Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Collected Essays in Anthropology, Psychiatry, Evolution, and Epistemology

Book Description

Gregory Bateson was a philosopher, anthropologist, photographer, naturalist, and poet, as well as the husband and collaborator of Margaret Mead. With a new foreword by his daughter Mary Katherine Bateson, this classic anthology of his major work will continue to delight and inform generations of readers.

"This collection amounts to a retrospective exhibition of a working life. . . . Bateson has come to this position during a career that carried him not only into anthropology, for which he was first trained, but into psychiatry, genetics, and communication theory. . . . He . . . examines the nature of the mind, seeing it not as a nebulous something, somehow lodged somewhere in the body of each man, but as a network of interactions relating the individual with his society and his species and with the universe at large."—D. W. Harding, New York Review of Books

"[Bateson's] view of the world, of science, of culture, and of man is vast and challenging. His efforts at synthesis are tantalizingly and cryptically suggestive. . . .This is a book we should all read and ponder."—Roger Keesing, American Anthropologist

Gregory Bateson (1904-1980) was the author of Naven and Mind and Nature.

Customer Reviews:

What is the difference between a nip and a bite?.......2007-10-06

Really, what is the difference between a nip and a bite? They look the same, when you are watching kittens playing, how can you tell if they are biting in earnestness or just fooling around? Well you can't really tell, because a nip is a bite and isn't a bite all at the same time. However, you can tell, of course you can, because a nip has a sign posted on it saying "this is play", a bite on the other hand has a sign saying "this is for real". Moreover tells us Bateson - one of the greatest minds in social thought - whoever cannot tell the difference between a bite and a nip is in big trouble, because the sign stating "this is play" enables us to tell reality from imagination, thus safeguarding our sanity. "Steps in the ecology of the mind" is a profound statement on the mechanisms that make us tick, on the human condition.

A true masterpiece!.......2004-03-19

Bateson's writings are profoundly layered with meaning that a brief glance will overlook. His prolific influence can be found in sundry fields of study, including psychiatry, communication theory, and marriage and family therapy to name a few.

This is the type of book (among few) that can be read over and over again while discovering new facets of understanding every time.

I highly recommend the metalogues.

Buzzwords mixed toghether in a pile of dross.......2002-02-07

Take all the buzzwords in fashion in psychology and philosophy: classification, genotype, flexibility, somatic, discrete, threshold, characteristics, analytic... mix everything together and you get this book.
In other words there's not an ounce of meaning in those 700 pages, it's all worthless. No case studies, no examples, long phrases full of self importance written by someone who thinks he's an authority in everything from zen to medecine to evolution theory to archeology. Not only does he prove he doesn't understand anything, you'll laugh yourself silly reading any paragraph of the book at random.

If you have to read this for an assignment, you'd better change major and give it to your worst enemy for toilet paper. That's how low I think of this. And to think that a tree was felled for this. Ha !

Very good intro. to Bateson.......2001-12-04

Reading "Steps" helped save me from the unremitting horrors of divorce court; I'd probably be on a death row somewheres if not for this & some peripherally associated material. I am very pleased to see that it's in print again.

From those meticulous metalogues to those essays on the Theory of Logical Types, Bateson can mesmerize, if you're prepared for it. Especially enlightening is the lecture on the Treaty of Versailles & cybernetics; for Bateson, the two most important events of his lifetime: if you're going to deceive someone (the Fourteen Points), you'd better get an honest man (Woodrow Wilson) to do it.

"Steps" is to science & reason what Frost's "West Running Brook" is to poetry: an intense meditation, soliloquy & dialogue. It's worth your while.

Back In Print, Finally........2001-08-16

After my paperback copy of SEM decayed from several readings, I was more than a little disappointed to see that it had gone out of print. I'm glad that its finally back.

Absolutely, Bateson is a "sloppy thinker," just as Picasso was a "sloppy painter" by the standards of Vermeer and Rembrandt. And really a comparison to artists - not formal theorists - is the metric by which Bateson should be judged.

Why is it that Bateson attracts such loyalty? Because his writing illustrates a *process* of thinking, rather than a specific indisputable conclusion. Those who expend the time and effort to read Bateson - and in particular SEM - are rewarded with the certainty that the thinking process is as interesting as any possible conclusion. And it is somewhat more than "clever" that in the SEM dialogues, Bateson uses the very structure and form of his writings to illustrate the content he's explaining.

