Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think

by Helen De Cruz

A philosopher explores the transformative role of wonder and awe in an uncertain worldWonder and awe lie at the heart of life’s most profound questions. Wonderstruck shows how these emotions respond to our fundamental need to make sense of ourselves and everything around us, and how they enable us to engage with the world as if we are experiencing it for the first time.Drawing on the latest psychological insights on emotions, Helen De Cruz argues that wonder and awe are emotional drives that motivate us to inquire and discover new things, and that humanity has deliberately nurtured these emotions in cultural domains such as religion, science, and magic. Tracing how wonder and awe unify philosophy, the humanities, and the sciences, De Cruz provides new perspectives on figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Adam Smith, William James, Rachel Carson, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Abraham Heschel. Along the way, she explains how these singular emotions empower us to be open-minded, to experience joy and hope, and to be resilient in the face of personal troubles and global challenges.Taking inspiration from Descartes’s portrayal of wonder as “that sudden surprise of the soul,” this illuminating book reveals how wonder and awe are catalysts that can help us reclaim what makes life worth living and preserve the things we find wonderful and valuable in our lives.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Science

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Helen De Cruz was a Belgian philosopher and Danforth Chair of Philosophy at Saint Louis University who specialised in philosophy of religion, experimental philosophy, philosophy of blogging, and philosophy of cognitive science. She was also an activist supporting the rights of EU citizens in the context Brexit.

Reviews

[VoHooman · Rating 4 out of 5]

این نوشته از روی نسخه انگلیسی کتاب نوشته شده است، و ترجمه‌ی فارسی از این کتاب (تا آنجایی که اطلاع دارم) در دسترس نمی‌باشد.

این کتاب در رابطه با اهمیت و تفاوت دو حس wonder و awe در نقش آن در جوامع بشری است. کتاب دارای نثری بسیار روان است، و گرچه از آرای متفکران دیگر در آن استفاده می‌شود، به ندرت نقل قولی از آنها آورده می‌شود. خواندن این کتاب چندان به دانش پس زمینه نیازی ندارد.

به اختصار، برداشت بنده از آرای نویسنده این است که awe واکنشی احساسی، آنی و گذراست. نویسنده ریشه آن را در واکنش احساسی انسان به پدیده‌های بی‌کران (منظورم از بی کران، برگردان کلمه vast است، و مطمینم که این برگردان، برگردان صحیحی نیست.) می‌داند. Wodner اما واکنشی منطقی، دقیق‌تر و در پی کشف اسرار چگونگی وقایع است.

ساختار کتاب با معرفی و بسط معنایی این دو کلمه آغاز می‌شود. در ادامه در هر فصل به بررسی این دو در جادو، ادیان و علم می‌پردازد. از دیدگاه من قسمت درخشان این کتاب در همین سه فصل است. مخصوصا در قسمت ادیان، و اینکه چگونه ritualهای دینی باعث ایجاد wonder در معتقدان می‌شود. فصل جادو و علم هم بسیار جالب و روان هستند.

در کل، کتاب کتاب جالب و مفیدیست. یک بار خواندن آن بی ضرر نیست.

[Joanne Swenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I read the acknowledgments after completing, I now understood the author’s intended audience: college freshmen. So, you are reading a book on a potentially profound and deeply important topic, but it reads like a student paper. Important thinkers are dropped into the text like Hallmark Cards quotes, without actual dialogue with the thinker or criticism.

Still, for THAT reader who “wonders about wonder,” this is accessible book that speaks to both the scientifically minded and the religiously committed.

[Angelino Desmet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike some of Helen's insightful essays blog posts—which I cannot recommend enough*—Wonderstruck is not the inspirational powerhouse I expected it to be. There's too much redundant repetitiveness and far too little scepticism toward religion. There are about a dozen paragraphs that I've bookmarked, but proportionally too few for the amount of pages.
That being said, Wonderstruck can be a good starting block as it is chock-full of references to other authors who've ventured upon awe and wonder. Helen is obviously well-versed enough to write a compelling book, but not yet tuned right.

* The Richness of Reason - part 1: for Marin Mersenne, all music is math rock

[David Calhoun · Rating 2 out of 5]

RIP Helen De Cruz

I really wanted to like this one, I think the idea behind it is awesome (pun not intended) but the style and structure were distracting. There was a lot of casual namedropping as well - I think the author must have been excited at all the connections lighting up in their head, but it doesn’t really serve readers the same way.

There is definitely more to ponder here, and a reason to take more stock in wonder and awe even for the sciences, and I feel the book makes a decent case for that.

[Christa Maurice · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. This book is written in that annoying academic way of This Is What I'm Going To Talk About—This IS What I'm Talking About—This Is What I Just Talked About. I read a lot of it when I'm researching, but I don't want to read it for funsies. Too bad too. The author clearly knows her stuff. There is good information in this book, but you've got to power through about half of it to find that good stuff and it sucks all the wonder out of wonder.

[Conor D. Columb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Some reviews suggest that it doesn’t go into enough detail, but I didn’t find that to be a problem. It felt like an introductory book that pointed me (the reader) to different philosophers and ideas, which was nice! Before this book, I hadn’t read any of Helen De Cruz’s work. Now, I definitely plan to read more of her work and dive deeper! 4/5

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book full of fascinating ideas. It's more academic and esoteric than I would have liked, more focused on dialogue with thinkers of the past and the development of the ideas without much consideration of their ramifications and applications, but solid.

[Ana Álvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sencillo y sensible. Lo volvería a leer.

[Cal Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant read, something that is often neglected in reflection, but wonder is such a vital aspect in being human. De Cruz unpacks the topic from science to religion with great skill.

[Gail Kennon · Rating 2 out of 5]

some enjoyable passages but more technical than i enjoy.

[Colleen Newman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars. stopped reading at pg 157. cool topic but wasnt learning anything new :/

[Jeremy Borja · Rating 1 out of 5]

not for me

[Hannah Dietrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely written in a more academic tone which tends to make things less engaging; however I found the content to still be quite interesting.

DeCruz toes the fine line between recognizing that our emotive responses are meaningful, and claiming that our emotions are the truth. She takes the position that God gives us emotional responses in order to draw our attention and dig deeper into discovery.

She also provides a window into perspectives on awe and wonder from famed philosophers throughout history.

[Roy Kenagy · Rating 4 out of 5]

RK AUDIBLE FOLDER DMPL EXAMINED 2024_11_09.

The penultimate chapter, "Transforming the World through Awe and Wonder," is critically useful. AUTONOMY / EVERYDAY LIFE / TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES / VIRTUE ETHICS. Many useful links, concepts, follow-ups. 4 stars for that chapter.

Remainder (3 stars) is a by-the-book, surface account of "awe" and "wonder" as a feature of philosophy, psychology, magic, religion, and science (a chapter each).