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Grex Synthesis Item 4: Food_of_the_Gods by Terence McKenna
Entered by rlb on Mon Apr 19 01:09:12 UTC 1993:

Has anyone had the chance to read Terence McKenna's book, "Food_of_the_Gods:
The_Search_for_the_Original_Tree_of_Knowledge"?  It is a written form of
ideas, hypotheses, theories, and frankly wild conjectures that Terence
has been developing in his raps over the past 20 years at Esalen and other
"humanistic" settings.
 
Opinions, reviews or raves all appreciated.

14 responses total.

#1 of 14 by vidar on Fri Apr 15 02:23:39 1994:

What issues, exactly, does this book cover?

#2 of 14 by vishnu on Fri Apr 15 03:48:08 1994:

I'm sorry, I can't resist.  

A mighty voice booms down from the heavens.  
"SPAM IS THE FOOD OF THE GODS!"
"or pez"

#3 of 14 by vidar on Fri Apr 15 13:56:40 1994:

LUTEFISK!

#4 of 14 by logos on Wed May 18 00:14:10 1994:

I would be interested to learn who the publisher of said culianity
is.

#5 of 14 by jazz on Tue Oct 12 13:12:59 1999:

        I'm curious.  I took Robin's advice many years back on _The Monitor_
(where he was known by another name) and read McKenna's book - has anyone else
in the last few years?

        I must confess I've come to a new understanding of communication
several years after reading McKenna's book, and I'm tempted to ascribe the
linguistic properties of mushrooms in the author's experience more to the
author's own linguistic nature and the stimulation of what is already there
than some holy contact - but his theories about the role of regulated drug
use in society are fascinating and insightful.

        I also disagree with the characterization of matriarchy versus
patriarchy, though perhaps that is an emotional reaction - I see the potential
for corruption and evil in men as well as women.

#6 of 14 by brighn on Tue Oct 12 17:07:10 1999:

Did you say that last paragraph backwards? It implies that McKenna's thesis
is that women are clearly capable of evil and corruption, while men aren't,
which goes against the standard (separatist) feminist claims.

#7 of 14 by jazz on Tue Oct 12 23:47:20 1999:

        In women as well as men, you're absolutely correct.  McKenna's thesis
is that the matriarchy isn't vulnerable to many of the weaknesses of the
patriarchy, simply because it is female.

#8 of 14 by brighn on Wed Oct 13 13:56:51 1999:

I'd agree with that.

#9 of 14 by jazz on Wed Oct 13 15:26:04 1999:

        McKenna's thesis, or mine?

#10 of 14 by brighn on Fri Oct 15 16:20:48 1999:

oh. yours. women who attain power quickly start doing the same sorts of
exploitation that men with power do.

#11 of 14 by jazz on Fri Oct 15 21:58:42 1999:

        Now I'm reading another treatment of the same subject, the "evil
patriarchy" - which is considerably more plausible and resonates with several
other works I've read recently, _The Alphabet Versus the Goddess_.

#12 of 14 by jules on Wed Apr 19 02:42:32 2000:

he is dead now

#13 of 14 by jazz on Wed Apr 19 15:24:15 2000:

        Leonard Shlain is?

#14 of 14 by otaking on Wed Apr 19 19:28:27 2000:

Terence McKenna? When?

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