Indeed it is precisely that uncertainty which vexes "formal" theorists (such as the reviewer below). Bateson - as a systems thinker - was always more interested in process and context than in defining any literal end result. After all, what possible "proof" could be offered that dolphins are second-order thinkers because they can learn about learning?. How on earth could proof be gained that icons and verbalizations are mediated by dreaming?

I would offer this question to Bateson's critics: if his thinking is so irredeemably sloppy, what then is his lasting appeal? Why does he - among all the philosophers and scientists of the 20th century - continue to have such a loyal following? Name a single cybernetician or epistomologist who is commonly cited in contemporary philosphical thinking.

Answer: there are none. So the bigger question is not why Bateson is popular, but why systems thinking (of which Bateson was a practitioner) is so absent from American academia. That fact is an indictment of something, but is certainly is not Gregory Bateson.

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'Dark Night' adds light to spiritual journey

A Cosmosopher Worth Checking Out!

Read it

Remarkable Account of Our Collective Transformation

on the cutting edge of the spiritual paradigm

Dark Night, Early Dawn: Steps to a Deep Ecology of Mind (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)
Christopher M. Bache
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Consciousness & Thought | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything

ASIN: 0791446069

Customer Reviews:

'Dark Night' adds light to spiritual journey.......2005-07-28

For anyone interested in stretching the bounds of spirituality and exploring the limits of consciousness--and the unconscious--this is a must-read. Author Chris Basche is both courageous and humble in this undertaking, and the ideas he puts forth add much to the discourse on transpersonal communication and spirituality.

A Cosmosopher Worth Checking Out!.......2004-07-11

Christopher Bache may be the world's first Cosmosopher. In his refreshing and innovative book, Dark Night, Early Dawn: Steps Towards an Ecology of Mind, he articulates transpersonal realms with a convincing intimacy, revealing a universe that is alive, intelligent and directly accessible within ourselves. The author has taken great care to share many of the entheogenic, meditative and philosophical experiences he has had which assist in fore-lightening the inevitable global/galactic revolution to come. The timing of his work could not be better. One only need look at current sociopolitical urgencies to appreciate Bache's efforts to move transpersonal psychology beyond its self referential orbit into more effacing, collective trajectories. Dark Night, Early Dawn offers a much needed alternative, encouraging us to explore a connection to a cosmos which may require the very ego death of the human species as a prerequisite for its realization.

In order to fully realize the transition, Bache suggests that we abandon what remains of the Newtonian, mechanistic worldview, i.e., the threadbare 3-D illusion that our consumer society depends upon for its own self- perpetuation. He suggests that we assist, through such things as rebirthing, holotropic breathing and meditation, in the realization/integration of multi-dimensional world where spiritually advanced beings exist. These beings can offer us compassion, wisdom and a kind of infinitely broad, celestial panorama which encourages us to adopt a more life affirming perspective on what appears to be a severely limited human future at present. Nemeses abound however at current time, dedicated to making sure that such a marvelous realization as described above will not take place. Paranormal debunkers such as Paul Edwards are devoted to discrediting the claims of those who believe in rebirth, for example. Edwards insists that the last two thousand years of philosophical development with its emphasis on linearity and so-called 'rationality' is the end all, be all of human intelligence. Bache makes sure to point out the weakness of Edwards's argument and does so quite convincingly. He observes: 'If reincarnation can be proven to be true, then the modern Western philosophical paradigm will crumble because rebirth contradicts the core assumptions of that world view.' Such a remark enables one to perceive the unconscious fears which motivate people like Edwards, not to mention Martin Gardner and the CSICOPS cadre as well, who may very well be threatened by how integrated multi-dimensional awareness is becoming. Just imagine the CSICOPPERS all doing holotropic breathing and what kind of resistances within themselves they would have to deal with!

