From Library Journal
Reed (Encountering the World, Oxford Univ., 1996) indicts much of modern thought for ignoring everyday experience. Contrary to what Descartes and his many successors have argued, we are not trapped within our own minds. Quite the contrary, we interact directly with the real world, a vital truth that the pragmatists William James and John Dewey emphasized. In developing his case, Reed makes effective use of the ecological view of perception championed by psychologist James Gibson. For the author, the direct nature of perception is not an arcane issue of epistemology. The position he champions has social implications. In particular, Reed thinks the division of labor cuts workers off from adequate contact with the world. Surprisingly, he does not make use of Dewey's Art as Experience. Nevertheless, this excellent book is highly recommended.
David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
In this controversial book, Edward S. Reed warns that first-hand experience as a way of understanding the world and ourselves is endangered, because our culture favors indirect, second-hand knowledge that is selected, modified, packaged, and presented to us by others. Reed offers a spirited defense of unmediated experience against both modernist and postmodernist critics and outlines how to foster this vision of meaningful learning.
