The BUZZ, Issue No. 133, July 2004Matters of Consequence:
Creating a Meaningful Life
and a World That WorksCopthorne Macdonald
Copthorne Macdonald’s latest book Matters of Consequence: Creating a Meaningful Life and a World That Works presents key facts and perspectives drawn from many branches of knowledge, and the author has organized these into a mosaic of ideas that addresses our deepest concerns. Among these concerns are primal ones such as our place in the cosmos, personal ones such as crafting a wise, significant, and deeply satisfying life, and societal ones such as sustainability and economic justice. An underlying assumption in the book is that clarity about our present reality leads to a realistic vision of a world that works for everyone. And the book presents a variety of techniques and strategies for getting there.
Although the book reflects the views of its author, Matters of Consequence is not a personal opinion piece. The book cites more than 300 works and has more than 500 endnote annotations. Its Bibliography lists those works and its Index is comprehensive. The book also has three appendices which introduce the reader to a variety of print, Internet, and organizational resources in support of personal efforts to develop deep understanding and live toward the vision.
Advance reaction to Matters of Consequence has been positive. In his foreword to the book, Paul H. Ray (coauthor of The Cultural Creatives) said, “As a college student I kept asking these big questions, going to whole libraries of books in search of answers…Now, finally after four decades here’s the book I was looking for as a student.” Allan Combs (author of The Radiance of Being) said of it, “Never has a single book brought together such a rich trove of facts, resources, and wisdom.” Vicki Robin (coauthor of Your Money or Your Life) remarked, “This book is brilliant yet accessible, terse yet so deeply considered that each paragraph opens worlds.” Futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard (author of Conscious Evolution) called Matters of Consciousness “a master work in applying evolutionary understanding to the critical problems of our time.”
Matters of Consequence will soon be available through bookstores in the U.S., Canada and the UK as well as from online booksellers.
Copthorne Macdonald is a writer, independent scholar and former communication systems engineer. His published works include seven books (two on the subject of wisdom) and over 130 articles, reviews and column installments. He developed the slow scan TV system used worldwide in amateur radio, founded New Directions Radio and has done extensive educational work in the field of energy alternatives and energy conservation. Formerly a columnist with two U.S. magazines and Associate Editor of one of them, he is currently on the Editorial Board of Integralis: Journal of Integral Consciousness, Culture, and Science. He is a citizen of both the U.S. and Canada and lives in Prince Edward Island. For additional details about his life and work see www.wisdompage.com/aboutcop.html.
