Published: May 4, 2023
The Matter of Wonder: Abhinavagupta's Panentheism and the New Materialism

Loriliai Biernacki’s The Matter of Wonder: Abhinavagupta’s Panentheism and New Materialism argues that we can use the philosophical writing of the 11th century Indian philosopher Abhinavagupta on the nature of wonder and subjectivity to help make sense of our current complex world. Abhinavagupta’s insights on the nature of self and how wonder operates allows us to rethink our relationship to matter, from artificial intelligence to the rich web of human, plant and animal interaction, to our concepts of the body as physical object and subtle expression of human thoughts and desires.