Listening and Voice: Phenomenologies of Sound

New and expanded edition of the now classic study in the phenomenology of sound.

Listening and Voice is an updated and expanded edition of Don Ihde’s groundbreaking 1976 classic in the study of sound. Ranging from the experience of sound through language, music, religion, and silence, clear examples and illustrations take the reader into the important and often overlooked role of the auditory in human life. Ihde’s newly added preface, introduction, and chapters extend these sound studies to the technologies of sound, including musical instrumentation, hearing aids, and the new group of scientific technologies which make infra- and ultra-sound available to human experience.

“…an imaginative application of phenomenological investigation … this highly accessible work creatively engages phenomenological concepts … It will appeal to readers in many different disciplines—from philosophy to musicology to psychology and linguistics.” — CHOICE

“…finally, a little-known gem has reappeared … clear, commonsense examples dominate this sagacious book.” — The Score

“The significance and importance of the topic, and centrality of the topic to a particular field of study, is directly related to Ihde’s strong reputation. His work is central to any study of the interface between the human body and technology, and his reputation began with, and still includes, the first edition of this book. He has been important to the field for thirty years and continues to contribute new insights.” — Lenore Langsdorf, coeditor of Recovering Pragmatism’s Voice: The Classical Tradition, Rorty, and the Philosophy of Communication

“This book is pathbreaking. It is still the only detailed phenomenology of listening and voice that we have. Philosophy, up until Ihde, was obsessed with visual representation and visual metaphors. Ihde contrasts visual perception with aural experiments, mixing up the examples and talking about pop music and opera in the same analytical voice.” — Trevor Pinch, coauthor of Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer