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There is an old Buddhist adage: the teachings are like a finger pointing to the moon. To achieve enlightenment, you are not supposed to look at the finger. You are supposed to look to the celestial light.
I am asking you to look at the finger. The finger is also the moon.
A tilted head. A finger to the lips. A wave that could mean emphasis or dismissal. A raised palm of piety and fellowship.
Our gestures do not simply point to our thoughts, they are our thoughts made flesh. They can be instinctive, intuitive, or calculated—or all three. They exist in the briefest moment and through history, in a gently turned wrist and across whole nations.
Our gestures drag stories with them, whether they mean to or not. They are invitations to think about how our worlds are larger than they seem—how we are much larger than we seem.
Join award-winning philosopher Damon Young—author of The Art of Reading and Philosophy in the Garden—as he sheds light on thirteen curious gestures. Drawing equally from classical poetry and science-fiction, heavy metal and ballet, Young illuminates our varied humanity from prehistory to today.
“Immortal Gestures isn’t just an endlessly fascinating and mind-expanding journey into the ways we communicate without words, it is a plea for an understanding of meaning and emotion that extends beyond language to fully incorporate the bodily.”
—James Bradley, author of Deep Water
“A compelling, revelatory dive beneath the logocentric surface. In a text full of surprises and charm, Young reveals and explores the vast deep worlds behind even the slightest movements.”
—Darran Anderson, author of Imaginary Cities
“Like sitting at dinner with an enchanting conversationalist who’s also a magician. You’ll never want to get up from the table.”
—David Lebedoff, author of The Same Man
“Young uses a depth of research, but with a light touch.”
—Lauren Gawne, author of Gesture: A Slim Guide
“Young’s selection is unapologetically idiosyncratic, given form by the philosopher’s probing mind.”
—Cameron Woodhead, The Sydney Morning Herald
“Fascinating … Philosopher Damon Young goes deep.”
—The Canberra Times
“Thoughtful, enlightening and amusingly digressive.”
—The Listener
Contents
Gobsmacked
Tally Up
Well? And? So?
Ply, Pliable, Pliant
Unclean, Undead
Fascinating
Horns
Pew Pew Pews
Shush
Gills, Glass
Savage Noble
Hello There
Aiki
Catching the Light
Hail
A Curt Nod
Gestures of Thanks