Forbidden Knowledge by Roger Shattuck

Forbidden Knowledge

From Prometheus to Pornography

Roger Shattuck

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · September 15, 1997

In his “best achievement to date” (Harold Bloom), National Book Award- winner Roger Shattuck gives us a “deeply learned, highly intelligent, and beautifully written” (New York Times) study of human curiosity versus the taboo, from Adam and Eve to the Marquis de Sade to biotechnology research.

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Who it’s for
A learned study of how human curiosity meets taboos across history, literature, and biotechnology.
Themes
Human curiosity, Taboo, Biotechnology research
Genres
Human Sexuality, Ethics, Literary Criticism

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About this book

In his “best achievement to date” (Harold Bloom), National Book Award- winner Roger Shattuck gives us a “deeply learned, highly intelligent, and beautifully written” (New York Times) study of human curiosity versus the taboo, from Adam and Eve to the Marquis de Sade to biotechnology research. Index.

Curiosity at the Edge

A learned study of how human curiosity meets taboos across history, literature, and biotechnology.

Come here for

  • Ideas that connect Adam and Eve, the Marquis de Sade, and biotechnology research
  • A layered look at the boundary between curiosity and prohibition

Expect

  • An intellectually rich study, beautifully written
  • A wide-ranging view from ancient stories to modern research

Where it sits

Human Sexuality40%
Ethics36%
Literary Criticism14%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • World History
  • Historical Geography
  • Social History
  • Eastern Philosophy
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Ethics
  • Social Psychology
  • Evolution
  • How Cultures Work
Authors
Roger Shattuck
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
September 15, 1997
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Human curiosity · Taboo · Biotechnology research
Reading lane
World History