The Wakeful World: Animism, Mind and the Self in NatureOver the past few hundred years, animism has been dismissed as a primitive, naïve and irrational perspective, irrelevant within the civilised West. In The Wakeful World, Emma Restall Orr argues that this is based on the misrepresentation, drawn in crayon, that each tree and stone has its own Christian-like immortal soul. Taking the reader on a philosophical adventure, Restall Orr explores the heritage of Western thought with precision, enthusiasm and sensitivity, considering how soul, spirit, mind and consciousness have been understood through millennia. Challenging the prevailing worldviews of materialism and dualism, she presents animism as a radically different, yet mature and coherent philosophy. Providing deep green ethics with a wholly rational metaphysical foundation, The Wakeful World is a compelling view of the nature of existence and the experience of reality, giving solid ground for the now necessary journey to a sustainable world. This original and lively book brings back animism - a most useful range of ideas which reductivists have somewhat wildly abandoned during the last century - into focus once more just when it is badly needed to cure current confusions about mind and body - Dr Mary Midgley, Moral Philosopher |
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abilityto actuality allowing andthe animism animist Aristotle asthe become beliefs body brain bythe century chapter coherence Colin McGinn comprehensive conscious awareness consciousness consider context create creativity crucial declared definition Descartes described distinct dualism emergence Emma Restall Orr empiricism entity environment essence existence experience explore feel fundamental holism human ideas imagination individual inherent Inother integrated metaphysics interaction inthe isan isnot isthe itis Kant Kant’s language Latin living material materialist matter memory mental metaphysics mind mindedness monism nature nature’s neutral monism ofits ofnature ofthe onthe ontological panpsychism panpsychist pantheistic particles patterns perceive perception perspective philosophical physical Plato prehension process philosophy property dualism provoked qualia question rational reality reason recognise response selfreflection sensation sense simply soul spirit stuff substance substance dualists sucha suggested thatis thereis thesis theworld thinkers thinking tobe tothe understanding universe wakefulness Whitehead whole wholly withinthe withthe word