Hard work is important. Innovation drives progress. Truth is derived from evidence. These concepts form the basis of Western thought, but where did they come from?
In Forging Promethean Psychology, Bruce Lerro analyzes the origins of Western civilization’s most basic values—including individualism, capitalism, and reason—by tracing them back to the Greek myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. Lerro argues that Western civilization developed the way it did by embracing Prometheus’s legacy; in other words, we steal fire every day in the form of nonstop technological development and our obsession with progress.
Academics, armchair psychologists, and history buffs will find Lerro’s thesis compelling; his approach to Western psychology is thorough, thought provoking, and accessible to laypersons. His book offers a clear picture of how European institutions, communities, and philosophies formed the world we know today, with all its vices and virtues.
Change is more fundamental than stability. In a time of great technological and social change, it’s useful to understand the past to see how we might proceed. This interdisciplinary approach to psychological history offers a unique look at where we came from, where we are, and where we’re going.
In his twenty-seven years as a university professor, Bruce Lerro has developed more than twenty-five classes on Western psychology, propaganda and rhetoric, social evolution, and other subjects. His previous books include Earth-Spirits to Sky-Gods, Power in Eden, and Social Change: Globalization from the Stone Age to the Present (coauthored with Christopher Chase-Dunn). Lerro lives with his partner, Barbara, in Oakland, California.