Fortunately, Dark Night, Early Dawn does not dwell on the 'infallible' 3-D consensus delusion and the organizations that continue to promote it. The author shows a balanced approach to transpersonal work and offers the reader an effective way to traverse a living, intelligent cosmos and come back home not only intact but spiritually integrated in a deep and lasting way. Citing the works of Stanislav Grof, Ken Wilber and Robert Monroe, as well as visionary mystics such as Teresa of Avila, Bache offers us a useful as well as fascinating means to explore the worlds these people describe so vividly. The author also shares his own inner experiences in which he himself connected with these spiritually evolved worlds:
"The time of rebuilding was suffused with an inner luminosity that signaled a profound awakening in the human heart. It was not the overwhelming brilliance of diamond luminosity that shines forth from individual awakening, but a softer luminosity that reflected the same reality but more gently present and more evenly distributed throughout the entire species. The whole of humanity was going to go through the death/rebirth experience, and the substance of awakening for the group was the same as for the individual, though realized more slowly and in smaller increments."

With insights such as described above, it is apparent the Bache has prepared himself sufficiently enough not only to share this kind of profound information with us but to inspire us to safely explore these transpersonal worlds as well. I found his as well as his students' journal entries to be most revealing and informative.

Read it.......2003-07-28

A must for anyone with interest in the matters of life and death. Bache unravels his grasp of 30 years of psychedelic work, and where it lead him, with rare humility, grace and poise. This isn't a book that tries to hopelessly (albeit heroically) sell the future to the academic community; it's a substantial, juicy, and sometimes even heavy speculation piece. Inform you it will really not, but get you searching it will. Feels like a swift kick in one's karmic rear, if you pardon the pun.

All in all, a rare gem. Read!

Remarkable Account of Our Collective Transformation.......2002-05-31

Millions of sane, intelligent people living today seem to live in a world that modern, scientific cosmology tells us just doesn't exist. Either they are deluded, or what they have to say about the world calls into question the dominant cosmological myth.

Judging by a deluge of media reports and a growing body of respectable scientific literature, a great many people are having experiences that don't fit into our civilization's dominant cosmological map. You may be one of them: someone who has experienced, for example, powerful, even predictive, dreams; remarkable synchronicities; undeniable psychic events; or convincing mystical experiences.

But, according our culture's cosmology, none of these experiences is supposed to be possible.

In this book, transpersonal psychologist Chris Bache opens up a different way of approaching this conundrum - by exploring the spectrum of our consciousness and what it implies for a much wider and comprehensive cosmology. The personal and social consequences of such an expanded worldview are profound.

Cosmology orients us in the universe. It tells us where we came from, where we are, and where we are going. Implicitly or explicitly, it defines what is possible for us as human beings, and thus it channels, or limits, our highest ambitions.

Modern Western culture lives entirely within the confines of what Bache identifies as "daytime" consciousness - that is, it takes into account only what we can perceive through our outer, physical, senses, and of those perceptions it takes seriously only those we can measure. These data are then organized according to the rules of logic and reason (mostly mathematical). "Nighttime" consciousness - what we can learn about the world through, for example, dreams, intuition, psychic or mystical experiences, and other nonordinary states - plays no part in designing modern cosmology.

As a result, we are moving into a kind of cultural dislocation, in which the official cosmology fails to map many of the experiences that matter most to us.

Combining philosophical reflections with deep self-exploration to delve into the ancient mystery of death and rebirth, Bache emphasizes collective rather than individual transformation. Drawing on 20 years of experience working with nonordinary states, he argues that when the deep psyche is hyper-stimulated using powerful psychedelic techniques, the healing that results sometimes extends beyond the individual to the collective unconscious of humanity itself.

Bache presents one of the most persuasive accounts - based on many years of personal spiritual exploration and incisive scholarly work - of why our culture needs to take seriously the spectrum of nonordinary states of consciousness experienced by so many people.

If you want a powerful, at times dramatic, account of the sheer majesty and mystery of our multidimensional cosmos and how the psyche fits in, this book is a must-read. If you want a transformative approach to learning and eduction about who we are and our place in the cosmos this book will inspire you.

on the cutting edge of the spiritual paradigm.......2002-04-24

I've read this book three times. Chris offers a realistic, and yet optimistic reaction to the coming ecological crisis. He doesn't back away from what lies ahead, yet he compares the end of the 'world as we know it' to a birthing process. The coming environmental meltdown will be the 'near death experience' for the species. Chris' conclusions rank amoung the best spiritual paradigms for the ecological future.

