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The Axemaker's Gift: A Double -Edged History of Human Culture/Cassettes
In this intellectual journey through human culture, historian James Burke and pyschologist Robert Ornstein take a revolutionary look at history.
2 pages, Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1995
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458 people want to read
About the author
James Burke
22 books273 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
James Burke is a Northern Irish science historian, author and television producer best known for his documentary television series called Connections, focusing on the history of science and technology leavened with a sense of humour.
James Burke is a Northern Irish science historian, author and television producer best known for his documentary television series called Connections, focusing on the history of science and technology leavened with a sense of humour.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 16, 2011
I really, really wanted to like this one. James Burke has one of the most incredible minds on the planet and I have been meaning to pick up one of his books years, specifically The Axemaker's Gift because the concept intrigued me so much: how has the development of technology effected our development as a species, and are we capable of recognizing negative consequences in time to stop them?
The first ninety pages of The Axemaker's Gift were fast and fascinating. It talks about the cycles of nature and the place of our evolutionary ancestors in it. He then describes the unusual conditions that led to us descending from the trees, the changes we underwent as a result, and the earliest known tools and creations we forged to cope. He builds on those simple technologies and shows how they led to humanity finally settling down in one spot and how we created laws, numbers, and a written language. I was hooked.
And then we reached Ancient Greece. And then Ancient Rome. Then the Middle Ages and the rise of the Church. The the Renaissance. Then the Victorians. Now, perhaps it's because I know more about these time periods than I do about the far flung past, but I began to notice that each chapter was exactly the same as the one before it. We move from technology to technology, never bothering to explain or deconstruct what we see. "We created A. This had the effect of B. It led to the creation of C. C effected D, so we created E." It was like the catalog of ships in The Iliad: name after name and place after place, with only the barest nuggets of interesting fact showing up from time to time. It was interminable.
Finally, in the last two chapters, Burke ends his litany and begins to talk about what it all means. I can't tell you what he had to say because I wasn't really paying attention--by this point, I was simply determined to get to the last page. There's a really interesting concept at the heart of The Axemaker's Gift and Burke has spoken interestingly and succinctly about it in his wonderful Connections series on PBS, but this us just a frontloaded slog. What a shame.
The first ninety pages of The Axemaker's Gift were fast and fascinating. It talks about the cycles of nature and the place of our evolutionary ancestors in it. He then describes the unusual conditions that led to us descending from the trees, the changes we underwent as a result, and the earliest known tools and creations we forged to cope. He builds on those simple technologies and shows how they led to humanity finally settling down in one spot and how we created laws, numbers, and a written language. I was hooked.
And then we reached Ancient Greece. And then Ancient Rome. Then the Middle Ages and the rise of the Church. The the Renaissance. Then the Victorians. Now, perhaps it's because I know more about these time periods than I do about the far flung past, but I began to notice that each chapter was exactly the same as the one before it. We move from technology to technology, never bothering to explain or deconstruct what we see. "We created A. This had the effect of B. It led to the creation of C. C effected D, so we created E." It was like the catalog of ships in The Iliad: name after name and place after place, with only the barest nuggets of interesting fact showing up from time to time. It was interminable.
Finally, in the last two chapters, Burke ends his litany and begins to talk about what it all means. I can't tell you what he had to say because I wasn't really paying attention--by this point, I was simply determined to get to the last page. There's a really interesting concept at the heart of The Axemaker's Gift and Burke has spoken interestingly and succinctly about it in his wonderful Connections series on PBS, but this us just a frontloaded slog. What a shame.
February 26, 2016
Not anywhere as interesting as "Connections" or "The Day the Universe Changed", the book suffers somewhat from cynicism. It is amusing to read the hypothetical things computers might do for the future. Overall, having read several of Burke's books, I felt the tone of the book reflected the views of Robert Ornstein more than those of James Burke.
April 1, 2009
Best (so far) synopsis of how we got ourselves into the horrific mess we're in. Starts in primate prehistory and reaches for a total explanation. Extremely good from roughly 1000 b.c. to present. Earlier times covered are speculation, included I think by the intellectual's compulsion for completeness. Thus, the first three chapters should be read with grains of salt; don't despair, because you will hit the meat midway through chp 3, and nutritious meat it is, for the rest of the book.
