Beginning with the hunter versus gatherer role of hominids, the book covers the relationship of imagery thinking and culture through the ages. In early civilizations, multiple gods were worshipped, and goddesses were thought to possess considerable powers. Yet with the evolution of the written word, as demonstrated by the recording of the Old Testament, came the emergence of monotheism and an imageless deity. All of this coincided with the rising view of women as the lesser sex.
Though a fair amount of the text discusses Judeo-Christian culture, Dr. Shlain does include chapters on many of the Eastern religions. Buddhism, Taoism, and Confusianism all fit within his hypothesis. The text also covers a variety of topics including the influence of the Chinese alphabet, the consequences from the availability of paper, the return of feminine icons in the Dark Ages, the effect of the printing press, and even the treatment of witches
The book traces the influence of imagery on culture right up to the present day. Was it "a mere coincidence that the most explosive feminist movement in the five-thousand-year history of patriarchy occurred during the first television generation?" Though the book is quite long (most of the book group did not finish it), it is a fascinating, provocative look at the correlation between the way we communicate and the status of women through history.