ZOMBIES (original) (raw)

This 200-page short book examines the superficial claim that our modern civilization is based on individualism and democracy: but increasingly, it is conformist and corporatist; a society in which legitimacy lies with specialists and interest groups, so political decisions are made through constant negotiations between these groups. The paradox of our situation is that knowledge has not made us more conscious but we have sought refuge in a world of illusion, where language is cut off from reality. Saul proposes a return to equilibrium by reconnecting language to reality, clarifying the real meanings of individualism and democracy: making these realities central to each citizen's life by identifying ideologies so as to control them. This dense, polemical book that grew out of his 1995 Massey Lectures, which won the Canadian Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction Literature, has continued to make an impact. The strength of this book is the power the author brings to his analysis of the problem; the tragedy is that he is overwhelmed by it and cannot offer any realistic solutions.