
The Ascent of Humanity
Civilization and the Human Sense of Self
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Narrated by:
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Steve Wojtas
About this listen
Charles Eisenstein explores the history and potential future of civilization, tracing the converging crises of our age to the illusion of the separate self. He argues that our disconnection from one another and the natural world has mislaid the foundations of science, religion, money, technology, economics, medicine, and education as we know them. It has fired our near-pathological pursuit of technological Utopias even as we push ourselves and our planet to the brink of collapse.
Fortunately, an Age of Reunion is emerging out of the birth pangs of an earth in crisis. Our journey of separation hasn't been a terrible mistake but an evolutionary process and an adventure in self-discovery. Even in our darkest hour, Eisenstein sees the possibility of a more beautiful world - not through the extension of millennia-old methods of management and control but by fundamentally reimagining ourselves and our systems. We must shift away from our Babelian efforts to build ever-higher towers to heaven and, instead, turn our attention to creating a new kind of civilization - one designed for beauty rather than height. Breathtaking in its scope and intelligence, The Ascent of Humanity is a landmark book showing what it truly means to be human.
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In this ambitious audiobook, best-selling author Sanjeev Sanyal chronicles the grand sweep of history from East Africa to Australia, conjuring the great cities of Angkor and Vijayanagar, medieval Arab empires, and Chinese "treasure fleets" in rich, vivid detail. He explores remote archaeological sites, maritime trading networks, and half-forgotten oral tales to challenge established historical narratives with fresh evidence. Shining new light on medieval geopolitics and long-lost cities, The Ocean of Churn is a mesmerizing journey into the heart of a vibrant civilization.
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An unputdownable treatise on the history of Indian Ocean
- By Akash Mitra on 06-20-20
By: Sanjeev Sanyal
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Lenin's Tomb
- The Last Days of the Soviet Empire
- By: David Remnick
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 29 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In the tradition of John Reed's classic Ten Days That Shook the World, this best-selling account of the collapse of the Soviet Union combines the global vision of the best historical scholarship with the immediacy of eyewitness journalism.
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The moral complexity of a comic book
- By Tot on 02-22-19
By: David Remnick
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God
- A Human History
- By: Reza Aslan
- Narrated by: Reza Aslan
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In layered prose and with thoughtful, accessible scholarship, Aslan narrates the history of religion as one long and remarkably cohesive attempt to understand the divine by giving it human traits and emotions. According to Aslan, this innate desire to humanize God is hardwired in our brains, making it a central feature of nearly every religious tradition. As Aslan writes, "Whether we are aware of it or not, and regardless if we are believers or not, what the vast majority of us think about when we think about God is a divine version of ourselves."
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His best work yet
- By Jeff M on 11-15-17
By: Reza Aslan
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Sowing Crisis
- The Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East
- By: Rashid Khalidi
- Narrated by: Ray Grover
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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During the 45 years of the Cold War, policymakers from the US and the Soviet Union vied for primacy in the Middle East. Their motives, long held by historians to have had an ideological thrust, were, in fact, to gain control over access to oil and claim geographic and strategic advantage. In his new audiobook, Rashid Khalidi, considered the foremost US historian of the Middle East, makes the compelling case that the dynamics that played out during the Cold War continue to exert a profound influence even decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
By: Rashid Khalidi
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Flashpoints
- The Emerging Crisis in Europe
- By: George Friedman
- Narrated by: Bruce Turk, George Friedman
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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George Friedman has forecasted the coming trends (politics, technology, population, and culture) of the next century in The Next 100 Years, and focused his predictions on the coming ten years in The Next Decade. Now, in Flashpoints, Friedman zooms in on the region that has, for 500 years, been the cultural hotbed of the world - Europe - and examines the most basic and fascinating building block of the region: culture.
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Important Reading: Old Grievances Do Not Go Away
- By John on 02-21-15
By: George Friedman
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The American Miracle
- Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic
- By: Michael Medved
- Narrated by: Michael Medved
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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The history of the United States displays an uncanny pattern: At moments of crisis, when the odds against success seem overwhelming and disaster looks imminent, fate intervenes to provide deliverance and progress. Historians may categorize these incidents as happy accidents, callous crimes, or the products of brilliant leadership, but the most notable leaders of the past 400 years have identified this good fortune as something else - a reflection of divine providence.
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Amazing Book
- By Larry on 12-01-16
By: Michael Medved
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Silent Cavalry
- How Union Soldiers from Alabama Helped Sherman Burn Atlanta—and Then Got Written Out of History
- By: Howell Raines
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist reveals the little-known story of the Union soldiers from Alabama who played a decisive role in the Civil War, and how they were scrubbed from the history books.