Death, Hope And Sex: Steps to An Evolutionary Ecology of Mind and Morality

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death, hope and sex

Death, Hope And Sex: Steps to An Evolutionary Ecology of Mind and Morality
James S. Chisholm
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The God Delusion

ASIN: 0521597080

Book Description

By showing how and why human nature is what it is, evolutionary theory can help us see better what we need to do to improve the human condition. Following evolutionary theory to its logical conclusion, Death, Hope and Sex uses life history theory and attachment theory to construct a model of human nature in which critical features are understood in terms of the development of alternative reproductive strategies contingent on environmental risk and uncertainty. James Chisholm examines the implications of this model for perspectives on concerns associated with human reproduction, including teen pregnancy, and young male violence. He thus develops new approaches for thorny issues such as the nature-nurture and mind-body dichotomies. Bridging the gap between the social and biological sciences, this far-reaching volume will be a source of inspiration, debate and discussion for all those interested in the evolution of human nature and the potential for an evolutionary humanism.

Customer Reviews:

death, hope and sex.......2000-10-04

Chisholm unites issues that rarely meet under one cover: attachment theory, reproductive strategies and evolutionary theory. The first chapter lays out the basis of evolutionary humanism. This chapter will interest many though it remains debatable whether Chisholm's arguments refute the naturalistic fallacy, as he contends. The second chapter on evolution and development provides a fantastic link between the intergenerational concerns of population geneticists and phenotypic focus of developmentalists. Remaining chapters investigate the role of attachment theory in influencing an individual's later reproductive strategy and, intertwining with attachment style, the influence of risk and uncertainty in shaping male and female reproductive strategies. Throughout, he explores the implication of his contention that, "the ultimate function of life is reproduction--that value itself originates in reproductive (fitness, continuance), not health, wealth, or happiness--evolutionary theory specifies the target at which we should aim," and more.

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Steps to an Ecology of Mind
Gregory Bateson
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The new information sciences can lead to a new understanding of man and how his ideas interact.

The Permaculture Way: Practical Steps to Create a Self-Sustaining World

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the best permaculture book for beginners
a bit dry...
For anyone who wants to build a better world
The Permaculture Way

The Permaculture Way: Practical Steps to Create a Self-Sustaining World
Graham Bell
Manufacturer: Thorsons Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0722525680

Book Description

The Permaculture Way shows us how to consciously design a lifestyle which is low in environmental impact and highly productive. It demonstrates how to meet our needs, make the most of resources by minimizing waste and maximizing potential, and still leave the Earth richer than we found it.

Customer Reviews:

the best permaculture book for beginners.......2005-12-06

Regardless of one person's opinion about this book being dry, it is considered one of the best tried and true permaculture manuals out there. The illustrations are funny and poignant and the information accessible and aplicable to a modern world.
Also be sure to check out the forthcoming "Food Not Lawns" by Heather Coburn due out next Summer. It is sure to be among the best-ever urban gardening books.

a bit dry..........2005-11-04

This being my first text on Permaculture, I was hoping to be awed and enthused after reading. Rather, I was a bit tired and dreary eyed. The book does contain many useful and convincing ideas. It also seems to have the depth of research I like in a text. Yet I could not wait to put the book down. It's common sense approach, not the revolutionary style I had come to link with Permaculture, left me wondering why I ordered it and if there is another trext more inspiring...

Look further before buying.

For anyone who wants to build a better world.......2004-01-31

What is permaculture? Permaculture is a way of life; it makes maximum use of resources by minimizing waste and maximizing potential; it is a tool for planet-repair; it is a way of creating wealth without causing environmental damage; it is about meeting our own needs without making the lives of other less pleasant; it is about limiting personal consumption but gaining more than you lose; it is about using technology when it is the best way to accomplish a task; it is developing interdependence with the community rather than self-sufficiency; it is about reducing the work required to meet a given end; it is about giving each of us the power to influence the world from our own home. Permaculture is not about getting away from it all but taking control of our lives where we are. It is a concept and a practice with global implications because it is possible under any culture, in any climate and by people with any skills. Permacultue invites you to take care of yourself, your family and your immediate community, and to care for your neighbors in the widest possible sense, all around the globe. Permaculture is based on sound economics while making our lives more harmonious with the needs of the planet.

