The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1996

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface-Chapter 1

Chapters 2-3

Chapters 4-5

Chapters 6-7

Coda-Afterword

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Role of Language and Perception in Environmental Consciousness

In The Spell of the Sensuous, David Abram explores the relationship between language, perception, and environmental consciousness, integrating phenomenological theory with Indigenous perspectives on the potency of language. This examination posits that language and perception are foundational to constructing reality and mediating human interactions with the environment. For many Indigenous cultures, language is not merely a tool for communication but a living force that actively participates in the world it describes. This perspective sees language as inseparable from the physical and spiritual realms, capable of influencing and being influenced by the environment and its nonhuman inhabitants. Words are often considered one with the things themselves, embodying the life force of what they name. This holistic view underscores a profound respect for the power of speech and the responsibility that comes with it to maintain harmony and balance within the web of relationships that constitute the world.

Similar to these Indigenous perspectives, Abram argues for the inherent animacy and agency within language. Abram suggests that the abstraction of language from its living, sensory origins parallels and perhaps precipitated Western estrangement from the animate earth. By drawing attention to how magicians, both modern entertainers and Indigenous sorcerers, manipulate the “malleable texture of perception” (5), Abram highlights the capacity of language to shape one’s experience of reality. This aligns with Indigenous understandings of language as a form of magic, capable of making things happen by invoking the essence and presence of what is named.

Abram’s discussion on spelling as a magical act further intertwines with Indigenous views. He posits that assembling letters to form the name of a thing not only identifies but also brings that entity into a particular kind of relationship with humans, echoing Indigenous beliefs in the performative power of naming:

To assemble the letters that make up the name of a thing, in the correct order, was precisely to effect a magic, to establish a new kind of influence over that entity, to summon it forth! To spell, to correctly arrange the letters to form a name or a phrase, seemed thus at the same time to cast a spell, to exert a new and lasting power over the things spelled (133).

The idea that language can “summon forth” and exert influence over the entities it names reflects a shared recognition of the vibrancy and responsiveness of the world to linguistic engagement. Indigenous knowledge systems often encompass a holistic view of the world, in which the physical, spiritual, and perceptual realms are fluid and interconnected. In these systems, language and perception are not tools used to describe a separate, objective reality but are integral to the very existence and maintenance of that reality. For Indigenous cultures, the act of naming or speaking is not merely symbolic but performative: Words do things, they effect change, and they interact with the essence of the beings or elements they name. This understanding dovetails with Abram’s insights into the manipulation of perception, as it underscores the active, generative power of human engagement with the world.

Central to both Indigenous perspectives and Abram’s thesis is the ethical dimension of linguistic practice. The recognition of language’s power to affect the world carries with it a moral responsibility to use words in a way that fosters balance and harmony. This ethical concern is embedded in Indigenous traditions, in which the spoken word is often used with careful consideration of its impact on interpersonal relations, the community, and the natural environment. Abram advocates a similar mindfulness in engagement with language, urging reconnection with the participatory nature of perception and the animate earth.

In synthesizing phenomenological insights with Indigenous wisdom, Abram offers a critique of modernity’s linguistic and perceptual alienation from the natural world. By highlighting the active, creative, and ethical dimensions of language, he calls for a renewed environmental consciousness that honors the interconnectedness and animacy of all beings. This perspective not only challenges Western assumptions about language and reality but also can open pathways for reengaging with the world in a more reciprocal, respectful, and sustainable manner.

Abram’s integration of phenomenology with Indigenous wisdom on language’s efficacy offers a conceptual framework for understanding the impact of linguistic and perceptual practices on environmental consciousness. His perspective suggests that a reengagement with the participatory nature of perception and a recognition of language’s creative power are crucial to fostering a more harmonious relationship with the natural world. Through this lens, environmental consciousness emerges not just from intellectual acknowledgment of ecological interdependence but from lived, experiential recognition of the animate earth and its languages.

Indigenous Cultures and Sustainable Living Practices

Abram explores the connection between Indigenous cultures and sustainable living practices through a detailed examination of their relationship to the natural world. A key figure in this exploration is the traditional or tribal shaman, who Abram observes acts as a vital intermediary between the human community and the natural world:

The traditional or tribal shaman, I came to discern, acts as an intermediary between the human community and the larger ecological field, ensuring that there is an appropriate flow of nourishment, not just from the landscape to the human inhabitants, but from the human community back to the local earth (7).

