Interwoven Nature: relatedness and identity in a changeful world - Paperback

by John Danvers (Author)

Interwoven Nature is an unusual, lively and provocative reflection on human identity within nature - a philosophical and poetic meditation on our being-in-the-world. It is argued that if we fully realise our porous interwoven nature, we will not feel and behave like beings separate from, and in conflict with, the natural world. Danvers writes eloquently about the interrelatedness of everything within a universe of endless change, and about how we locate ourselves in, and navigate ways through, this fluid relational world - a world full of surprises, dangers, challenges and delights.With a text complemented by photographs and drawings by the author, the book weaves together two voices: an old man looking back on his long life; and a young man thinking analytically about the future. Drawing on ideas from Buddhism, Daoism, ecology, science, art, poetry and philosophy, the two voices are used to suggest that the natural world is a site of grace and wonder - a place in which human beings can come to a realisation of who they are and how they are implicated in the world around them.

Author Biography

John Danvers is a poet, artist, writer and retired academic, and is currently Buddhist Chaplain at Exeter University, UK. He is the author of two books: Agents of uncertainty: mysticism, scepticism, Buddhism, art and poetry; and, Picturing Mind: Paradox, Indeterminacy and Consciousness in Art & Poetry - both published by Rodopi. His journal articles and book chapters explore a range of subjects, including: the visual arts and poetry; teaching and learning; philosophy (western and Asian); Buddhism; sustainability; and aspects of consciousness studies. As an artist and poet his work is rooted in Zen Buddhist practice, and focuses on landscape, the natural world and states of order. He lives in Devon, UK. Website: http: //johndanversart.co.uk/