718. A Fascinating Novel - Jack London: Before Adam

718.   A Fascinating Novel -  Jack London:  Before Adam

I just finished listening to the audio version of this novel, available on Librivox.    And even though they may never know, a big thanks to all those volunteers, who give me the chance to listen to good books.   

In other entries, I have explained how the ability for emotional attachment is a part of the unique human evolution, which could only co-evolve along with the general cognitive and rational abilities.  My source of such ideas is reading a lot about recent evolutionary biology and psychology.  

Jack London wrote his novel in 1906/7, at times, when evolution was still a widely disputed concept.   While this novel contains certainly a lot of imagination based upon limited scientific reality, his achievement is nevertheless very remarkable.   He was able to brilliantly illustrate the evolutionary state of people, whose limited empathy and emotional attachment were in sync with their limited intelligence and their limited theory of mind.  

I doubt that anybody with current knowledge of evolutionary biology, anthropology and archaeology could write a much better novel.  

644. A Literary Example Of A Delusional Man

644.  A Literary Example Of A Delusional Man

I just listened to the audio version of The Golden Silence by C.N and A.M. Williamson, which is legally available at
http://librivox.org/the-golden-silence-by-cn-and-am-williamson.  
(I really appreciate the excellent work of all the volunteers at librivox.org and www.litteratureaudio.com, who have done the reading of this and many other books.)

I am aware that this book was written in 1911, more than a hundred years ago, and I know, that the world has changed since then.   I am also aware, that what is told as a fictional story, does not imply it ever having happened in real life.   
Yet somehow it seems very probable, that a man can really be as delusional and as dangerous as was that man in the story, and this is very scary.   

By circumstances of the story, a young girl got under the power of an islamic man somewhere in northern Africa.  He had become very infatuated with her beauty and he pretended and believed to love her.   According to his understanding of correct behavior and honor, he wanted her as his wife.   So he threatened to force her into marriage, if she would not consent.   

But love requires respect for an equal, which he did not have for her.   His complete disrespect for her own ability to know herself, what is best for her, caused him the delusion, that forcing himself upon her were beneficial for her, so that he could do this without having any bad conscience.   

Two quotes summing it up: 

"I do not fear thy hate. When thou belongest to me, I will know how to turn it into love."

"Give me thy love, and thou canst bend me as thou wilt.  Refuse it, and I will break thee."

Such a delusion in combination with the power to enforce it makes a man dangerous.   But when his religion also tells him, that having power over women, and having four wives and an unlimited number of concubines is the will of his deity, then he is any woman's worst possible enemy.     

While this story is an extreme example, unfortunately many men are misguided to sincerely overestimate the benefits of what they do to women and to underestimate without any doubt the harm they do.