The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World

“Humans are tuned for relationship. The eyes, the skin, the tongue, ears, and nostrils—all are gates where our body receives the nourishment of otherness.”

This sentence uses metaphor to describe the human sensory organs as “gates,” implying that through these portals, individuals interact with and are nourished by the external world. The metaphor suggests a deeper, reciprocal relationship between the self and the “otherness” beyond mere physical sustenance, hinting at the essential role of sensory experience in defining human existence.

“The simple premise of this book is that we are human only in contact, and conviviality, with what is not human.”

This statement asserts a foundational premise through a declarative sentence, emphasizing the necessity of interaction with the nonhuman world for the realization of human identity. The phrase “contact and conviviality” implies a relationship characterized by warmth and friendliness, suggesting that humanity’s essence is rooted in its ability to form interspecies connections.

“For magicians—whether modern entertainers or indigenous, tribal sorcerers—have in common the fact that they work with the malleable texture of perception.”

This comparison draws a parallel between magicians of different cultures, highlighting their shared manipulation of perception. The phrase “malleable texture of perception” uses metaphor to depict perception as something that can be shaped and transformed, suggesting that the essence of magic lies in altering how reality is experienced. The metaphor also emphasizes the tactile aspect of perception, which supports Abram’s message. This analysis underscores Abram’s suggestion that influencing and reinterpreting the sensory inputs that define one’s engagement with the world is a universal human capacity.