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A review by macloo
The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art by David Lewis-Williams
4.0
I have a weird interest in prehistoric cave paintings. I like looking at them (in full-color photos; I've never seen any in person). It amazes me that humans living 30,000–40,000 years ago (in what is now Europe) created these awesome images — and that they did so deep inside hard-to-access dark caves, working by the light of torches. When I came across this book by a South African scholar, I was drawn to it because of its promise to explain something I'd never learned before: Why did those early humans make the cave paintings?
I was not disappointed. Lewis-Williams lays out a good theory, brick by brick. I wasn't 100 percent convinced, but I wouldn't be able to dispute much of what he's said. I especially liked that he brought in examples from Native American rock art and also examples from his area of expertise, the rock art of the San Bushmen of southern Africa. Eventually I reached a part where I felt like he was rehashing [b: The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind|22478|The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind|Julian Jaynes|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1388305401s/22478.jpg|1311139] without even referring to it (he did finally talk about that book in his final pages), and I got a bit weary after that. However, I loved his arguments about why these paintings are not "art" (in spite of what the title says), and probably not "communication" in most senses of the word.
I enjoyed the trippy parts about hallucinations and shamans of many cultures. It was especially nice how the author frequently cited anthropologists' work on the roles of shamans in pre-industrial societies and what living shamans have said in interviews about their experiences. Rather than relying solely on the role of myth in traditional societies and facts about hallucinogenic substances, he discusses the reports given by shamans and connects those to a theory of why some of our ancient ancestors in Europe made the cave paintings. I enjoyed the care with which he supported his arguments even when I didn't fully agree.
I was not disappointed. Lewis-Williams lays out a good theory, brick by brick. I wasn't 100 percent convinced, but I wouldn't be able to dispute much of what he's said. I especially liked that he brought in examples from Native American rock art and also examples from his area of expertise, the rock art of the San Bushmen of southern Africa. Eventually I reached a part where I felt like he was rehashing [b: The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind|22478|The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind|Julian Jaynes|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1388305401s/22478.jpg|1311139] without even referring to it (he did finally talk about that book in his final pages), and I got a bit weary after that. However, I loved his arguments about why these paintings are not "art" (in spite of what the title says), and probably not "communication" in most senses of the word.
I enjoyed the trippy parts about hallucinations and shamans of many cultures. It was especially nice how the author frequently cited anthropologists' work on the roles of shamans in pre-industrial societies and what living shamans have said in interviews about their experiences. Rather than relying solely on the role of myth in traditional societies and facts about hallucinogenic substances, he discusses the reports given by shamans and connects those to a theory of why some of our ancient ancestors in Europe made the cave paintings. I enjoyed the care with which he supported his arguments even when I didn't fully agree.