Does It Matter?
by Alan W. Watts
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Description
This classic series of essays represents Alan Watts's thinking on the astonishing problems caused by our dysfunctional relationship with the material environment. Here, with characteristic wit, a philosopher best known for his writings and teachings about mysticism and Eastern philosophy gets down to the nittygritty problems of economics, technology, clothing, cooking, and housing. Watts argues that we confuse symbol with reality, our ways of describing and measuring the world with the world show more itself, and thus put ourselves into the absurd situation of preferring money to wealth and eating the menu instead of the dinner. With our attention locked on numbers and concepts, we are increasingly unconscious of nature and of our total dependence on air, water, plants, animals, insects, and bacteria. We have hallucinated the notion that the socalled external world is a cluster of objects separate from ourselves, that we encounter it, that we come into it instead of out of it. Originally published in 1972, Does It Matter? foretells the environmental problems that arise from this mistaken mindset. Not all of Watts's predictions have come to pass, but his unique insights will change the way you look at the world. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
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.
Interesting. But in a real sense, if you've read one Watts you've read them all.
yes and no.
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Author Information
223+ Works 17,157 Members
Alan Watts (1915-1973) was a renowned lecturer and the author of nearly thirty books, including The Way of Zen and The Book. Born in Chislehurst, England, he moved to the United States in 1938 and began Zen training in New York. He received a master's degree in theology from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and served as an Episcopal priest show more before leaving the ministry in 1950 to move to California, where he joined the faculty of the American Academy of Asian Studies (now the California Institute of Integral Studies). show less
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Does It Matter? Essays on Man's Relation to Materiality
- Original publication date
- 1970
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 399
- Popularity
- 77,706
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.07)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, French
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 6
