Mythos

Ishmael is a 1992 philosophical novel by Daniel Quinn. The novel examines the hidden cultural biases driving modern civilization and explores themes of ethics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_(philosophy)), [sustainability, and global catastrophe. Largely framed as a Socratic conversation between two characters,[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(novel)🏷️#cite_note-Reinwald-1)Ishmael aims to expose that several widely accepted assumptions of modern society, such as [human supremacy, are actually cultural myths that produce catastrophic consequences for humankind and the environment. The novel was awarded the $500,000 Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award in 1991, a year before its formal publication.[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(novel)🏷️#cite_note-2)Ishmael is part of a loose [trilogy that includes a 1996 spiritual sequel, The Story of B, and a 1997 "sidequel," My Ishmael. Quinn also details how he arrived at the ideas behind Ishmael in his autobiography, Providence: The Story of a Fifty-Year Vision Quest. Yet another related book is Quinn's 1999 short treatise, Beyond Civilization.

Contexts

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