A New Map of Wonders

From divine visions seen in whirlwinds and burning bushes, to the Romantic Era’s fascination with the wilds of nature, our sense of wonder has long served as a starting point for experiencing the world. Beautiful, strangely essential, and for a good part of history, often inexplicable, these encounters with wonder have drawn us deeper into the mystery of what it means to be alive and to confront our collective challenges. But today, in our rapidly accelerating culture, this intuitive celebration of wonder can pass by unnoticed. What might be lost when we overlook wonder in all its daily guises? And how might we cultivate a sense of wonder that is fit for our technologically advanced time? Charting these emerging territories with the curiosity and enthusiasm of some of our great explorers, Caspar Henderson’s A New Map of Wonders sets out to answer these questions. Starting with our constant struggle to comprehend the cosmos and the wonder of life, before delving into the internal complexities of the body, our mind and our emotions, the book takes us on a personal journey through the transcendent moments we all experience, but seldom reflect upon. At stake here is not just the unpredictable beauty of the everyday, but the promise of a better future for humanity itself.