Virtual Memories Show 697:
David M. Carr
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“I don’t think we can escape our programming completely, or even develop any level of freedom from it, unless we look at it with wide open eyes for what it is.”
Biblical scholar David M. Carr rejoins the show for a conversation about his fantastic new book, UNMAKING EDEN: Genesis and the Domestication of the World (Cambridge University Press). We talk about how his close reading of the first 11 chapters of Genesis opened up a new understanding of how human beings related to non-human beings (animals, that is), the concept of onto-stories and how those chapters set up a world of subjugation and othering, how Tiger King inspired him to write this book, and how God’s first idea of the world fell out of harmony and led God into becoming a genocidal maniac (my words, not David’s). We get into how we need to find a new story to change our domestication-programming so we can see what it means to live in relation to others and not just see everyone/everything in terms of utility, how integrating indigenous, non-western traditions can help with that process (without just being a la carte cultural appropriation), how AI may accelerate our self-domestication, and how embracing a sabbath might be the first step in fixing our world. We also discuss David’s jazz-funk organ habit, his other project on scroll technology, his Quaker-Buddhist outlook and how he continues to pursue traditions that range farther from the Bible, what it means for something to be freely given, and more. Give it a listen! And go read UNMAKING EDEN and check out his new podcast, The Bible And The Living World!
“Genesis is far more interested in the question of how humans and animals relate than other ancient near-eastern myths.”
“The process of human domestication of each other has been underway for thousands of years, but we’re moving into a world with digital technology and AI where it seems ever clearer that if we don’t do something soon, this is our destiny.”
“One of the amazing things for me about being in this line of work: I’ve been at it for almost 40 years with this relatively limited set of texts, and yet I keep learning. It’s so exciting to see new things.”
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
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About our Guest
David M. Carr is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. An internationally recognized authority on the formation of Genesis and other biblical books, he is a leader in the emergent field of human-animal studies and the Bible. Recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, he is the author of Holy Resilience: The Traumatic Origins of the Bible, The Formation of Genesis 1-11, and Genesis 1-11: A Commentary. His new book is Unmaking Eden: Genesis and the Domestication of the World.
Follow David’s podcast, The Bible And The Living World, and listen to our 2016 conversation.
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at David’s home on a pair of Shure Beta 58A microphones feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4 digital recorder & interface. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photo of me & David by me. It’s on my instagram.