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Loading... Does It Matter? Essays on Man's Relation to Materiality (original 1970; edition 1970)by Alan W. Watts
Work InformationDoes It Matter? by Alan W. Watts (1970)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. An interesting collection of essays by the famed introducer of Zen to the west, Alan Watts. Some of the essays are as timeless as ever, such as his thoughts on the non-duality of mankind and nature, while others have dated poorly since its publication in the early-1970s, such as his beliefs in the potential of psychedelic drugs or techno-optimism. It's not a book for a first time Alan Watts reader, but is a good addition for anyone familiar with his previous works. ( ) no reviews | add a review
Does It Matter? presents Alan Watts' thoughts on the problem of humankind's relationship to its environment. Here he argues that contemporary people confuse symbols with reality, preferring money to wealth and "eating the menu instead of the dinner." Focusing on numbers, concepts, and technology, he says, makes us increasingly unconscious of nature and of our total dependence on air, water, plants, animals, insects, and bacteria. We have hallucinated the notion that the "external" world is a cluster of "objects" separate from ourselves, that we "encounter" it rather than come out of it. Consequently, he claims, humanity is fouling its own nest and is in imminent danger of self-obliteration. In one of his most provocative books, a philosopher known for his writings and teachings about mysticism and Eastern philosophy confronts the nitty-gritty problems of economics, technology, clothing, cooking, housing, and the rest of the world around us. First published in 1971, the book is especially timely today. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)170Philosophy and Psychology Ethics Ethics -- SubdivisionsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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