I wrote this article sometime in 2014 on “Ishmael,” a 1992 philosophical novel by Daniel Quinn. The novel is an examination of the mythological thinking central to modern civilisation, how it affects our accepted code of conduct, and ultimately the impact of sustainability on a global scale. For the purpose of enforcing the author’s message, I’ve discussed a current oil exploration controversy in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to highlight these catastrophic consequences. -VF
Arctic Wildlife Refuge- photo by Jan Reurink
Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael is like having a conversation with a favorite grandparent. It’s that gentle shake intended to get you moving in the right direction. Except Grandpa is a gorilla with telepathic powers and an exceptional understanding of human civilization — like a Buddha meets Yoda hybrid. But this time, he’s got some really bad news.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn Comic (source)
Ishmael is a “teacher [in search of ] a pupil [with] an earnest desire to save the world.” And the narrator, a writer intrigued by the apprenticeship, ultimately accepts the challenge with surprisingly little apprehension of his new mentor’s physicality. But with no time is wasted the apprenticeship begins. Through a Socratic-style choreographed dialogue, you come to understand the cumulative causes behind the ecologically destructive attitudes running rampant in our culture- mythology being a primary motivator.
The mentor distinguishes mankind into two cultures: the “Leavers” being the hunter/gatherers of indigenous societies that thrived long before the agricultural revolution. And the “Takers” of the populations who kill or pillage other cultures to exploit their native lands’ resources for our insatiable wants. Ishmael exemplifies this condition through the concept of Creationism. The story of Adam & Eve, the Tree of Knowledge, the Fall of Man, and Cain & Able all entail components of the “Taker and Leaver” theory. Leading the disciple to question whether humanity alone would be the root cause of an impending global meltdown, or rather the result of a culture’s stronghold on the global economy. And that’s exactly Ishmael’s point- it is one culture acting out one story, a story where humans believe they have ultimate knowledge of what’s right and wrong, and limitless production and population growth is the objective.
The storyline of the “Leavers” and the offshoot of the “Takers”, (source).
Daniel Quinn’s method of examining human and environmental sustainability is unconventional, but it makes sense that a gorilla is the “teacher”. Homo sapiens are a direct descendant from the gorilla species with just under 1.6% variation in genomic DNA. Except for the evolution of the consciousness and a few other phenotypic characteristics, it’s not unusual that we share many qualities with our ancestors including Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. However, the narration didn’t necessarily make a direct link to the current impact of our “taker’s” enactment of “man’s fall”.
Gwich'in Sisters, Cora and Lillian, participated in a traditional dance performance during the 2016 Gwich'in Gathering in Arctic Village, Alaska via Smithsonian Magazine
To correlate the greater political powers at play and the potential ramifications of our current “taking” irresponsibilities, consider the recent Arctic Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) oil drilling controversy. The expansion of domestic oil production into the Arctic regions has been an ongoing public battle since gaining traction in 1977. The primary taker and leaver parties involved were U.S. oil companies and Native Gwich’in communities respectively. Acknowledging the loses over the gains, President Carter passed a bill in 1980 that banned oil drilling in 194 million acres of ANWR wilderness but allowed further analysis of this “1002” area without any drilling. However, this issue was reconsidered multiple times by US Congress/Electoral powers until President Bush successfully reversed the ban, citing the “energy crisis” a major factor for more oil access.
An oil production facility and pipelines in Alaska's Prudhoe Bay. Photo: Design Pics Inc/National Geographic Image Collection (source)
Fast-forward a few years later, some heavy investments, and multiple bitter court battles- turns out the ANWR contained an almost comically lower amount of oil than anticipated. Due to new technology, oil reserves estimates were corrected to hold a disappointing 896 million barrels instead of the initial estimate of 5.7-15 billion barrels. In addition to financial losses of $4.6 billion, the economic viability of this venture was looking even more questionable- not to mention the potential environmental catastrophes and the uprooting of a nearly extinct aboriginal culture. So in January 2014, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden announced that they would no longer pursue exploration drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz: David and Goliath? (Credit: DW contributing cartoonist Sergey Elkin)
Unfortunately, this delay in oil exploration was short-lived. Shell still plans to partner with Gazprom to drill into Russia- Gazprom is Forbes’ #2 biggest oil company in the world with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In light of the current diplomatic crisis in Ukraine, Gazprom stated they would stop providing the country discounted gas prices starting April 2014 due to unpaid debts- adding to Ukraine’s already deteriorating finances. This prompts an Ishmael-influenced question: has humankind made itself into a global tyrant?
NASA-funded study: Over 32 advanced civilisations have collapsed before us, and we’re next in line (source).
Upon examination of Ishmael’s closing lines: “With gorilla gone, will there be hope for man? With man gone, will there be hope for gorilla?” He makes us question the survival of humankind as the original ways of sustainable living become dilute over time. However, there have been several historical accounts where complete civilizations collapsed due to overconsumption — the Mayans, the Roman Empire, the advanced Han Civilisation, the Mesopotamian Empires, just to name a few. Perhaps we are underestimating the Earth’s resilience, as it has also gone through several significant climate changes and environmental alterations over millions of years before the industrial era (i.e. the Ice Age). This evidence supports Earth’s immense capacity to self-restore.
The De-evolution of Man (source)
The gorilla species, or any species as we know it might not be able to survive in the environment that we leave behind upon our self-inflicted extinction. However, whatever organisms left behind may eventually evolve and expand in response to Earth’s evolution, just as they originally did in Earth’s primordial soup. Ultimately, Ishmael makes the preventative approach crystal clear: “Man’s place is to be the first without being the last. Man’s place is to figure out how it’s possible to do that — and then to make some room for all the rest who are capable of becoming what he’s become.” -VF
Updated in 2019