Paradise: A History of the Idea that Rules the World

by Kevin Rushby

From the Church in the Middle Ages to the people who prepare sucidide bombers, there is always someone promsing a better tomorrow, if only we do what they say. Although much is made of the clash between Islam and Christianity, here, Kevin Rushby argues that there is no clash — we all want the same thing: paradise, Eden, perfection. Rushby sets out on two journeys: a physical one to the Mountain of the ASsassins in Iran, home of htemyth that "bright-eyed maidens of Paradise" await those who die serving Allah; and an intellectual one, back through the history of our ideas about Paradise in the Judaeo-Christian and Islamic traditions. Rushby reveals in an accessible mix of history, religion, and philosophy, the reasons why we have come to live in such a divided world by showing how rationalist thought stretches from Pythagoras to Jacobean England and how tales of the gods have brought destruction and terror, from the Book of Revelations to the London Underground bombing of 2005.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World History

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2006

About the author

After I finished University (Newcastle) in 1982 I bought a one-way ticket to Cairo and set off travelling. Never having been abroad before I was understandably shocked on arrival in Cairo. Walking out the airport at 2 a.m. looking for a bus (no money for a taxi) I saw a line of people sleeping under their white sheets and joined them. Having built up a bit more courage later I ended up travelling through Egypt, Sudan, Central African Republic, Uganda and Kenya. Several months later I was back in Sudan as an English teacher, first in Darfur, later in the south. The latter was a particularly intense experience. Yambio, the small town in Western Equatoria, was cut off by the civil war for much of the time and I was alone, the only foreigner most of the time. I did vast bicycle rides, journeying deep into Zaire, visiting only remote areas as I had no paperwork or visa. There was no electricity, no running water, no post, no telephone. When I came to write Paradise (published May 2006) I often thought of that time - it seemed like an experiment in living even then. To jump out of one's own world into another, one that offered the most extreme version of the rural retreat ever.

Eventually the isolation was too much. I went to Kenya, then back to England to study education for a year (and in Madrid for some months), then to Yemen and Malaysia. It was in Kuala Lumpur that I started writing professionally, working for newspapers and magazines all across the Far East and South East Asia. Eventually, I went back to Yemen but the country fell apart in the Civil War of 1994 and I was back living in England for the first time in 12 years. Since then I've written books and articles, done some television, rather more radio. (Articles for the Guardian can be found on their website.) I'm now working on some book ideas to follow up Paradise.

- http://www.kevinrushby.com/biography.php

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of a paradise, as a perfect world, and related to the notions of heaven, utopia, and of Revelation and the opposite notions of hell, damnation and apocalypse can be found in just about all cultures. Kevin Rushby has listed them in myths, religions and secular ideologies. According to him, the image of the perfect world starts with Pythagoras, in the 6th century BC and from there it paved its winding road in all possible forms.

Rushby is right: paradise is a very dubious notion. It is inspired by a feeling of loss, of a shortcoming in the human condition. In that sense it can lead to very distinct ways of behavior: just passive nostalgia and a vague sense of longing, or an active searching for improvemennt of oneself or the world, according to religious or secular ethical rules. The latter can be peaceful, humanistic and spiritual, but also a brutal and violent imposing of purification imposed on others, with the holocaust and suicide bombers as the most horrible practical transposition.

In any case, Rushby goes very broad, draws from many cultures, flavours his story with his own travel experiences and uses a very fluent, journalistic pen. But his book is too much an encyclopedic accumulation without much relevance. I am starting to get tired of thematic books that look at the entire history of the world from one focus, most of which remain very superficial.

[Sense of History]

A good read on an interesting topic (views on what paradise is, throughout history, not only in religions), but too encyclopedic in scope. Shallow-journalistic work.

[Francisco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sobre Paraíso (ou Para Isso, diria):
«- Não quero ser rotulado e situado em qualquer campo.
(...)
- Há uma coisa que Ibn 'Arabi disse...: «O homem de sabedoria nunca se deixará apanhar numa única forma ou crença porque é sábio em si mesmo».

Enquadrando, isto veio (mais ou menos) a propósito das noções terrena e celeste/transcendente do Paraíso no Islamismo. O par logos/mythos vem por arrasto, mais ou menos identificando-se com aquelas dimensões islâmico-paradisíacas. Impressionante como isto anda sempre tudo ligado. Como Averróis solitário na Escola de Atenas.