Put in its simplest terms, permaculture asks people to put as much into life as they demand from it; but it starts with each individual because that is what is immediate and within our control and because only we have the power to affect the future by acting creatively for the good of ourselves and others. Permaculture starts in the home because that is the central point in time and space from which all daily occupations radiate. Designing the home to supply much of its own needs and to consume its own outputs would be a massive contribution to global cleansing. Thoreau, in his book 'Walden' reviews his two-year experiment in simple living as a counter to industrialization and commerce that have driven people into virtual slavery. His remedy was to concentrate on simple requirements to free up time and energy for our spiritual needs. Our house should provide health for the family, peace for the spirit and harmony with the environment - and that is what permaculture strives to attain. Think globally but act locally is a slogan that reminds us, not just of our duty, but of our personal ability to affect change for the better. Permaculture is best expressed in your own garden because gardening exhibits all the qualities of planet-care - it is small scale, local, ethical, and a personal responsibility that brings together all strands of our relationship with nature; it is a common bond between families throughout the world. Permaculture is best expressed through the individual because leadership is so vital to building a better world. Every parent is a leader; every adult and every child can become a leader. All it requires is to do something when you see something that needs doing and that something may be as simple as creating a garden along the lines described in this book.

This book shows us how to meet our basic needs while leaving the earth richer; it helps us to relearn the value of nature; it helps us to understand new ways of being wealthy; it helps us to create a productive lifestyle without causing environmental damage. Although the specifics of this book are for the British Isles, the principles and philosophies are universal. At present, the earth cannot keep up with our rate of production and consumption. We must deepen our understanding of the land and our relationship to it. This doesn't mean that we all have to become peasant or subsistence farmers; permaculture seeks more rewarding paths to paradise. This book helps us to design our lives efficiently, not just to feed and clothe ourselves better but to take as little as possible of the earth's space for the production of those needs; to do as little damage as possible to the environment and whenever possible to return as much as possible to nature.

David Bellamy starts his preface with these words. "I have four books in my library which form the cornerstones of my hope for the future: Marcus Porcius Cato's 'Treatise on Agriculture' (about 160 AD); Robert Sharrock's 'History of the Propagation and Improvement of Vegetables by the Concurrence of Art and Nature' (1660); Hans Jenny's 'The Soil Resource' (1980); and Bill Mollison's 'permaculture' (1988). I can now add this book to the collection, for it is of great importance. This is a spring-board text, which relaunches the wisdom of almost twenty centuries into the arena where it is most needed and from which it can be most effective - the rich countries of the temperate world."

At the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit for Sustainable Development, one resolution was to declare a Decade for Education on Sustainable Development starting in 2005. We must now start thinking about what should be included in the new curriculum. Permaculture should definitely be included. If you want to move away from the consumerist lifestyle; if you want to live by more enduring values; if you are looking for answers to the question 'What can I do about curing our world?'; if you are looking for ways to improve your health and to live more harmoniously with nature; if you agree with Edmund Burke that "for the triumph of evil it is only necessary that good men do nothing"; then this well may be the book you have been looking for. This book should be in the library of everyone interested in building a better world.

The Permaculture Way.......2000-05-29

I read this book about a year ago so I can't be too detailed. But I appreciated this accessible introduction to the entire field of permaculture as a philosophy. Not just focused on farm or landscaping design, Bell explicates deeper community design and planning that mollison usually just suggests in passing. Particularily interesting was his discussion of Community centered currency and exchange programs like BREAD in Berkeley

Sacred Unity : Further Steps to an Ecology of Mind

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Sacred Unity : Further Steps to an Ecology of Mind
Gregory Bateson
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Epistemology | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0062501003

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Steps to an Ecology of Mind
Gregory. Bateson
Manufacturer: Ballantine Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000J0KNVM

Greenspirit: Twelve Steps in Ecological Spirituality : An Individual, Cultural and Planetary Therapy

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Greenspirit: Twelve Steps in Ecological Spirituality : An Individual, Cultural and Planetary Therapy
Albert J. LaChance
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Steps To An Ecology of Mind
Gregory Bateson
Manufacturer: Ballantine, 1974
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VJ7UU8

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Steps to an Ecology of Mind
Gregory Bateson
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UTM3ZQ

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