Click here for a lengthy review (May 2016) -- in the online journal The Intuitive Connections Network -- by pioneering transpersonal psychologist Henry Reed
Choice Reviews Online of the American Library Association (November 2012)
The story of the wonder of science has been narrated in a hundred different ways. This book does the job in a fascinating, original way. Reason and Wonder is faithful to the facts of science and mindful of its spirit. But it goes beyond the "who did what when" mode of telling the story ... The author presents every topic that he touches, whether black holes and the big bang or evolution and entropy, with deep understanding and insights. Everyone engaged in science, as well as other intelligent audiences, should read this eye-opening, thought-provoking book.
SUMMARY: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels.
Reprinted with permission from CHOICE http://www.cro2.org, copyright by the American Library Association. Read the full review by V. V. Raman of Rochester Inst. of Tech. by clicking here; then search by author.
The story of the wonder of science has been narrated in a hundred different ways. This book does the job in a fascinating, original way. Reason and Wonder is faithful to the facts of science and mindful of its spirit. But it goes beyond the "who did what when" mode of telling the story ... The author presents every topic that he touches, whether black holes and the big bang or evolution and entropy, with deep understanding and insights. Everyone engaged in science, as well as other intelligent audiences, should read this eye-opening, thought-provoking book.
SUMMARY: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels.
Reprinted with permission from CHOICE http://www.cro2.org, copyright by the American Library Association. Read the full review by V. V. Raman of Rochester Inst. of Tech. by clicking here; then search by author.
Thornton Parker (Harrisonburg, VA, 07/13/2012)
Author, What if Boomers Can’t Retire? How to Build Real Security, Not Phantom Wealth.
Reason and Wonder: A Copernican Revolution in Science and Spirit chronicles a broad sweep of the human quest to understand who, what, where, and even why we are. It describes how researchers added major pieces to man's ever-growing base of knowledge, from the size and structure of the universe to the inner workings of an atom, by way of genetics and the composition of matter.
Having taken twelve years to write and refine, this book is a labor of love—love for his subject and love for the reader. By the informal use of his nickname, Dave Pruett, who is a retired professor of mathematics, sets the tone for a congenial chat that is easy to understand and hard to put down. Parts of it seem almost like an historical novel, with liberal sprinklings of human interest and dry humor. He describes the continuing tension between those who expand the base of knowledge and the resistance of religions whose doctrines are threatened.
And that gets to the “why” in the first sentence above. The author’s purpose is to show that from telescopes to microscopes, space probes to meter probes, the war between knowledge and belief must end, for the benefit of mankind and the Earth itself. He explains that many of the researchers who have made and continue to make scientific discoveries feel sure that there is something beyond the bounds of what they are doing. Hence, the wonder.
I hope it is not too mystical to observe that shortly after Reason and Wonder was published, the apparent discovery of the Higgs Boson was announced. In time, the discovery may help to complete the tale that Dave Pruett carried so far.
Author, What if Boomers Can’t Retire? How to Build Real Security, Not Phantom Wealth.
Reason and Wonder: A Copernican Revolution in Science and Spirit chronicles a broad sweep of the human quest to understand who, what, where, and even why we are. It describes how researchers added major pieces to man's ever-growing base of knowledge, from the size and structure of the universe to the inner workings of an atom, by way of genetics and the composition of matter.
Having taken twelve years to write and refine, this book is a labor of love—love for his subject and love for the reader. By the informal use of his nickname, Dave Pruett, who is a retired professor of mathematics, sets the tone for a congenial chat that is easy to understand and hard to put down. Parts of it seem almost like an historical novel, with liberal sprinklings of human interest and dry humor. He describes the continuing tension between those who expand the base of knowledge and the resistance of religions whose doctrines are threatened.
And that gets to the “why” in the first sentence above. The author’s purpose is to show that from telescopes to microscopes, space probes to meter probes, the war between knowledge and belief must end, for the benefit of mankind and the Earth itself. He explains that many of the researchers who have made and continue to make scientific discoveries feel sure that there is something beyond the bounds of what they are doing. Hence, the wonder.
I hope it is not too mystical to observe that shortly after Reason and Wonder was published, the apparent discovery of the Higgs Boson was announced. In time, the discovery may help to complete the tale that Dave Pruett carried so far.
Larry LeShan (New York, 08/01/2012)
Pioneering experimental psychologist and author of more than one dozen books including The Medium, the Mystic, and the Physicist and the million-seller How to Meditate.
