Future Primal: How Our Wilderness Origins Show Us the Way Forward

by Louis G. Herman

How should we respond to our converging crises of violent conflict, political corruption, and global ecological devastation? In this sweeping, big-picture synthesis, Louis G. Herman argues that for us to create a sustainable, fulfilling future, we need to first look back into our deepest past to recover our core humanity. Important clues for recovery can be found in the lives of traditional San Bushman hunter-gatherers of South Africa, the closest living relatives to the ancestral African population from which all humans descended. Their culture can give us a sense of what life was like during the tens of thousands of years when humans lived in wilderness, without warfare, walled cities, or slavery. Herman suggests we draw from the experience of the San and other earth-based cultures and weave their wisdom together with the scientific story of an evolving universe to help create something radically new — an earth-centered, planetary politics with the personal truth quest at its heart.

496 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2012

Reviews

[Tina Cipolla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the oddest books on the subject of politics that I have read. The author is a university professor with a PhD in political science. It starts out with an incredibly informative few chapters that lay out the philosophical underpinnings for the notion of the constitutional republic and the US constitution and other documents like the Federalist Papers. Then it moves on to describe hunter gatherer political systems, and in the end delineates what we can take from the older systems and use to our advantage today.

I was afraid this author was going to go down the path of arguing how great the hunter gatherer system was and it is clear that he finds advantages in the hunter gatherer system; however, he never quite gets to where he actually dismisses the achievements of western culture and this saves the whole book. I found myself actually wondering just how some of these changes could be achieved and then there it was, right on cue, in the final chapters, actual examples of how to make small changes to a system that end up being big changes.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political theory and fresh political ideas. If you are totally annoyed with anyone who calls into question whether or not a constitutional republic is really the best method of governing, then this might not be the right book for you. It is also not the right book for you if you are strongly attached to fundamentalist ideas of religion. This guy, at his core, is an aging counterculture hippy who grew up got a job and a family but never stopped thinking about how to improve the world we all live in. To me, the author exemplifies what was great about that generation, and he is still trying to bring down the man., but in a more gentle way; more power to him.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a book for people who think outside the box. Every chapter is thought provoking and encourages discussion and deeper evaluation. Perfect for a book club that specializes in profound works. I enjoyed every minute of it. Sorry it had to end after chapter 12. I was inspired to look at the world from a broader perspective. I was curious to learn more about our ancient history. I mentioned the book to many of my friends as enlightening. Reading this book made me remember classroom days spent in debate and dialog which I think is the authors intention. Highly recommend to those creatives seeking new ideas and original thought.

[Serai W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I have to say that I enjoyed this read as it was one of the first books I have read that the author connects with the reader through his personal life and findings. I have read a couple reviews where the reader "thinks" that Herman is trying to apply the traditional ways of the Bushman to modern humanity in such a way that humanity adopts these traditions and lives the way of the Bushmen. This idea couldn't be further from the truth and if that is what you got from this book, you may have missed something.... okay, you may have missed A LOT of things.
The idea that Herman promotes is not to turn humanity backwards to where we are living that Bushman lifestyle, returning to hunters and gatherers. Instead, such as the Title alone states, Herman is showing us the possible ways forwards, to a better future, by learning from indigenous cultures and more specifically the Bushman. The point is to learn from these "primal" traditions and apply the values and principals, to modernity, such as the inter-relationship between the bushman and their environment, and their understanding of the importance of all living things.
This can then be applied to not only politics but to the way we live our lives. you do not need to have specific interests in the anthropology of African tribes or other indigenous cultures to enjoy this book or understand, but if you are open to learning about them, and if you are open to expanding your point of views, I highly recommend this book.

[John Mountford · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an astonishing piece of creative research!If you read non-fiction to be inspired, and not just informed, this book is for you!
Louis Herman yearns for Shangri-la - the perfect society. And he believes it can be found, by looking backward, and not forward. The forward momentum of evolutionary growth takes care of itself; it is what is lost along the way that we must regain to live in happy, secure communities.
The bushman and the baboon are Herman's central characters in this 'back to the future' drama. He has intimate, personal experience of both, which he weaves into a narrative of how to live simply but profoundly.
You will be changed by this book!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is promoting the idea that if only the rest of the humanity would adopt the world views and traditions of the San Bushmen of Africa, all would be bliss. I'm all for the benefits of mind-expanding psychoactive drug experiences and cooperative living practices, but this author's thesis is a pipe dream. If I were more interested in the anthropology of African tribal life, I might have been more receptive.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

life changing, dawg!

[Sierra Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the topics, train of thought, and perspective presented in this book. However, at times, I found it almost unreadable due to the academic writing style. There was also some repetition that felt excessive. Also, I felt the topics were so varied that they were only loosely related, though the transitions were smooth. Lastly, the end left no practical plan of action for individuals to pursue and left me feeling somewhat hopeless about our societal predicament.

[Rayann Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tough to get through... The author rambles a lot; I feel like the point could have been made in half the pages. Definitely would not have enjoyed it at all if not for the discussion about it in class.

[N.D. Wisard · Rating 5 out of 5]

life changing, dawg!

[Lisa Pool · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written and researched book, however, it is a bit heavy for the average person like me. I was unable to read all of it so I just skipped around and read what was important to me. The idea is that modern humans are so out of touch with nature that we are causing all sorts of problems to ourselves and the earth. These include problems from war to racism to ADHD to materialism. At the end of the book he lists somethings we can do such as spending more time outdoors and eating local, to get us back on track as a species.

[Yanick Punter · Rating 3 out of 5]

After seeing so much positive reviews I decided to give this book a try. It wasn't interesting to me. It is not that it is badly written, it is not, it is just boring. I was hoping for an interesting synthesis of the primal and future but couldn't find it.