Theme

            In the creation of Ishmael, Daniel Quinn made it his goal to reach the widest audience possible. And considering he sold over 1.5 million copies, we can confidently say that he succeeded. However, to make his book accessible to less experienced readers, Quinn condensed the important thematic points into loose analogies and metaphors. In doing so, the themes become painfully obvious and clichéd. One important theme of the novel is that modern man’s materialism is the result of our imprisonment in the ambient “taker” values of our society. A separate topic explored at length is the human belief that we have rightful dominion over animals. In Ishmael, the theme that humans are not the rulers of animals is central to Quinn’s argument. A final theme of Ishmael is that humans are subject to the laws of ecology. This theme may seem more trivial than the others, but it is alarmingly applicable to modern society.

My main complaint with the book is that it demonizes civilization and downplays the accomplishments of our society. Quinn argues that materialism is a necessary consequence of civilization – I disagree. I believe that the accomplishments of our society are astounding and that the benefits that we have reaped at least partially justifies our participation in civilization. However, I do agree with Quinn in that the damage we have done is unjustified and that we must seek ways to mitigate future damage.

            Quinn compares our materialism and western lifestyle to a prison from which we cannot escape. He asserts that it is our entrapment in and obsession with material wealth that prevents us from caring about the larger scale impact of our actions. After all, why be concerned with the consequences of a lifestyle that all your neighbors enjoy as well? While I do agree that environmental accountability is a tricky subject, I don’t think that the solution needs to be as radical as reverting to tribalism, which is what Quinn implies is the solution. The current structure of our economy exists to support as much human life as possible. To rebel against this would also risk the lives of the billions of people who rely on outside resources for their survival. I think this support net supplied by civilization is critically important and abolishing it would be an absurdly counterproductive. Environmentalism must be approached pragmatically to make an impact. Resources must be consumed responsibly and our impact on the environment must be regulated proportionally to the damage we do. I think this is a much more reasonable solution.

            The theme which resonated most strongly with me was the idea that humans do not have a morally justified dominion over animals. Quinn argues that it unnecessary and unethical to prioritize our lives over the lives of animals in situations where our survival is not at stake. This may be an idealistic simplification of a more complex issue, but a respect for life is an axiom of my personal philosophy. The last major theme of Ishmael, that humanity is subject to the laws of ecology, is increasingly applicable to the problems facing modern man. Resource consumption is one of these problems. As the global population rises at an accelerating rate, our growth threatens to permanently damage the earth and its ecosystems. Perhaps it is wise that we heed Quinn’s warnings about population growth if we don’t want to convert the entire planet into farm land.