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The Deepening Darkness: Patriarchy, Resistance, and Democracy's Future
Why is America again unjustly at war? Why is its politics distorted by wedge issues like abortion and gay marriage? Why is anti-Semitism still so powerfully resurgent? Such contradictions within democracies arise from a patriarchal psychology still alive in our personal and political lives in tension with the equal voice that is the basis of democracy. The book joins a psychological approach with a political-theoretical one that traces both this psychology (based on loss in intimate life) and resistance to it (based on the love of equals) to the Roman Republic and Empire and to three Latin masterpieces: Virgil's Aeneid, Apuleius's The Golden Ass, and Augustine's Confessions. In addition, this book explains many other aspects of our present situation including why movements of ethical resistance are often accompanied by a freeing of sexuality and why we are witnessing an aggressive fundamentalism at home and abroad.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
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494 people want to read
About the author
Carol Gilligan
53 books219 followersCarol Gilligan is an American feminist, ethicist, and psychologist best known for her work on ethical community and ethical relationships.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 29, 2017
I like Carol Gilligan, I like her worldview and her feminism, and I like how she explains things in details so that there's no misunderstanding.
Feminism my favorite subject and how the world got to be as patriarchal as it is today and what to do about it, things discussed in this book beautifully.
Feminism my favorite subject and how the world got to be as patriarchal as it is today and what to do about it, things discussed in this book beautifully.
May 9, 2011
Carol Gilligan and David A.J. Richards, using the disciplines of history, literature, politics and psychology, show us with bright and intense focus that the seemingly intractable march toward worldwide totalitarianism and autocratic fascism is rooted--not in human nature nor divine will--but in the flawed responses to psychic pain, and the wrong choices our distant ancestors made, that led us as a species to patriarchy. And thus, the march to extinction can be avoided.
In addition to the meticulously-documented sources cited by the authors and their entirely rational conclusions, my own appreciation of this important book was colored by a personal recovery from an intensely traumatic series of losses that left me with the unshakeable conviction that the source of much, if not most, modern suffering is the unnatural and quite evil patriarchal system.
(I would add to the authors' contentions, however, that another of the rotten fruits of patriarchy is the biological threat of psychopathy. Because of the genetic successes of rapists and other psychopaths, the physical manifestations of patriarchy cannot be eradicated by mental, spiritual and political revolution alone—thus, the reproductive autonomy the authors argue for becomes even more critical to the survival of the human race and the hope for a more democratic future.)
But for now--in a world that sees and then not-sees, with increasing cyclic rapidity--the species-killing end game of a patriarchal system, just the fact that such a book as this one exists is enough to keep hope alive. Combine it with other works such as Fred Pearce's The Coming Population Crash: and Our Planet's Surprising Future, and the hope seems just the smallest bit less irrational.
Gilligan and Richards, in their conclusion, do not argue for sweeping change. They merely reiterate their case that we are indeed at a turning point, and they emphasize how important is each tiny individual choice, as small-d democrats are wont to do. They argue for individual voice, individual choice, individual autonomy and above all, equality. They challenge their readers to get to the mountaintop, envision something entirely new on the other side, walk there hand in hand, and build it.
In addition to the meticulously-documented sources cited by the authors and their entirely rational conclusions, my own appreciation of this important book was colored by a personal recovery from an intensely traumatic series of losses that left me with the unshakeable conviction that the source of much, if not most, modern suffering is the unnatural and quite evil patriarchal system.
(I would add to the authors' contentions, however, that another of the rotten fruits of patriarchy is the biological threat of psychopathy. Because of the genetic successes of rapists and other psychopaths, the physical manifestations of patriarchy cannot be eradicated by mental, spiritual and political revolution alone—thus, the reproductive autonomy the authors argue for becomes even more critical to the survival of the human race and the hope for a more democratic future.)
But for now--in a world that sees and then not-sees, with increasing cyclic rapidity--the species-killing end game of a patriarchal system, just the fact that such a book as this one exists is enough to keep hope alive. Combine it with other works such as Fred Pearce's The Coming Population Crash: and Our Planet's Surprising Future, and the hope seems just the smallest bit less irrational.
Gilligan and Richards, in their conclusion, do not argue for sweeping change. They merely reiterate their case that we are indeed at a turning point, and they emphasize how important is each tiny individual choice, as small-d democrats are wont to do. They argue for individual voice, individual choice, individual autonomy and above all, equality. They challenge their readers to get to the mountaintop, envision something entirely new on the other side, walk there hand in hand, and build it.
September 29, 2016
this was the first book I had ever read from C Gilligan. Her calm voice and clear and humane reasoning viewed in online videos inspired me to 'hear' her written voice. The book was written in collaboration with an empathic and well-informed co-writer, David Richards. My book's margins are full of comments, references and links to other works I have read, and for that reason it took me a long time to finish. Dense reading, with refrain-like returns to familiar statements which bring the reader (and writers) back to the main thread being discussed, creating a fine tableaux of literature and science, politics and economics. Our psyche is not outside our socio-political framework, so I appreciate the truly heroic efforts to show the impact and overlap of these structures on our being human, in our relations to both our inner selves as well as to our external 'others' of family, school, political, and globally. The idea of resistance as being healthy and necessary appeals and moved me to bring home her book "Joining the Resistance" to continue and consolidate the challenge to our current dysfunctional paradigm for interrelating with one another.
December 29, 2019
Gilligan's work on evolutionary development of psychology and women is groundbreaking and should be more influential in the coming years. Facebook however discusses a more gender bias perspective, however, concerning the necessity to expose our patriarchal social constructs and times of political crisis. This book (GW Bush era) and it's sequel 'Darkness now Visible' (Trump era) both cover the same important oppressive aspects to be looked at in these regressive times.
December 20, 2020
Great book for those wondering why patriarchy persist
This book offers historical background for our current political moment and how a patriarchal has stolen the ideals of democracy. Great book, lots to think about.
This book offers historical background for our current political moment and how a patriarchal has stolen the ideals of democracy. Great book, lots to think about.
October 28, 2013
This book by Carol Gilligan did have some good insights about the affect of patriarchal societies on political policies. However, in the end I found it too over-simplified, seemingly blaming everything on male control of society. Gilligan rightly points out the limits placed on women from the time of Rome on. However, she also seems to put women on this pedestal, where the implication is that women have no responsibility for what is wrong, and where it is implied that if society would just start listening to women, all of our problems would be solved.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews