The Book by Alan W. Watts challenges the modern interpretation of the individual and encourages readers to examine the concept of 'I'. The review finds the book thought-provoking and reassuring, though some ideas may be more impactful when read at a younger age.
The Book by Alan W. Watts is a profound exploration of the individual's place in the universe, drawing from Eastern philosophies and contrasting them with Western scientific thought. The reviewer appreciates the book's call to recognize the unity of all things and finds it reassuring, though they note that some ideas might have resonated more deeply if read at a younger age. The book's themes are echoed in the game 'Everything', which visually and interactively represents the interconnectedness of all things. While the reviewer acknowledges some conservative elements in Watts' work, they ultimately find the book thought-provoking and worth reading, even if its practical applications in daily life are not immediately clear.
Quick quotes
The prevalent sensation of oneself as a separate ego enclosed in a bag of skin is a hallucination which accords neither with Western science nor with the experimental philosophy-religions of the East — in particular the central and germinal Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism. This hallucination underlies the misuse of technology for the violent subjugation of man’s natural environment and, consequently, its eventual destruction.
We are therefore in urgent need of a sense of our own existence which is in accord with the physical facts and which overcomes our feeling of alienation from the universe.
I’m glad I read this. I had tried for a long time to get a copy and had failed, and decades passed, so my interest and expectations had waned.