At the root of human conflict is our fundamental misunderstanding of who we are.
The illusion that we are isolated beings, unconnected to the rest of the univer
se, has led us to view the "outside" world with hostility, and has fueled our mi
suse of technology and our violent and hostile subjugation of the natural world.
In "The Book, " philosopher Alan Watts provides us with a much-needed answer to
the problem of personal identity, distilling and adapting the ancient Hindu phi
losophy of Vedanta to help us understand that the self is in fact the root and g
round of the universe. In this mind-opening and revelatory work, Watts has craft
ed a primer on what it means to be human--and a manual of initiation into the ce
ntral mystery of existence.
