Fionnáin reviewed Living As a Bird by Vinciane Despret
Singing a territory
5 stars
This book is sublime. Vinciane Despret solidifies her place as my favourite contemporary philosopher.
Living as a Bird is polyphonic, with chapters critiquing research on birds and territory written alongside "Counterpoints" that reflect on and expand the ideas that underpin the chapters. Despret tells of past researchers who recognised things that seem obvious but are often forgotten in modern knowledge: that territories are dynamic and living, that they are not only based around resource but also sociality, and that they are shared.
But ultimately, the words, how they are chosen, and the stories they tell, are only part of the story. The real joy of this book is in how it sings, dances and swerves, part blackbird, part robin and part skylark, creating a feeling as much as an argument. And that needs to be read.