Why This Book? Today's bright young people are intensely curious. They want to explore what's really important and figure it out. At college they hope to find a map to help them explore the territory of life. Matters of Consequence is such a map — one that can help them make sense of the evolutionary/cosmic/human situation, and their own lives. More specifically: The book is germane to your students' lives today and their lives tomorrow. It focuses on what is really important to them, personally and to the world society they inhabit. It is an excellent introduction to interdisciplinary thinking, and it effectively demonstrates the need for broadly-based knowledge. Because readers are introduced not only to a multitude of relevant facts, but also to a variety of interpretive and explanatory shemata, the book helps them gain an appreciation that raw data — although necessary — is not sufficient. The book explores the two-way relationship between person and context. Our personal lives are embedded in cosmic, evolutionary, societal, economic, and biospheric contexts. Looking at the human situation from the perspective of each of these contexts helps us to understand that situation more clearly and completely. Looking in the other direction is similarly enlightening. Meaning resides in relationship, and readers are encouraged to explore the questions: "What meaning does my life have in its relationship with each of these contexts?" "What meaning would I like it to have?" The book provides resources for further exploration. Matters of Consequence is a well-researched book whose 300+ cited works, 500+ chapter endnotes, and three resource-laden appendices can help students further explore the issues the book raises and the interests it stimulates. These same appendices are also available online in "clickable" form, providing easy access to a wealth of Internet resources.     Copyright © 2004 by Copthorne Macdonald