"Human evolution is now at a crossroads. Stripped to its essentials, the central human task is how to organize society to promote the survival of our species and the development of our unique potentials."
"The Chalice and the Blade" gives an account of our human past that differs from that which has been traditionally handed down to us. Based on archeological evidence from our prehistory and a look at more recent history through a different lens, Eisler portrays a past in which we enjoyed peace and prosperity which was reflected through the mutual partnership between men and women. This is termed by Eisler as a gylanic society, whereas the type of society that we are currently experiencing, one that is often referred to as patriarchal and espouses differences between individuals in an inferior/superior relationship, she terms androcratic. Once this is established, history and its underside comes into sharp focus. During different periods of our history, the spurts of relative peace and productivity that we have experienced have been reflected in societies which lean more toward gylanic relationships between men and women whereas during particularly dark, violent, and repressive periods the androcratic relationship between the sexes has been at work. This brings exciting prospects for our shared future as we are given an alternative to the ingrained idea that our violent nature is predetermined. Instead, we can work again for a partnership model of society, which based on our current capacity for devastating destruction and unbridled technology at the cost of our natural world is a requirement for our continuing human saga rather than an interesting prospect.
Links:
Riane Eisler's Homepage
Citation Information:
Eisler, R. T. (1987). The chalice and the blade: Our history, our future. Cambridge, MA: Harper & Row.
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