Mais uma coincidência literário-cósmica: Joaquim da Fiore (que grande papel tem na construção do imaginário edénico para o autor) e as suas teses escatológicas têm como último reduto (segundo a Wikipedia) os Açores, onde ainda hoje se registam manifestações religiosas relacionadas com as propostas do abade medieval. Isto fica melhor tendo ficado a saber isto depois de me ter deliciado com as descrições únicas de Vitorino Nemésio (no Mau Tempo no Canal, que vou lendo) de uma festa religiosa no Faial (ilha predileta) em honra ao Espírito Santo, ente ou ideia que, segundo da Fiore, presidiria à última fase da existência humana na Terra, fase de concórdia, amor e paz universais - o Paraíso.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite considering the effort put into this book commendable and the premise quite on point, I did not feel like I learned much from it and was as intrigued by it as I could have been. The structure is quite discombobulated and it packs too much information into very brief paragraphs with little context to them. While I was reading, I had moments when I just felt like "what is even the point of reading this anymore, I am not computing most of it anyway?" and I think that is unfortunate, with such an interesting topic and such a cool idea to tackle it.

[N A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paradise: History of the idea that rules the world by Kevin Rushby

Essentially a travelogue of its own kind.

A journey through time, cults and cultures, regions and religions - looking for the heaven above or trying right here on earth.

From a harmonious place of precision and perfection as envisioned by the Pythagoreans, or as viewed by Augustine beyond the reach of mortals. Or, on the spectrum span from suicide bombers and Assassins of Hasan Sabbah shifting to Jalal Uddin Rumi. Literary surrealistic Utopia of Thomas Moore or rough sea sailing towards continental New World by Columbus.

Of course, not forgetting today's mega malls in each city and suburbs, fashions and brands and glittering world of consumers.

A journey of man's quest for perfection and happiness, from the fall of Adam from Eden up to today's apocalypse through ecological disaster of nuclear Armageddon - a witty but profound philosophical and psychological analysis.

[I · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avas mu silmad! Hakkasin kogu maailma vaatama hoopis kaugemalt, hakkasin panema kokku kogu maailmapilti! "Minu hariduse" alguspunktiks sai see raamat. Selle lugemiku tarkuseteri olen kasutusele võtnud igapäevaselt, selle teose põhiideid märkan enda ümber kõikjal.
Kuna inglise keel selles teoses on pigem raskemajärgulsem, vajab teistkordset lugemist ja korralikumat läbitöötamist.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting concept that covers both religious and secular ideas of utopia, spanning various Abrahamic faiths up to the turn of the 20th century and the ideas of eugenics as well as those of the enlightenment, this book manages to get a lot of information in a very short volume.

[Vilis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jap, tā ir paradīzes vēsture. Stāsts par paradīzes idejas evolūciju un tās vārdā darītajām blēņām un svētīgajām lietām. Īsās, drīzāk žurnālrakstu nodaļās, izskrienot cauri gadsimtiem un cilvēkiem, tiesa, gandrīz visu laiku paliekot Rietumu pasaulē. Tikai divas no divdesmit nodaļām izceļo ārpusē, uz Tuvajiem Austrumiem. Pamaz, ņemot vērā, ka pats vārds pie mums atnācis no persiešiem. Pārējā pasaule tiek pieminēta tikai ievadā, runājot par draugu no pašreizējās Ganas, kura ciltī neesot bijusi tādas koncepcijas, jo viņi bija… jā, protams, cildeni mežoņi. Socioloģijas/antropoloģijas nav arī turpinājumā: šis ir tuvāk ceļojumu grāmatai Rietumu paradīzes vēsturē, aprakstot garāmslīdošo ainavu un ik pa laikam ar pirkstu parādot uz interesantiem cilvēkiem un faktiem.

Par laimi, cilvēki un fakti lielākoties patiešām ir interesanti, parasti no trako šlakas. Viltus pravieši, apsēsti ideālisti, hašišisti un citi tādi brīnumbērni. Reizēm pat tik daudz, ka galva sajūk un nespēj viņiem visiem izsekot. Ja tomēr izdodas, tad var lasīt un priecāties. Pa laikam gan sanāk sodīties par autora pašvako prozu, kas ne tikai savij teikumus neizšķetināmos kamolos, bet nereti arī izrauj tos no nesaistītiem smadzeņu nostūriem. Tad tu pārlasi savu teikumu un pie reizes iepriekšējo, mēģinādams saprast autora nebūt ne sarežģītās domas pēkšņo pagriezienu un aizlēcienu. Bet, jā, tēma interesanta, un stāstījums – aizrautīgs. Diemžēl mums ar Kevinu īsti nebija pa ceļam.

[Geoff Maddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book and a very compelling premise. The deepest longing at all times and in all places is for things to be perfect - paradise. A breathtaking ride through recorded history with an eye to the human drive for the "holy land", a place of ever renewing bliss. I can't recommend this book more highly not just for the historical overview of this topic but also as a way to reflect on the current personal and collective drive for consumerism as a pathway to perfection.

[Princesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me that it is very important to retain a separation between church and state. Th human capacity to dream and want to escape this world can turn into a disaster.

[Dovofthegalilee · Rating 3 out of 5]

excellent

[Ahmad]

I did not complete this book but I found the chapter on the Islamic concept of the perfect man enlightening.

[Lenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

samenhang is soms wat vaag, maar interresante onderwerpen. vooral het deel over rariteitenkabinetten.