[D66] Against Civilisation

[R.O.]

https://libcom.org/files/Against%20Civilization%20-%20John%20Zerzan.pdf

Against Civilization
Readings & Reflections

John Zerzan, editor 1999

TOC

Introduction4

Section One: Before Civilization	6

ROY WALKER: THE GOLDEN FEAST (1952)	7
HOXIE NEALE FAIRCHILD: THE NOBLE SAVAGE: A STUDY IN ROMANTIC NATURALISM 
(1928)11
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU: DISCOURSE ON THE ORIGINS OF INEQUALITY (1754)14
HENRY DAVID THOREAU: “EXCURSIONS” (1863) 17
FREDY PERLMAN: AGAINST HIS-STORY, AGAINST LEVIATHAN! (1983)18
ARNOLD DEVRIES: PRIMITIVE MAN AND HIS FOOD (1952)20
MARSHALL SAHLINS: “THE ORIGINAL AFFLUENT SOCIETY” (1968) 22
LYNN CLIVE: “BIRDS COMBAT CIVILIZATION” (1985) 25
JOHN LANDAU: “WILDFLOWERS: A BOUQUET OF THESES” (1998) 26
THEODOR ADORNO: MINIMA MORALIA: REFLECTIONS FROM DAMAGED LIFE (1947)28

Section Two: The Coming of Civilization29

GEORGE P MARSH: THE EARTH AS MODIFIED BY HUMAN ACTION (1907)30
FREDERICK TURNER: BEYOND GEOGRAPHY: THE WESTERN SPIRIT AGAINST THE 
WILDERNESS (1980) 33
JAMES AXTELL: THE INVASION WITHIN: THE CONTEST OF CULTURES IN COLONIAL 
NORTH AMERICA (1985)37
JOHN ZERZAN: ELEMENTS OF REFUSAL (1988)39
PAUL SHEPARD: NATURE AND MADNESS (1982) 42
MARK NATHAN COHEN: HEALTH AND THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION (1989) 46
ROBIN FOX: THE SEARCH FOR SOCIETY (1989) 51
CHELLIS GLENDINNING: MY NAME IS CHELLIS AND I’M IN RECOVERY FROM WESTERN 
CIVILIZATION (1994)52

Section Three: The Nature of Civilization54

FRIEDRICH SCHILLER: ON THE AESTHETIC EDUCATION OF MAN (1793)55
CHARLES FOURIER: THEORY OF FOUR MOVEMENTS AND GENERAL DESTINIES (1846)  56
SIGMUND FREUD: CIVILIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS (1930) 57
JOHN LANDAU: “CIVILIZATION AND THE PRIMITIVE” (1995) 58
MAX HORKHEIMER: ECLIPSE OF REASON (1947) 59
MAX HORKHEIMER: DAWN AND DECLINE (1961) 61
RICHARD HEINBERG: “WAS CIVILIZATION A MISTAKE?” (1997) 62
BARBARA MOR: HERE: A SMALL HISTORY OF A MINING TOWN IN THE AMERICAN 
SOUTHWEST: WARREN BISBEE AZ
(1985) 67
IVAN ILLICH: TOWARD A HISTORY OF NEEDS (1978) 70
ZYGMUNT BAUMAN: MODERNITY AND THE HOLOCAUST (1989) 72
T FULANO: “CIVILIZATION IS LIKE A JETLINER” (1983) 75
UNABOMBER (AKA “FC”): “INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY AND ITS FUTURE” (1995) 77

Section Four: The Pathology of Civilization78

MAX NORDAU: CONVENTIONAL LIES, OR OUR CIVILIZATION (1895)79
WILLIAM H KOETKE: THE FINAL EMPIRE: THE COLLAPSE OF CIVILIZATION AND THE 
SEED OF THE FUTURE
(1993) 80
JOSEPH A TAINTER: THE COLLAPSE OF COMPLEX SOCIETIES (1988) 84
THEODORE ROSZAK: WHERE THE WASTELAND ENDS: POLITICS AND TRANSCENDENCE IN 
POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
(1972) 87
ANDREW BARD SCHMOOKLER: THE PARABLE OF THE TRIBES: THE PROBLEM OF POWER 
IN SOCIAL EVOLUTION
(1995) 90
PETER SLOTERDIJK: CRITIQUE OF CYNICAL REASON (1987) 92
FREDRIC JAMESON: THE SEEDS OF TIME (1994)94
LABOR OF LUDD: “THE MEDIUM IS THE MEDIUM” (1998) 96
DES RÉFRACTAIRES: “HOW NICE TO BE CIVILIZED!” (1993)97
DAVID WATSON: “CIVILIZATION IN BULK” (1991)  99
RICHARD HEINBERG: MEMORIES AND VISIONS OF PARADISE (1995)104

Section Five: The Resistance to Civilization105

RUDOLF BAHRO: AVOIDING SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL DISASTER: THE POLITICS OF 
WORLD TRANSFORMATION
(1994) 106
JOHN ZERZAN: FUTURE PRIMITIVE (1994)  109
WILLIAM MORRIS: NEWS FROM NOWHERE (1995) 110
FERAL FAUN: “FERAL REVOLUTION”  113
“DON’T EAT YOUR REVOLUTION! MAKE IT!” (1995) 115
GLENN PARTON: “THE MACHINE IN OUR HEADS” (1997) 116
ALON K RAAB: “REVOLT OF THE BATS” (1995)122
KIRKPATRICK SALE: REBELS AGAINST THE FUTURE: LESSONS FROM THE LUDDITES 
(1995) 125
DERRICK JENSEN: “ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS” (1998)128
ANTI-AUTHORITARIANS ANONYMOUS: “WE HAVE TO DISMANTLE ALL THIS” (1995)130

Section Six: Under the pavement, the beach (Paris, 1968)132

Permissions133

Biographical Note134