October 19, 2010
I really expected better from these authors.
November 27, 2021
I got this instead of Connections because it was cheaper - mistake
November 28, 2015
Similar to The Day the Universe Changed: How Galileo's Telescope Changed the Truth.
The premise of the book is that certain changes precipitate other changes, and the constant self-feeding cycle of innovation ultimate lead to where we are today. Analogous to having a certain innate talent in an activity, often causes additional practice which then compounds to faster increase in total skill.
The book looks at various changes and how they lead to both positive and negative results. Taking literacy as an example. Initially, there's a small subset of scribes and leaders who are able to use written language. As the knowledge becomes more common, it becomes easier to influence wider groups of people with a standard idea. So religion might have only been accessible to literate monks, who can preach to masses of people, but once there is a printing press, it now becomes possible for anyone to have a bible and become further directed by church teachings. However, as an organization (religion, state) tries to control the thought through documents, they then have to face opposition who can use the same medium to sway audience simultaneously. So you have example of propaganda being created, you also have counter propaganda being disseminated.
An interesting book, and worth the read. He does a bit too much time in later chapters focusing on his metaphor of axes being a double edged weapon that both helps and hurts.
The premise of the book is that certain changes precipitate other changes, and the constant self-feeding cycle of innovation ultimate lead to where we are today. Analogous to having a certain innate talent in an activity, often causes additional practice which then compounds to faster increase in total skill.
The book looks at various changes and how they lead to both positive and negative results. Taking literacy as an example. Initially, there's a small subset of scribes and leaders who are able to use written language. As the knowledge becomes more common, it becomes easier to influence wider groups of people with a standard idea. So religion might have only been accessible to literate monks, who can preach to masses of people, but once there is a printing press, it now becomes possible for anyone to have a bible and become further directed by church teachings. However, as an organization (religion, state) tries to control the thought through documents, they then have to face opposition who can use the same medium to sway audience simultaneously. So you have example of propaganda being created, you also have counter propaganda being disseminated.
An interesting book, and worth the read. He does a bit too much time in later chapters focusing on his metaphor of axes being a double edged weapon that both helps and hurts.
December 7, 2015
This book was brilliant and an excellent 'big picture-ideas' book. However it was a bit of a slog
in places and occasionally a bit redundant. Still very worthwhile and anyone interested in conceptual history would probably find it valuable. The 'Axemaker' concept will stay with me, no doubt about it.
in places and occasionally a bit redundant. Still very worthwhile and anyone interested in conceptual history would probably find it valuable. The 'Axemaker' concept will stay with me, no doubt about it.
April 6, 2016
This was an excellent 'big picture' book with clear and interesting explanations and theories about how the human race got to where we are today. Lots of thought provoking material. A little dry in
places but the strength of their arguments and the clarity of their illustrations brought the material to life, in most cases.
places but the strength of their arguments and the clarity of their illustrations brought the material to life, in most cases.
October 6, 2008
This book lays out world history in a very interesting way. It seems now that I am losing my religion.
June 6, 2009
This is a great book to demonstrate how events are interconnected - even small decisions/choices can have large consequences over time.
November 26, 2009
lots of really interesting stuff woven together to review history thru a tech lens (so to speak) -- but hardly covers "human culture" if China has four pages in the index.
August 16, 2016
Used as a valued reference book and worth dipping back into. Particularly thought the last chaper 'Forward to the Past' relevant.
May 16, 2020
See marcali's and Alan's reviews.
It WAS a slog, especially the last few chapters. The British and finally the Americans, are held up as the be-all, end-all. Other countries are scarcely mentioned. What about the contributions of Africa, the Netherlands Sweden, Finland, Australia, Russia, Japan, or China? Unevenly prepared; reads a bit like a PhD paper. The first part of the book is a re-hash of PBS' "Connections."
The authors propose a (backwards) maxim: "Think globally, act locally."
' ". .. . the most valuable skills would be generalist rather than specialist. They would prize the ability to connect, to think imaginatively, to understand how data are related, to see patterns in machine-generated innovation. and to assess it's social effect before releasing it on society." Sure. And what agency will do that? (Who will put the bell on the cat?")