The role of the shaman is one avenue to understanding the mechanisms through which many Indigenous cultures have historically maintained environmental balance and sustainability. The shaman’s function as an intermediary embodies practical and spiritual practices meant to ensure the health and well-being of both the natural world and the human community.

The relevance of Abram’s observation extends beyond an anthropological interest in Indigenous practices. It touches on contemporary concerns regarding environmental sustainability and the search for models of living that do not exploit or degrade natural resources. By highlighting the shaman’s role, Abram points to an alternative paradigm of interaction with the environment that is characterized by respect, reciprocity, and an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life forms. This model contrasts with the often extractive and unsustainable practices of industrialized societies, where the relationship with nature is frequently governed by principles of domination and control rather than collaboration and mutual nourishment. Furthermore, Abram uses the role of the shaman to argue for the importance of cultural and spiritual dimensions in sustainable environmental practices. The shaman’s work involves not only knowledge of natural processes but also cultivation of a community ethos that respects and honors the natural world. This suggests that sustainability is not solely a technical challenge but also a cultural and spiritual one, requiring shifts in values, perceptions, and relationships with the more-than-human world.

Abram’s emphasis on the shaman’s role invites reconsideration of modern environmental policies and practices. It suggests that effective solutions to ecological crises may require looking beyond the latest technological fixes to include the wisdom of traditional ecological knowledge. Indigenous practices, as mediated by figures such as the shaman, offer insights into living in harmony with nature that can inform and enrich contemporary efforts to achieve sustainability. Abram posits that a respect for and attunement to the animate landscape underpins a truly sustainable approach to living. He highlights reinhabiting as a key strategy, emphasizing an engaged learning process about the local environment. This direct interaction with the land reflects the shaman’s connection and respect for the natural world, suggesting that such a relationship is not exclusive to spiritual leaders but is accessible to all individuals and communities. The deliberate efforts to reconnect with and learn from local environments demonstrate a modern application of the shaman’s integrative approach, which combines knowledge with a respect for life’s interconnectedness.

Furthermore, the restoration of ecological balance aligns with the shaman’s role in promoting a harmonious exchange between humanity and nature. Efforts to rehabilitate habitats and reintroduce native species resonate with the shamanic practice of ensuring that the flow of nourishment is reciprocal. Community initiatives, such as urban gardens and local celebrations, reinforce people’s connection to their environment, echoing the shaman’s role in fostering community well-being through a relationship with the land. The discussion on political engagement brings the principles of shamanism into the broader societal and policy-making arena, underscoring the idea that sustainable living practices require support at all levels of governance. Advocating policies that reflect ecological values is an extension of the shaman’s mediating role, as this approach seeks to align human systems with nature’s cyclical and regenerative processes. This advocacy for political involvement reiterates the need for a cultural and spiritual shift that transcends individual practices, aiming to reshape societal norms and collective action.

Abram’s critique of unbridled technological advancement and his call for technologies appropriate in the context of bioregionalism draw from the same ethos that informs the shaman’s role. Just as shamans ensure that their interventions are in harmony with the natural world, modern societies must develop technologies that respond to and respect their specific environmental contexts. The formation of self-sufficient, technologically mindful communities reflects a contemporary embodiment of the shaman’s balanced approach to living sustainably. While the synthesis of Indigenous wisdom with contemporary environmental practices offers a compelling framework for sustainability, critically examining the challenges and limitations of applying these principles in modern contexts is useful. The translation of Indigenous practices across diverse cultural and socioeconomic landscapes presents significant complexities. For instance, the direct application of shamanistic principles to the globalized world might overlook the unique socioeconomic factors and environmental policies that shape different communities. Moreover, doing so risks romanticizing Indigenous practices, potentially oversimplifying the nuanced and site-specific nature of these traditions; Abram thus treats the subject with nuance. Another crucial consideration is the dynamics of power and the historical context of colonization, which have often marginalized Indigenous voices and knowledge. Consequently, the integration of these practices into a technologically advanced and interconnected world requires careful consideration of cultural sensitivities, respect for Indigenous autonomy, and an awareness of the historical injustices that continue to impact these communities. Acknowledging these challenges is necessary to avoid the pitfalls of appropriation and to ensure that such integration is ethically sound, socially just, and ecologically viable.

