Claude Levi-Strauss: Social Psychotherapy and the Collective Unconscious by Thomas Shalvey (review)

160 Books book but a treasure-trove for the armchair philosopher. It can appeal in several ways to visual artists. Spiritually, it is broadening to see the many understandings of the Earth and of its parts. It can inspire one to use new angles of view and other possibilities for use of line, pattern and color. The metaphoric character of cartography is a rich thematic source not only for cartoonists (as several of the illustrations show) and for social critics (such as Oyvind Fahlstrom with his satiric 'World Map') but for those with the imagination to use it. Sensation and Perception. E. Bruce Goldstein. Woodworth Publ., Belmont, CA, 1980. 492 pp., illus. ISBN: 0-534-00760-0. Reviewed by Carole McKenzie James and Kim James* This is a beautifully produced book. It is logically organized, well indexed and has clear and informative plates that coincide well with the text, a feature often sadly lacking in otherwise exemplary productions. Its eminently readable style is clear and precise. I found no difficulty in progressing from page to page, enjoying what one could describe as an almost narrative style of writing, written by someone with such familiarity with his material (and I suspect the teaching of it), that I felt involved in a dialogue about perception, rather than a monologue. Because of these features it is an excellent book for students at undergraduate level and those wishing to begin a study of perception, whilst seeking to do it in some considerable depth, for it is no slight introduction but one which touches on the complexity of the problems of perception in detail. Another feature of this book is that it situates the business of perception outside the narrow confines of the experimental laboratory and applies the study of perception to the real, lived in, world. This may, in part, account for its readability. It is particularly pleasurable to see included in the text a section on music. So often the literature on perception excludes any reference to activities that might lead them perilously near to the territory of aesthetics. Although Goldstein does not go into the aesthetics of music, as such, he nevertheless provides a good basis for the understanding of the possible meaning of harmonies and melody in terms of brain function. Another good feature is the inclusion of a section on olfactory/oral perception. Because of its apparent superficial simplicity this system is often overlooked or given scant coverage. This is unfortunate because its place in development is so close to the original derivation of perceptual systems in food intake and energy interchange that it might well give clues to the origins of the organization of the perceptual systems. The author takes a 'traditional' view of perception, and, if I have a criticism it is that he gives little indication of the wide discrepancy between theories of perception, apart from the section on gestalt psychology, and does not situate his own hypothesis within a context. It would have been beneficial to have, at least, an indication of different hypotheses. such as those of R. Gregory, J. J. Gibson, R. Shaw and others. in order that students be made aware of the crucially distinct attitudes to perception. It is a pity that Part I, Some Questions about Perception, could not have been extended to give. at least, an indication of Goldstein's position on perception. However, it is a highly recommendable book that no private or public library should be without. Claude Levi-Strauss: Social Psychotherapy and the Collective Unconscious. Thomas Shalvey. Univ. of Mass. Amherst 1979., 180 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-87023-260-6. Reviewed by Paul Heyer** Shalvey, a philosopher by training, is concerned particularly with human theoretical and philosophical anthropological aspects of the thought of Levi-Strauss. This isa valuable exercise, for although much has been written on the works of Levi- *23 Hick mire. Wollaston. Wellingborough. Northants, England. **Dept. of Communication Studies, Simon Fraser University. Barnaby. British Columbia V5A 156. Canada. Strauss, there has been a bias toward the detailed analyses and methodological concerns of specific disciplines, such as anthropology . The book begins with an assessment of the intellectual antecedents of Levi-Straussian structuralism. Emphasis isplaced on...