num_pages: 224
description: A provocative, enduring work that reexamines humanity's place in the natural world--&amp; the spirit's relation to the flesh--in the light of Chinese Taoism. That human beings stand separate from a nature that must be controlled, that the mind is somehow superior to the body &amp; that all sexuality entails a seduction--a danger &amp; a problem--are all assumptions upon which much of Western thought &amp; culture is based. All of them in some way underlie our exploitation of the earth, distrust of emotion, loneliness &amp; reluctance to love. Few books have challenged those assumptions as directly as this erudite &amp; engaging work by the author of The Way of Zen. Drawing on the precepts of Taoism, Watts offers an alternative vision of humans &amp; the universe--one in which the distinctions between self &amp; other, spirit &amp; matter give way to a more holistic way of seeing. Nature, Man &amp; Woman is a book of elegance &amp; far-reaching implication--one of those rare texts that can change the way we think, feel &amp; love.
language: English
title: Nature, Man and Woman
titlecomplete: Nature, Man and Woman
genres: Religion, Buddhism, Philosophy, Zen, Spirituality, Psychology, Nonfiction, Eastern Philosophy, Taoism, Theology
ratings_count: 1535
publisher: Vintage Books