Buy Insect Nations Book by Simon King - Bookswagon
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Insect Nations: Visions of Ant Society from Kropotkin to Bergson(No. 3 Axis Series)

Insect Nations: Visions of Ant Society from Kropotkin to Bergson(No. 3 Axis Series)


     0     
5
4
3
2
1



Out of Stock


Notify me when this book is in stock
X
About the Book

This is an essay in Cultural Entomology; unlike most works in this field, however, which owe a great deal to anthropology or to the study of comparative religions, this essay is determinedly modern in focus. The starting point for this essay are those few pages early on in Mutual Aid (1902) in which Kropotkin discusses the social insects and, in particular, ants. Kropotkin argues that ants have 'renounced the Hobbesian war' of an incessant struggle, and he maintains that, in contrast, ants have achieved a delicate, and thoroughly anarchist balance between social cohesion and 'individual initiative.' Drawing on the work of the French entomologist, Auguste Forel, Kropotkin directs our attention to a remarkable feature of ant anatomy, the 'social crop', in which a social, even communal life seems to be built into the body of the individual ant. A year earlier, the famous student of T. H. Huxley, H. G. Wells, had offered another image of an ant-like collective society in his novel, The First Men in the Moon (1901). Here Wells describes the creatures met with on the Moon, the 'Selenites', as 'compact, bristling insects.' More particularly, they are ants, with the same division of labour, industry and animal husbandry (the 'moon-calves') as many ant nests. Whether the ant-like world of the Selenites is utopian or dystopian is a problem in the text, however, for the picture Wells offers us of their collective is divided between that of the scientist, Cavor, who sees this world in utopian terms, and that of Bedford, the flawed, humanist narrator, who is repelled by it. Lastly, this essay explores the work of the philosopher and 'vitalist', Henri Bergson who, in the thirties, offers us a description of ant communality which includes a strangely natured sense of moral duty. Dr Simon King was born in Cheltenham, and educated at Loughborough, Sussex and Worcester. Insect Nations is his first book. He is currently researching a companion to this volume, focused on plants. He is also the owner of an ant farm. . Modern essay in Cultural Entomology . Original philosophical commentary on ant communality . Wide ranging literary and cultural analysis, from Kropotkin, Forel and Wells to Bergson and Maeterlinck 'Someone has given Simon King an ant-farm to play with; they will wish they hadn't. For as soon as he opens the box it turns, in his hands, into a Pandora's box, out of which tumbles not just a tiny world of ants but an enormous world about ants. This is a bizarre and labyrinthine world peopled or anted by, it seems, everything and everyone: from the masses to Maeterlink, the Daleks to Dali, our brains to Bergson, and tanks to time-machines.' Professor John Schad, Lancaster University


Best Sellers


Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780955182976
  • Publisher: Inkermen Press
  • Publisher Imprint: Inkermen Press
  • Height: 229 mm
  • Returnable: N
  • Spine Width: 4 mm
  • Weight: 114 gr
  • ISBN-10: 0955182972
  • Publisher Date: 01 Feb 2007
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Language: English
  • Series Title: No. 3 Axis Series
  • Sub Title: Visions of Ant Society from Kropotkin to Bergson
  • Width: 152 mm


Similar Products

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS      0     
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
Insect Nations: Visions of Ant Society from Kropotkin to Bergson(No. 3 Axis Series)
Inkermen Press -
Insect Nations: Visions of Ant Society from Kropotkin to Bergson(No. 3 Axis Series)
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

Insect Nations: Visions of Ant Society from Kropotkin to Bergson(No. 3 Axis Series)

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept


    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!