search of the PrimitiveIn Search of the Primitive by Stanley Diamond
Buy used from: £14.90
Despite some passages where Diamond spends a little too much time defining what anthropology should be, this book is truly wonderful and one of its kind. An absolute must-read.
The Sane SocietyThe Sane Society by Erich Fromm
Buy used from: £4.57
The social criticism is awesome. Unfortunately, Fromm missed the simple truth that the unalienated condition depends on connectedness with nature and not on its domination.
Choice, Evolution or Extinction?: Thinking Person's Guide to Global IssuesChoice, Evolution or Extinction?: Thinking Person's Guide to Global Issues by Ervin Laszlo
Buy used from: £1.53
A brief factual overview of the bad things gone worse in the 20th century. Unfortunately, Laszlo's idea to make things better is driven by a need to keep up with our mad technological race.
Going LocalGoing Local by Michael Shuman
Buy used from: £26.42
EVERYONE should read this book. It is very well thought out and very convincing. Change is possible by sticking together and empowering ourselves as self-reliant communities. The appendix is awesome.