Instead they (literally) "saw beyond" the viewpoints of their day. Furtwangler's book expresses how that made them receptive, open-minded, etc., of what they saw. Examples of this are how they included and recorded ideas of many others along the way, and how other people they met influenced their discovery facts and processes. Within the journals, for example, Lewis and Clark see, hear, taste, touch and smell what they do as a result, partly, of Native American influences.
Lewis and Clark wanted to use all five senses to experience what they discovered, and not rely on just measuring, counting, and recording (although that was also...
They wished to use their discoveries to better understand not just the areas they saw, but to learn and understand more about the universe.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, although I did feel that it was dry in some parts. All in all, Acts of Discovery: Visions of America in the Lewis and Clark Journals, by Albert Furtwangler helped me to bring Lewis and Clark and their expedition more to life. I can now think of them not just as names from history, but much more like real people who used their senses, instinct, sense of adventure, curiosity, awe, etc., to discover more about and reflect on America and the world.