Ultimately, Abram’s consideration of the shaman’s role as a foundational element of sustainable living practices in Indigenous cultures provides a link between the cultural-spiritual dimensions and the practical-environmental actions necessary for sustainability. His work suggests that a deeper connection with the sensuous reality of the earth, inspired by Indigenous wisdom, is vital for healing the divide between modern humanity and the natural world. Through this integrated approach, Abram posits a blueprint for a sustainable future that honors the intrinsic value of all life and the interdependent relationships that sustain it.

Modern Humanity’s Alienation From the Natural World

Abram confronts the theme of modern humanity’s alienation from the natural world, probing the roots and consequences of this estrangement. His work posits the existence of a disconnection between contemporary human experience and the animate earth, a schism that has grown wider as technological advancements and a text-based culture have reshaped sensory experiences. Abram’s text is imbued with Romantic and Transcendentalist influences, which he channels to critique modern Western culture’s disengagement from the sensuous world and to propose pathways toward reconnection.

Romanticism, with its emphasis on the intrinsic value of nature, the sublime, and a deep emotional response to the natural world, provides a backdrop for Abram’s lamentation of the lost intimacy between humans and their environment. The Romantics celebrated nature’s beauty and mystery, advocating a personal, emotional connection with the landscape that contrasts sharply with the utilitarian and often exploitative relationship between modern society and the earth. Abram echoes this sentiment, arguing that sensory engagement with nature (seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching) is essential for a meaningful relationship with the world, one imbued with respect and wonder.

The Romantic movement, which emerged as a reaction to the burgeoning Industrial Revolution and the scientific rationalization of nature, found resonance, for example, in the works of Giambattista Vico, an early 18th-century philosopher. Vico’s ideas prefigured Romanticism by positing that human societies naturally progress through cyclical stages, starting from an age of gods, followed by an age of heroes, and culminating in an age of men. In the earliest stage, Vico suggested that humans had a more profound and mystical relationship with nature, a view that became romanticized in the works of later Romantic thinkers. This notion is often illustrated by the idealized perception of Indigenous cultures and peoples as living in a state closer to the “age of gods,” characterized by a harmonious and intimate connection with the natural world.

In The Spell of the Sensuous, Abram channels this romanticized ideal in his exploration of the disconnection between modern humans and the natural environment. He suggests that contemporary society has much to learn from Indigenous cultures, whose sensory engagement with nature provides a model for a more integrated and meaningful relationship with the earth. The Romantics’ fascination with the perceived purity and depth of Indigenous cultures’ connection to nature reflects a critique of the alienation brought about by industrialism and a scientific worldview that often objectifies and quantifies the natural world.

The Romantic era sought to reclaim the sense of wonder and enchantment that many believed was being eroded by the advance of rationalism and industrialization. In a similar vein, Abram calls for a reengagement with the sensuous aspects of the experience of nature, those that transcend the purely utilitarian and enter the realm of the spiritual and the sublime. By invoking Indigenous cultures as a source of wisdom, Abram and the Romantics both point to a way of being that recognizes the intrinsic value of the natural world and one’s emotional and ethical obligations to it. In his quest to bridge the gap between modern humanity and the natural world, Abram does not call for a rejection of literacy or a return to preliterate times. Instead, he seeks to infuse the written word with the life-sustaining qualities of oral cultures, which maintained a dialogue with the natural world through their languages and practices. This approach is reminiscent of the Romantic ideal of living in harmony with nature, guided by a sense of moral responsibility and recognition of the interconnectedness of all life.

Ultimately, The Spell of the Sensuous advocates confronting the alienation from the natural world that characterizes much of modern life. By drawing on the themes of Romanticism, Abram offers a critique and a vision for reestablishing a sensory, respectful, and reciprocal relationship with the earth. His work is a call to rediscover the enchantment of the sensuous world, to embrace the wisdom of both Indigenous cultures and philosophical traditions that honor the connection between humans and the earth. Through such a reconnection, Abram suggests, modern humanity can find a path to living sustainably and ethically within the vast, breathing being that is the planet.