The American Replacement of Nature: Everyday Acts and Outrageous Evolution of Economic Life

by William Irwin Thompson

In a philosopher's pioneering examination of the marketplace, Thompson shows us new ways of understanding the commodities of late 20th-century capitalism such as time, space, sound, and more.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Essays

159 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

William Irwin Thompson is an American social philosopher, cultural critic, and poet. He received the Oslo International Poetry Festival Award in 1986. He describes his writing and speaking style as "mind-jazz on ancient texts". He is the founder of the Lindisfarne Association.

Reviews

[TheMythBookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, who is this William Irwin Thompson and how come I have only now begun to read his work? The grandeur of his ideas, the intensity with which they are expressed, and the meshing of acrobatic prose and societal discourses certainly makes it clear Thompson is in no mood to fool around. Although the book was published in 1991, it would be hasty to believe it is outdated--topics covered include CNN, Disneyland, the Digital Age, and politics. The author's social critique ranges from the American fast food culture--which he believes is being applied to the digitalized, computerized world of the future--to the failure of political powers to recognize what he describes as the "microbiology" of human nature. Thompson is not short of sparkling, lyrical ideas, yet this is a double-edged sword--there are far too many ideas that are not explored in their entirety, and are instead tossed around haphazardly in a seemingly pretentious manner. Thompson uses all the weapons in his arsenal of knowledge, which means that references are made to as many different thinkers, events and situations as one can possibly imagine, thus constantly leaving the reader stranded in the midst of a whirlwind until they are picked up once again with a gust of lyrical prose.
Many will be repelled by his embellished writing style, and it admittedly takes some getting used to. Yet the unashamed flossiness cunningly mirrors the excesses and fabrications he critiques American culture for. Playful and sharp one-liners pepper the book, allowing for instances where we witness honest, conscious self-reflection. Though I felt that more than a handful of his comments were romanticized, paper-thin arguments, I could not help but be entertained by his whimsical and intellectual ramblings. It is certainly refreshing to read someone with such strong opinions, and I look forward to reading more of his work.

If you want to read more of my reviews, check out my book blog♡

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in the early 1990's and it really opened my eyes to how bizarre and unnatural the American way of life has become. It is relatively short and very entertaining -- a quick read.

May be a little hard to find, though. I have it in paperback, but Goodreads doesn't recognize that edition.

[Mary-Alice Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author gives you an amazing open eyesight to the world of consumerism, real world problems and politic issues regarding consumerism. My boyfriend initially picked this book out for me from my aunts thrift store and unknowingly i bought it and picked it up, i was surprised by how well the literature is written and how free-base this author is. 10/10 read

[Stephanie McGarrah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bizarre little book that is a mixture of cultural criticism and new age philosophy, touching on the absurdities of our globalized society. I liked his style but it started reading very kooky (like transhumanist kooky) for me, so I'm shutting this one.

[Steve A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, is a page turning satire. Highly recommend.

[Duchessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm calling it 3 stars, because depending on the page it can be 1 or 5, sometimes 2 or 4. Violently up & down in quality. Interesting in the good parts, pedestrian & old fashioned in the bad.

[Roger Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incisive analysis of everything from junk food, computer games to the myriad ways Americans prefer a plastic, artificial world over nature and reality.

Its been many years since I read this, when I was a great fan of the author. Back then, I found Thompson, along with Ken Wilbur etc, one of the greatest thinkers of what I liked to think of then as "modern holistic spirituality" - several steps up from New Age material, although Thompson was connected with Findhorn, a New Age community I was also a member of.

These days, however, I've moved in a very direction from Findhorn and Thompson and imagine I might find flaws I did not back then. Anyone interested in this very different direction can see this piece on what Findhorn could never give me ...

http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2012/...

[Joe Raimondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Irwin Thompson may be the best writer working in the English language. This book is a dazzling meditation on Western values and epistemology.