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Sign up todayThe New Science of the Enchanted Universe
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Learn moreFrom the perspective of Western modernity, humanity inhabits a disenchanted cosmos. Gods, spirits, and ancestors have left us for a transcendent beyond. Yet the vast majority of cultures throughout human history treat spirits as very real persons, members of a cosmic society who interact with humans and control their fate. In most cultures, even today, people are but a small part of an enchanted universe misconstrued by the transcendent categories of "religion" and the "supernatural." The New Science of the Enchanted Universe shows how anthropologists and other social scientists must rethink these cultures of immanence and study them by their own lights.
In this, his last, revelatory book, Marshall Sahlins announces a new method and sets an exciting agenda for the field. He takes listeners around the world. In the process, Sahlins sheds new light on classical and contemporary ethnographies that describe these cultures of immanence and reveals how even the apparently mundane, all-too-human spheres of "economics" and "politics" emerge as people negotiate with, and ultimately usurp, the powers of the gods.
The New Science of the Enchanted Universe offers a road map for a new practice of anthropology that takes seriously the enchanted universe and its transformations from ancient Mesopotamia to contemporary America.
Marshall Sahlins (1930-2021) was the Charles F. Grey Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Chicago and the author of many books, including Stone Age Economics and Culture and Practical Reason.
It started when he did Muppet impressions at a talent show. He was eight. He killed it. BJ Harrison later became a scenic artist and sculptor for TV and film, where for twenty years, he listened to audiobooks every day. In 2007, when his Classic Tales Podcast hit the scene, listeners were enthusiastic and voracious. The show peaked as the #3 podcast in iTunes (all categories). Pretty soon, Audible came calling to talk about a new program called ACX. Now, over 750 audiobooks later, he continues to impress critics and listeners alike. AudioFile says he narrates with "gusto" and "enthusiasm." Time opts for "soothing." One thing is clear-BJ tempers his formidable narrator toolbox for the task at hand. It's always thrilling to discover where he'll take us next. Awards: Winner: 2 Voice Arts (SOVAS) Awards-2022 (Best Audiobook Narration-Mystery and Outstanding Podcast Host-Arts and Entertainment) Winner: Platinum Award for the Hear Now Audio Theatre Festival 2023 (Best Audiobook-813 by Maurice Leblanc) Winner: Independent Audiobook Award-2021 (General Fiction-Scaramouche by Raphael Sabatini) Winner: 2 w3 Awards-2021 (Gold), 2022 (Silver) by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. (General Series-Education)
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