The Dog Allusion
Gods, Pets and How to be Human
1st Edition
Published on 30. September 2010
160 pages
978-1-4090-5924-0 (ISBN)
Description
'As with dogs, so with gods - by and large, you should blame the owners.'
A particular trait, common to all human civilisations, is the worship of non-human entities with followings of devotees who claim that their reverence can transport them to transcendental heights of complete and unfettered love.
Do we mean God? No - we mean Dog. Dogs and other pets we've been keeping and loving since we began walking on two feet. But why do we love God - and pets - so much when their capriciousness sometimes suggests that they don't love us back?
In this wise, witty and highly topical book, celebrated cartoonist and novelist Martin Rowson argues that rationally, the whole enterprise of religion is a monumental and faintly ridiculous waste of time and money. But then again, so is pet-keeping.
A particular trait, common to all human civilisations, is the worship of non-human entities with followings of devotees who claim that their reverence can transport them to transcendental heights of complete and unfettered love.
Do we mean God? No - we mean Dog. Dogs and other pets we've been keeping and loving since we began walking on two feet. But why do we love God - and pets - so much when their capriciousness sometimes suggests that they don't love us back?
In this wise, witty and highly topical book, celebrated cartoonist and novelist Martin Rowson argues that rationally, the whole enterprise of religion is a monumental and faintly ridiculous waste of time and money. But then again, so is pet-keeping.
Reviews / Votes
Cheeky [and] irreverent * Scotland on Sunday * An erudite, entertaining, informative and sometimes spectacularly rude rant * New Scientist * Learned, intelligent, outrageous, fruitful and funny * Tribune * He is a sensitive writer, capable of great subtlety * Guardian *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
File size
0,25 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4090-5924-0 (9781409059240)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2008
Vintage
€19.00
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Martin Rowson is an award-winning political cartoonist whose work appears regularly in the Guardian, The Times, the Independent on Sunday, the Daily Mirror, the Scotsman, the Spectator, Tribune, Index on Censorship and The New Humanist. His previous publications include comic book adaptations of The Waste Land and Tristram Shandy, a novel, Snatches, published by Jonathan Cape in 2006 and a memoir, Stuff. He lives with his wife in south-east London.
