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A review by janthonytucson
Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner
3.0
This was a frustrating read because Keltner seems unwilling to do what he studies- create a work of art that inspires awe in its readers.
This was a 5-star book that as I went on went to 4 and then gets to a 3 and I am bordering on 2 because of several issues I have with the way the book is organized, and the technical editing of the book, and finally who was included and who was left out as prominent thinkers in the apprehension of awe for us here in late modernity.
The editor of this book has decided that instead of sticking with the commonly accepted notion of utilizing a superscript number citation in the text has decided to offer no citation methods in the text and instead has a notes section at the end of the book that in contradiction to accepted and broadly used norms, does not list citations with names of the authors first but the general topic from the chapter being discussed. For someone who reads every note and relies upon the note sections of books to build further research paths, this makes the book almost useless for those of us who read in this method. If you are researcher, academic, etc, this book is a nightmare to deal with because of this baffling editorial decision. -1 star for this (I hope they go back to accepted norms in the paperback version of this book).
Then the last chapter Keltner gives his big ‘how’ reveal, what all of these decades of awe research has led him to realize how we can integrate this amazing technology back into our cultural forms. Systems theory. Great! Now let’s get into the details on this systems theory…Nothing folks. No details, anyone familiar with systems theory knows there are multiple schools that can vary substantially, and none of this is even closely hinted out, there is no work done here in explicating a theory of action within a systems theory framework for recentering awe back in our cultural forms. GTFO, -1 star.
Keltner also leans heavily on the work of William James +1, I’m a big fan of James’s work, but throughout the books it slowly dawned on me that Keltner is a fan of the American Transcendentalism, rather than American Pragmatism, and this has an unfortunate effect of tilting the lens through which Keltner embodies awe to the conservative side, and in fact my fear was validated when on page 178, Keltner makes the cringeworthy statement that ‘There is no better guide to this idea [visual art offering us insights into understanding the ‘vastness’ & the ‘mysterious’] than philosopher Edmund Burke…’ OMG, NO; please say it ain't so Dacher (I almost threw the book in fireplace, but I quickly realized I don't believe in the logics of people like Burke, and in fact actively work to undo the ideals embodied in Burke that poison our modern American culture, such as book burning, phew thank god for coming to my senses swiftly...).
There is not a single mention of John Dewey, like what?! And even more surprisingly, even though the senses play a pivotal role in this book, and as Keltner explicates in our ability to experience awe, there is no mention of phenomenology, Maurice Merleau-Ponty,Husserl, Bergson, Scheler, Heidegger…I mean come on man, at least 2-paragraphs on how this is connected with awe and ascetics and the importance of perception… - 1 star.
Keltner appears to be a genuine person, and his personal story is moving, however he seems too enamored with the positivist worldview and is not as ‘open’ to other, just as valid epistemological methodologies, as he appears to think he is.
This was a 5-star book that as I went on went to 4 and then gets to a 3 and I am bordering on 2 because of several issues I have with the way the book is organized, and the technical editing of the book, and finally who was included and who was left out as prominent thinkers in the apprehension of awe for us here in late modernity.
The editor of this book has decided that instead of sticking with the commonly accepted notion of utilizing a superscript number citation in the text has decided to offer no citation methods in the text and instead has a notes section at the end of the book that in contradiction to accepted and broadly used norms, does not list citations with names of the authors first but the general topic from the chapter being discussed. For someone who reads every note and relies upon the note sections of books to build further research paths, this makes the book almost useless for those of us who read in this method. If you are researcher, academic, etc, this book is a nightmare to deal with because of this baffling editorial decision. -1 star for this (I hope they go back to accepted norms in the paperback version of this book).
Then the last chapter Keltner gives his big ‘how’ reveal, what all of these decades of awe research has led him to realize how we can integrate this amazing technology back into our cultural forms. Systems theory. Great! Now let’s get into the details on this systems theory…Nothing folks. No details, anyone familiar with systems theory knows there are multiple schools that can vary substantially, and none of this is even closely hinted out, there is no work done here in explicating a theory of action within a systems theory framework for recentering awe back in our cultural forms. GTFO, -1 star.
Keltner also leans heavily on the work of William James +1, I’m a big fan of James’s work, but throughout the books it slowly dawned on me that Keltner is a fan of the American Transcendentalism, rather than American Pragmatism, and this has an unfortunate effect of tilting the lens through which Keltner embodies awe to the conservative side, and in fact my fear was validated when on page 178, Keltner makes the cringeworthy statement that ‘There is no better guide to this idea [visual art offering us insights into understanding the ‘vastness’ & the ‘mysterious’] than philosopher Edmund Burke…’ OMG, NO; please say it ain't so Dacher (I almost threw the book in fireplace, but I quickly realized I don't believe in the logics of people like Burke, and in fact actively work to undo the ideals embodied in Burke that poison our modern American culture, such as book burning, phew thank god for coming to my senses swiftly...).
There is not a single mention of John Dewey, like what?! And even more surprisingly, even though the senses play a pivotal role in this book, and as Keltner explicates in our ability to experience awe, there is no mention of phenomenology, Maurice Merleau-Ponty,Husserl, Bergson, Scheler, Heidegger…I mean come on man, at least 2-paragraphs on how this is connected with awe and ascetics and the importance of perception… - 1 star.
Keltner appears to be a genuine person, and his personal story is moving, however he seems too enamored with the positivist worldview and is not as ‘open’ to other, just as valid epistemological methodologies, as he appears to think he is.