World of Silence

The World of Silence by Max Picard, translated by Stanley Godman, 231 pages

In The World of Silence the Swiss philosopher Max Picard presents an understanding of silence, not as the mere absence of sound, but as a positive presence with its own definite qualities.  For Picard, silence is the primordial fact into which the Word was spoken, and it is with the Word that humanity was born.  Speech and music are, each in their own distinct way, born from silence, return to silence, and are structured by silence.  This distinguishes them from noise, which is a flight from silence, and which has come to dominate the Western world.

A reader who comes to The World of Silence expecting simple propositions, a clear argument, or utilitarian applicability will be thoroughly mystified - it is itself a gift of silence that must be received in silence.