Taking Appearance Seriously

'Henri Bortoft is one of the world's foremost experts on Goethean science. Here he extends the argument of his earlier work The Wholeness of Nature to articulate a new history and philosophy of science with an emphasis on a dynamic way of understanding that highlights process rather than product, the coming into being rather than the end result. This represents a fundamental shift away from abstraction to lived sensory experience, and from the dominance of left-hemisphere thinking to a more integrated approach. This is a seminal text that deserves the widest audience.' -- David Lorimer, Scientific and Medical Network 'Taking Appearance Seriously is a rare philosophical work of both outstanding quality and immense practicality, written to guide the reader into really experiencing what Henri Bortoft calls the dynamic way of seeing: a radically aware way of thinking and comprehending our complex world which is as applicable in the creative arts and business world as it is in science.' -- Simon Robinson, editor of Transition Consciousness 'Bortoft's aim is to help readers see and understand the world and human experience in a more integrated, compelling way. Exploring and developing previous work on the fascinating relationship between parts and whole through the lenses of phenomenology, hermeneutics, and Goethean science, Bortoft demonstrates convincingly the need to shift attention from what is experienced to the experience of what is experienced. In a writing style that is both accessible and penetrating, he shows how to do this by drawing on examples from our experience of meaning, understanding and language. By teaching ourselves to become more sensitive to this dynamic way of seeing, we learn to take appearance seriously . -- David Seamon, Professor, Kansas State University, and Editor, Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology