The Domestication of the Savage Mind

This book focuses on the theory that the mental world of human societies changes when there is a change in their means of communication. Professor Goody argues that there is no dichotomy between advanced and primitive, or between open and closed, or between domesticated and savage societies. The advancement of our minds depends on the development of new technologies in all aspects. Especially, he points out that writing, not speech, has been the driving force in shaping human mentality. If a society adapts to one way of communication, it also has to adjust its thinking accordingly, or it will eventually doom itself to become irrelevant.