The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are is a work by Alan Watts, the British writer known for interpreting Eastern philosophy for Western readers. Published in 1966, the book challenges the common Western sense of the self as an isolated ego separate from the rest of the world. Drawing on Hindu and Buddhist thought, especially Vedanta, Watts argues that this feeling of separation is a kind of cultural taboo and illusion, and that each person is in fact an expression of the whole universe. Written in clear, conversational, often playful prose, he uses everyday examples and thought experiments to invite readers toward a different understanding of identity. Watts intended the book as the kind of guide he wished he could give a child, a gentle introduction to the nature of self and reality.
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Alan Watts argues that the felt separation between self and the universe is an illusion, and explores who we really are.
It argues that the felt separation between the individual self and the universe is an illusion, drawing on Hindu and Buddhist philosophy.
It was published in 1966.
The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are was written by Alan Watts, published in 1966 by Macmillan Audio.
The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are is 155 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are takes most readers 2 to 3 hours to finish.
The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
