Integrating the findings of modern science with ancient
wisdom, this seminal work offers a paradigm for resolving the schism
between spirit and matter. Arthur Young's Theory of Process provides a
model for the evolution of consciousness out of light (the quantum of
action), offering hope for an age in search of value and meaning. This
is a facsimile of the original 1976 Delacorte edition, with typographic
corrections in the text and a new introduction by Huston Smith.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Arthur Middleton Young (1905-1995) was the son of Eliza Coxe and the
Philadelphia landscape painter Charles Morris Young. Born in Paris, he
attended Haverford School and then earned a degree in mathematics from
Princeton. Always intrigued by the challenges of invention, in 1929
he selected the development of the helicopter as his first career goal.
For twelve years he worked alone, using small models to test his
ideas, until Bell Aircraft Company invited him to build full-scale
experimental helicopters of his design. On March 8, 1946, his "Bell
Model 47" received the first commercial helicopter license ever issued.
By this time, he was embarking on a more philosophical quest. After
the shock of seeing nuclear weapons used in World War II, he decided
that science was in need of a comprehensive paradigm or "unified
theory" which would bring to light the moral and spiritual implications
of new scientific knowledge, and help guide its use. To this end, he
established the Foundation for the Study of Consciousness in 1952 in
Philadelphia, sponsoring parapsychological research and publishing an
interdisciplinary journal. In 1973, the Institute for the Study of
Consciousness was founded in Berkeley, California. Here, he worked
with his students, and hosted symposia until his death on May 30, 1995.
Arthur Young's "theory of process" cosmology is presented in his
seminal books, THE REFLEXIVE UNIVERSE and THE GEOMETRY OF MEANING,
published by Delacorte Press in 1976. In 1984, his helicopter, the Bell
47D1, "an object whose delicate beauty is inseparable from its
efficiency," was placed on exhibit as part of the permanent collection
of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"Science as usually interpreted does not provide for consciousness.
Accordingly, there has arisen a conflict between science and religious
thought, a conflict which is frequently dismissed because, it is said,
science is not concerned with final issues. Such an interpretation of
science has invaded other areas. This is particularly true of the
social and human sciences, such as psychology. Here it is difficult to
understand how we can have a valid science of man, if that science does
not recognize final causes, since for man final causes are of the
greatest significance. They are, in fact, the touchstone of his
behavior. They inspire his works, his goals, his reponsibilities to his
fellows.
"We have a situation in which science, modestly disclaiming any knowledge of the ultimate issues and sticking to its requirement of particles operated on by forces, has become the model. This model has in turn become the ideal of the psychologists who, dismissing all subtlety of the psyche as 'metaphysical,' create their image of man as a biological machine which can have no mind that is not brain, and no psyche that is not explicable as chemical activity, simply because, in their view, the laws of physics do not recognize any other fundamental ingredients on which to draw. This being so, we can no longer forgo an invasion of the inner sanctum of science to see if it is indeed true that the universe contains nothing but billiard balls (particles, drives, response mechanisms, etc.)." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Arthur Young was one of the most original and penetrating minds of the
20th century, as well as being a gifted and provocative teacher, who
had a major influence on my thinking. Primarily a cosmologist,
interested in the big picture and the foundations of knowlege, he
disciplined himself and tested his insights by spending 17 years on the
design and invention of the vertical take-off helicopter. His
wide-ranging explorations into the foundations of the natural sciences,
as well as the great spiritual and esoteric traditions, led him to
formulate an integrative evolutionary cosmology that will, I believe,
turn out to have a lasting influence and value.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In this book, Young describes a "Theory of Process" which takes Spirit
into matter and back out again. It is elegantly written, the prose is
effortless and along the way he gives insights into the entire spectrum
of science, philosophy and metaphysics. Young has been recognized as a
genius on the level of Einstein, but I can tell you, Young's theory is
far more coherent. You know how a genius can make a remark on a subject,
just toss off a remark, that just opens your eyes because it is so
succinctly phrased? This book is like that. I consider it to be a work
of genius, highly recommended, if you are into the Big Picture.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Its a shame there aren't more penetrating and expansive minds like
Young's. He makes one of the best arguments for teleology in nature that
I have read. The arguments between religious fundamentalists with their
hopeless textual literalism and arrogant scientific materialists
shouldn't keep the rest of us from seeing a reasonable and cohesive
synthesis between the physical and metaphysical worlds.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
an evolution of confused reasoning...
I am a rational individual, but I'm not a committed "rationalist" nor a
materialist. I believe that the fundamental question here regarding the
metaphysical status of consciousness... Read more
Published 15 months ago by M. Scott
Profound is an understatement ** 20th Century DaVinci**
I found a 76' Delcourt copy with "geometry" as part of it in a
breakfast cafe in Arkansas for $1.25, it was held together with a rubber
band but complete and intact. Read more
Published on April 29, 2007 by Daniel T. Mariani
web crawling
Truly an all-encompassing work that bridges the gaps between such diverse fields as: biology, physics and psychology. Read more
Published on January 6, 2003 by Author Brian Wallace (Mind Transmission, Inc.)
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