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splendid
- By Amazon Customer on 01-03-24
By: Howell Raines
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The 272
- The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church
- By: Rachel L. Swarns
- Narrated by: Karen Murray
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1838, a group of America’s most prominent Catholic priests sold 272 enslaved people to save their largest mission project, what is now Georgetown University. In this groundbreaking account, journalist, author, and professor Rachel L. Swarns follows one family through nearly two centuries of indentured servitude and enslavement to uncover the harrowing origin story of the Catholic Church in the United States. Through the saga of the Mahoney family, Swarns illustrates how the Church relied on slave labor and slave sales to sustain its operations and to help finance its expansion.
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Hard, but absolutely worthwhile.
- By Michael S. Henderson on 09-06-23
By: Rachel L. Swarns
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Our First Civil War
- Patriots and Loyalists in the American Revolution
- By: H. W. Brands
- Narrated by: Steve Hendrickson
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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What causes people to forsake their country and take arms against it? What prompts their neighbors, hardly distinguishable in station or success, to defend that country against the rebels? That is the question H. W. Brands answers in his powerful new history of the American Revolution.
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Not a fresh take on the Revolution
- By James on 01-05-22
By: H. W. Brands
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2020
- One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed
- By: Eric Klinenberg
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller, Eric Klinenberg
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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2020 will go down alongside 1914, 1929, and 1968 as one of the most consequential years in history. This riveting and affecting book is the first attempt to capture the full human experience of that fateful time. At the heart of 2020 are seven vivid profiles of ordinary New Yorkers—including an elementary school principal, a bar manager, a subway custodian, and a local political aide—whose experiences illuminate how Americans, and people across the globe, reckoned with 2020.
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Does this reflect 2020 to me?
- By Donald Bullard on 05-26-24
By: Eric Klinenberg
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Sugar
- The World Corrupted from Slavery to Obesity
- By: James Walvin
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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How did a simple commodity, once the prized monopoly of kings and princes, become an essential ingredient in the lives of millions, before mutating yet again into the cause of a global health epidemic? Prior to 1600, sugar was a costly luxury, the domain of the rich. But with the rise of the sugar colonies in the New World over the following century, sugar became cheap, ubiquitous, and an everyday necessity. Less than 50 years ago, few people suggested that sugar posed a global health problem.
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I should have listened to the other reviews
- By L. Bergman on 12-31-18
By: James Walvin
What listeners say about The Ascent of Humanity
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- melanie
- 06-01-21
Phenomenal
Everyone should read/listen to this book. Life changing to hear such an intelligent and well thought out perspective on humanity and the predicament we find ourselves in. A bit like someone pointing out to the fish that it’s swimming in the ocean and explaining what that ocean is
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- Holly
- 10-04-21
Amazing teachings!
How ever long this work of our story may seem, it feels very complete. Eisenstein has taken off the mask and brought social connection to humanity. Imagine this being taught in school.
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- Mayryanna
- 06-21-19
EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
Packed from cover to cover with insights, information, as well as historical, cultural and theoretical applications of humanity's progress. It gives a no-nonsense synopsis of our current situation as a species and the effects we have on our planetary home, as well as the path of ascent we have taken to arrive here. Yet, the conclusion of the book and the arguments for the age of reunion shines new light our dire state of existence, providing hope and practical applications for a better future for all.
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- Desiree Reyes
- 07-03-22
Deeper Reality
Helps me understand why I'm so discontented with this world on a deeper level. Amazing insights and lots of new ideas to ponder.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Steve Smalley
- 06-07-19
Mind expanding
Thought provoking. A must read for those looking to expand how they think about our world.
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- johnny51v3
- 05-14-22
must read
I'm continually impressed by Charles' overarching knowledge of his subject matter. Many times I was enlightened by hos viewpoint and also many times my heart was touched with hope for the future of our planet.
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1 person found this helpful
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- MS
- 07-11-21
Challenging in the Best of Ways
At first I wasn't sure if I would like that it isn't read by the author since I have heard Charles speak before, but the narrator does a good job at moving the author's words along efficiently. One needs to approach this book with an open mind and heart. Some of the ideas are challenging or even confusing but I think anyone can get out of it what they put in and what they are ready to receive.
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- fletchjd84
- 06-12-23
Extremely eye opening and challenging
"The Ascent of Man" offers a thought-provoking exploration of Western society's impact on humanity. While it provides insightful observations, the book's length and occasional repetition can be tiresome. Nevertheless, it effectively challenges readers to recognize the harmful aspects of our Western culture and prompts critical self-reflection.
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- Paul Lazazzera
- 05-17-19
Life Changing
The perspective Eisenstein elucidates puts into words feelings I have known for a long time. To hear them put them into a clear coherent and intellectual conception was liberating.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Michael F.
- 05-16-18
Everyone
This should be required reading/listening for freshmen in college and seniors in college.
Required reading/listening for fellow humans everywhere.
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2 people found this helpful