Iconoclast David F. Noble traces the evolution and eclipse of the biblical mythology of the Promised Land, the foundational story of Western Culture. Part impassioned manifesto, part masterful survey of opposed philosophical and economic schools, Beyond the Promised Land brings into focus the twisted template of the Western imagination and its faith-based market economy.

From the first recorded versions of “the promise” saga in ancient Babylon, to the Zapatistas’ rejection of promises never kept, Noble explores the connections between Judeo-Christian belief and corporate globalization. Inspiration for activists and students alike.

David Noble is the author of Progress Without People (BTL, 1995) and Digital Diploma Mills (BTL, 2002). He teaches history at York University, Toronto.

David Franklin Noble (July 22, 1945 – December 27, 2010) was a critical historian of technology, science and education, best known for his groundbreaking work on the social history of automation. In his final years he taught in the Division of Social Science, and the department of Social and Political Thought at York University in Toronto. Noble held positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Smithsonian Institution and Drexel University, as well as many visiting professorships.

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“David Noble’s ruminations on leading themes of Western history, culture, and society—from the Gilgamesh epic and the Biblical narratives to contemporary neoliberal globalization and the reactions of the Zapatistas and the global justice movements—make fascinating reading, with provocative perspectives and novel insights, drawn from a rich variety of sources. They will be of great interest for those who want to understand the current world and its origins, and to those committed to constructive change.”

“David Noble’s *Beyond the Promised Land *traces how abstract myths have shattered the settled social life of particular people in particular places, destroying biological and cultural diversity, breeding insecurity and unleashing the violence and ecological devastation, that characterize our times. In going to the roots of the myth of the promised land, Noble helps us understand our historical moment better. In celebrating the concrete, the here and now, Noble echoes the call of the women’s movement, the ecology movement and cultural diversity and social justice movements and enables a fundamental paradigm shift that our future is in our hands. It is not determined by the myths of the powerful.

A must read for intellectuals and activists.” —Vandana Shiva

Noam Chomsky

“David Noble’s Beyond the Promised Land traces how abstract myths have shattered the settled social life of particular people in particular places, destroying biological and cultural diversity, breeding insecurity and unleashing the violence and ecological devastation, that characterize our times. In going to the roots of the myth of the promised land, Noble helps us understand our historical moment better. In celebrating the concrete, the here and now, Noble echoes the call of the women’s movement, the ecology movement and cultural diversity and social justice movements and enables a fundamental paradigm shift that our future is in our hands. It is not determined by the myths of the powerful.A must read for intellectuals and activists.”

Vandana Shiva