The authors believe that ". . . small scale communities, indigenous knowledge, webbed education, participatory democracy . . . . ." Alternatively, "the problems of resource, food and pollution [may be solved by] "genetic engineering, biotechnology and nanotechnology." Yet others believe that a "central world government, population control and ecological awareness" are the answers. These propositions are all revealed in the last 10pp of a 350 pp book.
I personally believe that population control (as soon as we can actually choose the sex of our children, that will help) and massive education, are the answers.
It WAS a slog, especially the last few chapters. The British and finally the Americans, are held up as the be-all, end-all. Other countries are scarcely mentioned. What about the contributions of Africa, the Netherlands Sweden, Finland, Australia, Russia, Japan, or China? Unevenly prepared; reads a bit like a PhD paper. The first part of the book is a re-hash of PBS' "Connections."
The authors propose a (backwards) maxim: "Think globally, act locally."
' ". .. . the most valuable skills would be generalist rather than specialist. They would prize the ability to connect, to think imaginatively, to understand how data are related, to see patterns in machine-generated innovation. and to assess it's social effect before releasing it on society." Sure. And what agency will do that? (Who will put the bell on the cat?")
The authors believe that ". . . small scale communities, indigenous knowledge, webbed education, participatory democracy . . . . ." Alternatively, "the problems of resource, food and pollution [may be solved by] "genetic engineering, biotechnology and nanotechnology." Yet others believe that a "central world government, population control and ecological awareness" are the answers. These propositions are all revealed in the last 10pp of a 350 pp book.
I personally believe that population control (as soon as we can actually choose the sex of our children, that will help) and massive education, are the answers.
July 13, 2024
The book published in 1997, its final paragraph: "Our survival may depend on the realization and expression of humanity's immense diversity. Only if we use what may be the ultimate of the many axemaker's gifts -- the coming information systems - to nurture this individual and cultural diversity, only if we celebrate our differences rather than suppressing them, will we stand a chance of harnessing the wealth of human talent that has been ignored for. millennia and that is now eager, all around the world, for release."
Given the explosion since 1997 of what the authors called the "coming information systems", I doubt they would've predicted the tragic extent to which those "systems" have wreaked havoc on pediatric mental health and on people's potential to embrace diversity.
Given the explosion since 1997 of what the authors called the "coming information systems", I doubt they would've predicted the tragic extent to which those "systems" have wreaked havoc on pediatric mental health and on people's potential to embrace diversity.
August 31, 2025
Appreciated the key ax-maker events and the synthesis of history. Reading this 30 years after publishing, the final chapter about the future (21st century) is hard to read with our first 25 year results. Hoping we do better
June 14, 2020
Really fast just so overview of evolution of society. Too fast Axemaker as builder and destroyer theme is a bit stretched. Easy read. Scattering of useful Connections and viewpoints
2.25 / 5.0
2.25 / 5.0
November 9, 2007
This is one of my favourite books, and is a bit of a departure from the general very optimistic view of the impact technology has on society and humans. The postulate is that technology is a double edged sword, or rather an axe, and for every problem technology solves, the problem was, in the first place, created by technology itself, and the the solution often is to introduce new, and even more harmful technology. The book ends on an optimistic node, but generally it offers strong critism of our belief in technology, and the view that future technologies will offer solutions, rather than more problems.
January 18, 2009
I didn't like the beginning of the book. Burke's assertions, especially regarding prehistoric man are hopefully, hyperbole. But the further I got into the book, the more interesting his arguments became, and the history is always fascinating. While I still think he makes leaps in logic that are tenuous, overall, it's a great book for anyone who wants to understand the foundation of Western Society, and many of the psychological precepts we're ingrained with.
February 20, 2009
Very interesting historical view of how the inventions of few have reshaped the minds of humans forever. Starting with numbering systems and early forms of writing up to modern electronics, the book showed how all human thought is now framed by the technology we use.
January 8, 2023
(2.5)
it's like extremely low for a science book, it have nothing really interesting to tell us
it's like extremely low for a science book, it have nothing really interesting to tell us
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews