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White Hole in Time Our Future Evolution and the Meaning of Now
Explores the patterns of evolution, the nature of time, and humanity's quest for inner peace to speculate on the future of humanity's development and the potential for rapid inner evolution and transformation
- GenresNonfictionScience
234 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1992
About the author
Peter Russell
277 books84 followersPeter Russell M.A., D.C.S., (07 May 1946 - ) is a British author of ten books and producer of three films on consciousness, spiritual awakening and their role in the future development of humanity.
He has designed and taught personal development programs for businesses, and has remained a popular public speaker.
In 1965 he was awarded an Open Exhibition to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, to study Mathematics. In 1969, he gained a First Class Honours in Theoretical Physics and Experimental Psychology. He then went to Rishikesh, India, where he trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 1971, he gained a post-graduate degree in Computer Science. From 1971 to 1974, he studied for a Ph.D. on the psychophysiology of meditation at Bristol University.
He has designed and taught personal development programs for businesses, and has remained a popular public speaker.
In 1965 he was awarded an Open Exhibition to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, to study Mathematics. In 1969, he gained a First Class Honours in Theoretical Physics and Experimental Psychology. He then went to Rishikesh, India, where he trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 1971, he gained a post-graduate degree in Computer Science. From 1971 to 1974, he studied for a Ph.D. on the psychophysiology of meditation at Bristol University.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 24, 2017
Mathematician, physicist and new-age writer Peter Russell attempts to blend his interests together with this offering from 1992.
His predictions about technology are long-term, so we haven't realised all of them yet. However, some have actually come true: computers have most definitely become faster, smaller, and pervade every area of life; we have medical nanorobots; our lives are now longer than ever in human history; the telephone is now a multipurpose tool that handles data and images and voice; and genetic reprogramming is a reality.
Some things, of course, are no longer current. A quarter of a century ago, the World Trade Center was still standing, which Russell uses as a measuring stick for a clumsy metaphor about evolution throughout the history of the world. He refers to videocassettes as an example of "modern" technology. His diagrams have the feel of hand-drawn charts from 1970s self-help books. He mentions the hole in the ozone layer caused by CFCs, but this is no longer considered a problem. He refers to the Mayan calendar that ends in 2012, and we are now well past that.
However, it's interesting to see that many of the biggest issues facing our modern world were already rearing their hydra-like heads 25 years ago: he mentions climate change (and actually uses the term "global warming"), pollution, depletion of resources, overuse of antibiotics, increased automation leading to unemployment, overspending on weapons rather than what might benefit people long-term - these are all still prevalent, if not worse, today.
Looking through this time-travel lens was what was most interesting about this book, which is why I've spent three paragraphs on it. Unfortunately, when Russell comes to suggesting a cure to what ails the world, his whole thesis falls flat. He feels that the resolution to these problems is to put science and spirituality together, like ideological Lego bricks. He believes that the lack of love in our world has made us more materialistic, and moved our ever-accelerating pace of change onto a path of disaster. I could get behind this idea, but unfortunately, he manages to kill his own credibility. When he advocates automatic writing to develop psychological insights (it's been shown to have no intrinsic value whatsoever), talks about the Armageddon presented in the Book of Revelations as some kind of cute metaphor for the cosmic awakening of humanity, and starts presenting a naive utopia in which spirituality has supplanted religion and we all live in harmony, he appears to be babbling. Strangely, by the end of the book, he thinks it will all come together and seems to have forgotten that same human nature which he roundly criticises for much of his argument.
His disjointed presentation doesn't really connect his diverse ideas, or offer any constructive ways to move towards his hybrid solution. The title refers to the wash of light that will engulf all of humanity when we are enlightened. Please. I would have expected better from a trained scientist who wants people to have more spirituality in their lives and ends up convincing nobody.
His predictions about technology are long-term, so we haven't realised all of them yet. However, some have actually come true: computers have most definitely become faster, smaller, and pervade every area of life; we have medical nanorobots; our lives are now longer than ever in human history; the telephone is now a multipurpose tool that handles data and images and voice; and genetic reprogramming is a reality.
Some things, of course, are no longer current. A quarter of a century ago, the World Trade Center was still standing, which Russell uses as a measuring stick for a clumsy metaphor about evolution throughout the history of the world. He refers to videocassettes as an example of "modern" technology. His diagrams have the feel of hand-drawn charts from 1970s self-help books. He mentions the hole in the ozone layer caused by CFCs, but this is no longer considered a problem. He refers to the Mayan calendar that ends in 2012, and we are now well past that.
However, it's interesting to see that many of the biggest issues facing our modern world were already rearing their hydra-like heads 25 years ago: he mentions climate change (and actually uses the term "global warming"), pollution, depletion of resources, overuse of antibiotics, increased automation leading to unemployment, overspending on weapons rather than what might benefit people long-term - these are all still prevalent, if not worse, today.
Looking through this time-travel lens was what was most interesting about this book, which is why I've spent three paragraphs on it. Unfortunately, when Russell comes to suggesting a cure to what ails the world, his whole thesis falls flat. He feels that the resolution to these problems is to put science and spirituality together, like ideological Lego bricks. He believes that the lack of love in our world has made us more materialistic, and moved our ever-accelerating pace of change onto a path of disaster. I could get behind this idea, but unfortunately, he manages to kill his own credibility. When he advocates automatic writing to develop psychological insights (it's been shown to have no intrinsic value whatsoever), talks about the Armageddon presented in the Book of Revelations as some kind of cute metaphor for the cosmic awakening of humanity, and starts presenting a naive utopia in which spirituality has supplanted religion and we all live in harmony, he appears to be babbling. Strangely, by the end of the book, he thinks it will all come together and seems to have forgotten that same human nature which he roundly criticises for much of his argument.
His disjointed presentation doesn't really connect his diverse ideas, or offer any constructive ways to move towards his hybrid solution. The title refers to the wash of light that will engulf all of humanity when we are enlightened. Please. I would have expected better from a trained scientist who wants people to have more spirituality in their lives and ends up convincing nobody.
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July 12, 2014No rating as I am unable to be objective, having known and been deeply and personally helped by the author in my youth. The book has many insights and meant a great deal to me when I was young. Later I found the author's essentially Eastern approach, however, could not grasp the central dynamic of the West.
Because one autumn in 1997 everything changed and I left behind forever the eastern - "holistic" path I had been treading. More about this here: http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2013/...
God be with you, Pete ...
Because one autumn in 1997 everything changed and I left behind forever the eastern - "holistic" path I had been treading. More about this here: http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2013/...
God be with you, Pete ...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews