The Spell of the Sensuous

Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World

By: David Abram

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

For a thousand generations, human beings viewed themselves as part of the wider community of nature, and they carried on active relationships not only with other people but with other animals, plants, and natural objects (including mountains, rivers, winds, and weather patterns) that we have only lately come to think of as "inanimate". How, then, did humans come to sever their ancient reciprocity with the natural world? What will it take for us to recover a sustaining relationship with the breathing earth?

In The Spell of the Sensuous, David Abram draws on sources as diverse as the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty, Balinese shamanism, Apache storytelling, and his own experience as an accomplished sleight-of-hand magician to reveal the subtle dependence of human cognition on the natural environment. He explores the character of perception and excavates the sensual foundations of language, which - even at its most abstract - echoes the calls and cries of the earth. In this lyrical work, Abram weaves his arguments with a passion, a precision, and an intellectual daring that recall such writers as Loren Eisleley, Annie Dillard, and Barry Lopez.

©1996 David Abram (P)2017 Tantor

Mind blowing

This book should be added to the top 5 must read book list. Absolutely mind blowing

Be ready to engage your intellect!

This book traces philosophical and spiritual routes that humans have tread over our existence. Not a "fun" read, it is complex and takes attention to listen to, but I found that I could go in and out without losing the thread. I so appreciate the importance of the points made. I highly recommend it.

interesting ideas terrible narration

this is s good book from an ideas, philosophy, and principles perspective. they couldn't have chosen a poorer narrator. if I had it to do over, I would have read the book.

this narrator should president over funerals.

Dense but worth it!

This is a LONG and varied book. Much of it is written in very poetic language, and the author spends significant time on evocative descriptions of animals, places, and experiences. These can be really beautiful, and the narrator does a great job of reading them in a moving way. On the other hand, parts of it are extremely academic, and the author spends a lot of time quoting and picking apart the writings of other historians, philosophers, anthropologists, etc. Those parts can get really dry and read like a PhD thesis, although they contain some really eye opening information.

I think it's very unlikely that anyone will love ALL of this book. Some people will really like the anthropological/scientific/historical rigor and learning about human language and history, and will get a little impatient with the flowery descriptions. Others will like the poetic and "big picture" parts and get a little bored with the nitty-gritty academic sections. But if you stick with it, it really does all come together in the end and it's totally worth it, so I encourage people to be patient and keep an open mind, either way!

There is no book as poetic as intellectual aa this

This book is a long arduous walk through words come back to earth to rise again in the breeze of deep knowing of modern life in search of ancient connection with sound and sensors sense.

Life changing!

This book will change the way you interact with and treat the world. It is heartfelt, insightful, creative, and important. The narrator has a unique voice, but he is incredibly good a pronunciation, which is important in this book. Listening to it aloud is helpful, especially because there are many words spelled out to make their sound, which is much easier to understand verbally. Stick with this book until the end- you will not regret it.

Hypnotic and Revealing

Spell Of The Sensuous is a beautiful offering that poses important questions and seeks to opens one's eyes and ears to the importance of being fully present not just in mind but in body as a part of the interwoven fabric of the natural world as is appropriate to our evolution within it both as individuals and communities. It is an interesting and beautiful work.

wonderful

I've just finished and am ready to listen again. It started a little slow for me, but gained speed till the finish.

Spellbound

This is one of my favorite books. Whenever I feel the need for inspiration and a transportive experience, I revisit The Spell of the Sensuous and I feel renewed with new insights into life. The author’s poetic prose is unmatched. And the narrator’s textured voice is a perfect complement to this earth wise book.

Phenomenal

Illuminating and gracious. One of the best philosophy books I’ve read. Performance was gentle and easy to listen to even in the denser areas