Reason and Wonder: A Copernican Revolution in Science and Spirit

by Dave Pruett

Overview

Defining a moment in human self-awareness four centuries in the making, Reason and Wonder: A Copernican Revolution in Science and Spirit offers a way to move beyond the either/or choice of reason versus intuition—a dichotomy that ultimately leaves either the mind or the heart wanting. In doing so, it seeks to resolve an age-old conflict at the root of much human dysfunction, including today's global ecological crisis. An outgrowth of C. David Pruett's breakthrough undergraduate honors course, "From Black Elk to Black Holes: Shaping Myth for a New Millennium," Reason and Wonder embraces the insights of modern science and the wisdom of spiritual traditions to "re-enchant the universe." The new "myth of meaning" unfolds as the story of three successive "Copernican revolutions"—cosmological, biological, and spiritual—offers an expansive view of human potential as revolutionary as the work of Copernicus, Galilleo, and Darwin.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313399206
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/08/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	399
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dave Pruett, a former NASA researcher, is an award-winning computational scientist and professor of mathematics at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I The Copernican Revolution: Cosmology
1 The Clockmaker and the Clockwork
2 The Music of the Spheres
3 The Starry Messenger
4 The Star-Crossed Prophet
5 The Jewish Saint
6 A Wrinkle in Time
7 Einstein's Happiest Thought
8 Lights All Askew
Part II The Second "Copernican" Revolution: Biology
9 The Entangled Bank
10 The Time Bomb
Part III Lifting the Veil
11 Through the Looking Glass
12 Parallel Universes
Part IV The Third "Copernican" Revolution: Psychology/Spirituality
13 The Arrows of Time
14 What Is Life?
15 A World Aflame
16 The Winds of Change
17 Pale Images
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Ursula King

"Reading this book has given me immense intellectual satisfaction and filled me with great wonder. Pruett’s masterly account offers a breathtaking, awe-inspiring insight into the complex history of modern science with its successive revolutions in our understanding of space, time, matter, energy, and now spirit. The author is an accomplished story teller in command of an impressive range of facts, figures, and events. A truly dazzling achievement. Following this intriguing tale opens up a vision of true audacity and grandeur that will change your thinking forever."

Editorial Reviews

This is a significant major work for the science and religion dialogue. In seventeen concise and well-written chapters the author has summarized the history of the enlightenment which led to the practice of science. The major scientists involved come alive with anecdotes of their personal behaviors and interests. . . . This book is an excellent one for small group discussion. The extensive notes and bibliography encourage further exploration into the science and religion dialogue.” —Wesley Nexus

From the Publisher