The Debate Over the Nature of Reality (Softcover)

Preface from the book

This group of essays serves as text material for a course at the high school senior level. The course itself requires additional individual research. It is part of the Heron Curriculum, a K-12 curriculum developed initially for use in the Delphian School in Sheridan, Oregon (www.delphian.org), and subsequently also used in the network of Delphi Academies around the U.S., as well as in other schools and in homes.

The course is designed to arm a student with the awareness that there are more sides to the material-spiritual issue than what he is likely to run into in modern media and scientific presentations. Because the public scientific environment and attitude is so monolithically materialistic, it becomes necessary to emphasize the alternative view that some spiritual aspect to reality is not only not at odds with true science, but can help it meet challenges it encounters in the realm of man and his cultures.

Without this sort of introduction, and surrounded by materialistic assumptions in marketing, education, media, science, medicine and especially psychology, it is quite a hill to climb for a young person (or any person) to see far enough past these assumptions to achieve his own reason and judgment in the area. The aim here is just to give some help in finding a balance.

About the Authors:

Alan Larson was the Founding Headmaster of the Delphian School in Sheridan Oregon, as well as the director of the expanding network of Delphi Academies. In 1990 he retired from these duties to devote full time to further development of the curriculum used in the schools. This curriculum is now published by Heron Books. His own education focused on mathematics and physics (Ph.D. Mathematics, Stanford University).