Review by Choice Review
Lent (founder and president, Liology Institute) is self-taught in history and social science and has a background in English literature and in the high-tech world. In his book, he examines the "patterning instinct," the human drive to find meanings and connect them into systems of belief, ideology, science, and language. Pattern seeking, planning, ordinary meaning, and the meaning of life are included. Lent traces cognition and ideology from the dawn of humanity through early civilizations and the making of modern thought, with special attention to the scientific revolution. He turns to the problems of the modern world, especially the creation of technology that allows people to overconsume and endanger the planet's future. The author lists some impossible fixes and concludes that humanity needs to draw on traditional wisdom and modern systems thinking to come up with solutions. Lent is particularly fine at understanding other civilizations, from ancient Mesopotamia through the Greeks, Chinese, and Hindus. Unfortunately, as a function of trying to cover so much in one book, there are many mistakes. Most are minor, but some are serious enough to hurt the message. For anyone wanting a challenging read who is willing to do some fact-checking. Summing Up: Recommended. General and public libraries, and specialists. --Eugene N. Anderson, University of California, Riverside
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
