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How Forests Think
Toward an Anthropology Beyond the Human
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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,045 ratings, 147 reviews)
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How Forests Think
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This work is ideal for readers interested in anthropology, indigenous studies, philosophy, and ecology. It suits academics and thoughtful general readers seeking to expand their understanding of human and non-human relationships within complex environments.
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See moreAvoiding reductionistic solutions, and without losing sight of how our lives and those of others are caught up in the moral webs we humans spin, this book skillfully fashions new kinds of conceptual tools from the strange and unexpected properties of the living world itself.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
Can forests think? Do dogs dream? In this astonishing book, Eduardo Kohn challenges the very foundations of anthropology, calling into question our central assumptions about what it means to be human — and thus distinct from all other life forms.
Based on four years of fieldwork among the Runa of Ecuador's Upper Amazon, Eduardo Kohn draws on his rich ethnography to explore how Amazonians interact with the many creatures that inhabit one of the world's most complex ecosystems. Whether or not we recognise it, our anthropological tools hinge on those capacities that make us distinctly human. However, when we turn our ethnographic attention to how we relate to other kinds of beings, these tools (which have the effect of divorcing us from the rest of the world) break down.
How Forests Think seizes on this breakdown as an opportunity. Avoiding reductionistic solutions, and without losing sight of how our lives and those of others are caught up in the moral webs we humans spin, this book skilfully fashions new kinds of conceptual tools from the strange and unexpected properties of the living world itself.
In this groundbreaking work, Kohn takes anthropology in a new and exciting direction — one that offers a more capacious way to think about the world we share with other kinds of beings.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Praised for its balanced and thoughtful approach, How Forests Think avoids both anthropocentrism and reductionism. The Times Literary Supplement commends Kohn for maintaining the uniqueness of human experience while recognising the thinking capacities of other beings. Anthropos highlights the book's intellectual rigour, saluting its respectful engagement with indigenous Runa narratives and its successful dialogue with Western philosophy.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780520276116
Publisher: University of California Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 10 August 2013
Country: United States
Imprint: University of California Press
Illustration: 16 b-w photographs, 1 map
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 408g
Pages: 288
Collections
About the Author
Eduardo Kohn is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at McGill University.
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