Once there was a wonderful TV program called "You Are There." In each episode they would portray an interviewer and a cameraman at one of the great moments of history. They would interview and photograph people involved in such events as the Signing of the Magna Carta, Columbus touching down in America, and so forth. At the end of the episode you would feel as if you had been on a wonderful adventure and learned a great deal. Reason and Wonder takes you on similar adventures to the great moments of the development of science and of our modern viewpoint about reality. It is beautifully written and takes you painlessly through the great moments of people like Newton, Einstein, and many others. At the end of the book you feel as if you had been on a marvelous safari to wondrous places and were thoroughly involved. I have never seen a book which gives you a better understanding of where we are, who we are, how we got here, and perhaps where we are going.
Pioneering experimental psychologist and author of more than one dozen books including The Medium, the Mystic, and the Physicist and the million-seller How to Meditate.
Once there was a wonderful TV program called "You Are There." In each episode they would portray an interviewer and a cameraman at one of the great moments of history. They would interview and photograph people involved in such events as the Signing of the Magna Carta, Columbus touching down in America, and so forth. At the end of the episode you would feel as if you had been on a wonderful adventure and learned a great deal. Reason and Wonder takes you on similar adventures to the great moments of the development of science and of our modern viewpoint about reality. It is beautifully written and takes you painlessly through the great moments of people like Newton, Einstein, and many others. At the end of the book you feel as if you had been on a marvelous safari to wondrous places and were thoroughly involved. I have never seen a book which gives you a better understanding of where we are, who we are, how we got here, and perhaps where we are going.
Charles C. Finn (Fincastle, VA, 08/04/2012)
Licensed professional counselor, former Jesuit, prolific poet, and author of the internationally-known poem "Please Hear What I'm Not Saying."
Why might you want to read Dave Pruett’s Reason and Wonder: a Copernican Revolution in Science and Spirit?
Because you appreciate a good story, especially when it’s about the gripping, unfolding story of the universe and our place in it.
Because you value prodigious research and excellent writing.
Because you’d love to have mathematics and physics brought a bit down from the clouds.
Because you’re intrigued to see how revolutions in physics, biology and quantum mechanics could now be spawning a revolution in spirit.
Because you’d cheer to have validated your intuition that, deep down, there cannot be a fundamental dichotomy between science and religion, between matter and spirit, that the intellectual voyage and the spiritual voyage are the same voyage!
Because you find intriguing the following: “For all their study, erudition, and knowledge, neither scientists nor ecclesiastics are best endowed to articulate wisdom. Such things are best left to prophets, poets, mystics, and minstrels, those capable of seeing with new eyes, hearing with new ears, and feeling with new hearts.” (page 333)
Come allow names like Galileo, Darwin, Einstein, Erwin Schroedinger, and Teilhard de Chardin (and literally hundreds of others) sing from the page.
Licensed professional counselor, former Jesuit, prolific poet, and author of the internationally-known poem "Please Hear What I'm Not Saying."
Why might you want to read Dave Pruett’s Reason and Wonder: a Copernican Revolution in Science and Spirit?
Because you appreciate a good story, especially when it’s about the gripping, unfolding story of the universe and our place in it.
Because you value prodigious research and excellent writing.
Because you’d love to have mathematics and physics brought a bit down from the clouds.
Because you’re intrigued to see how revolutions in physics, biology and quantum mechanics could now be spawning a revolution in spirit.
Because you’d cheer to have validated your intuition that, deep down, there cannot be a fundamental dichotomy between science and religion, between matter and spirit, that the intellectual voyage and the spiritual voyage are the same voyage!
Because you find intriguing the following: “For all their study, erudition, and knowledge, neither scientists nor ecclesiastics are best endowed to articulate wisdom. Such things are best left to prophets, poets, mystics, and minstrels, those capable of seeing with new eyes, hearing with new ears, and feeling with new hearts.” (page 333)
Come allow names like Galileo, Darwin, Einstein, Erwin Schroedinger, and Teilhard de Chardin (and literally hundreds of others) sing from the page.
WesleyNexus (10/13/2012)
WesleyNexus is an online newsletter that promotes "Science and Religion within the Wesleyan tradition."
"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."
Read the full review by Dr. Walter Shropshire, emeritus president of WesleyNexus by clicking here.
WesleyNexus is an online newsletter that promotes "Science and Religion within the Wesleyan tradition."
"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."
Read the full review by Dr. Walter Shropshire, emeritus president of WesleyNexus by clicking here.
