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Wonderpages

by John D. Raulerson, Jr.

136 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0427; ISBN 1-55369-614-X; US$18.00, C$21.50, EUR15.00, £10.50

Using the latest information from Science, WONDERPAGES seeks answers to the following: Where are we? Where did we come from? What are we? and finally, Where are we going?

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book In Wonderpages we embark on a journey of exploration into the wonderous world we live in. The journey will be divided into four stages of discovery. We will seek answers to the following questions: I wonder: "Where are we?" I wonder: "Where did we come from?" I wonder: "What are we?" I wonder: "Where are we going?" During our first quest we will search out the best information, theories and understanding that science has to offer today in order to discover where we are in the universe. It will take us back in time almost to the beginning of the universe. And then, out into space as far as the Hubble space telescope has been able to see. On the second voyage we will journey back in time to find where we came from and how we developed into the human organism.We will see that the way has been laced with creative growth, ferocious competition, and great uncertainty. Our third exploration, to find what we are, will take us inside own own body - all the way into the amazing, microscopic world of the cell. We will see how cooperation ultimately created Homo sapiens - thinking man. An amazing creature who is able to ask questions - questions that involve unlimited space, infinite complexity, eons of time and a multitude of possibilities. In conclusion, during our last stage we will look into the future. Using all of the background information we have collected and digested we will attempt to create some meaningful pattern and to predict where the process might be going. Then we will try to foresee the direction and consequences of our present course. Finally, using our creative powers, we will envision possible alternatives and decide the way we should be going to insure the survival and improvement of our generation and the future generations to come.

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About the Author John D. Raulerson, Jr. was born in 1921 in Bartow, Florida. He resides there today with his wife of 50 years, Anne Widerquist Raulerson. His extensive education began with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech during WWII. It has continued for many years with graduate studies in Experimental Psychology, Religion, and Education. At age 50, he received a master's degree in Systems Engineering from the University of South Florida. Over the 55 years of his professional career the author was active in a wide variety of work. During World War II he was in charge of maintenance for a squadron of P-51 aircraft. Following that he was a founding partner of an engineering firm that developed the first mass-produced, pretensioned, prestressed concrete structural system for building construction. This system us widely used today. Later, he moved into the fabrication of heavy structural steel and was active in supplying many of the launch structures used by the Air Force and NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. He also did extensive work in developing procedures and processes to increase the efficiency and recovery in phosphate mining and beneficiation operations. Most of the later years of his career were as project manager for the design and construction of chemical and metallurgical plants. After a lifetime as a practicing engineer it was natural for the author to be influenced by engineering methods in writing Wonderpages. Traditionally the engineer takes the findings of science and applies them in the world for the benefit of mankind. The results of the application of this methodology are incorporated in Wonderpages - a study based on use of the latest scientific research to find modern answers to the ancient questions: Where are we? Where did we come from? What are we? And finally, where are we going? The author is the co-author with Martin Wong, Ph.D of a book "The Systematic Design of Instruction". In writing this book the authors employed the same methodology that was used for Wonderpages. The authors researched the literature on how human learning occurs and then applied the findings to design the conditions for efficient learning of different types.

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Sample Excerpts or Table of Contents

Introduction

During the last century, scientists have learned more about the universe we live in, where we came from and how our body functions than all of the accumulated knowledge before that time. We already have libraries and computers full of information but as we continue to seek, even more wonders are revealed. There is something new on the horizon every day.

Scientific knowledge is not the only knowledge that has increased by incredible measure. We know more about each other than ever before. We live in a wired, webbed world. News that used to take days to reach us now takes less than seconds. Global markets, world banks, television, email, web pages, satellite uplinks - the person half way around the world is now our next door neighbor. We are now beginning to know each other - we are no longer isolated.

Despite all this wonderful information, it seems our new knowledge has done little to enhance our understanding of how to live a more satisfying, productive and meaningful life. We are still struggling with the age-old questions of humanity...food, shelter, self worth, conflict and divisions of power and property. Why, when we've accomplished so much, do we seem to understand so little?

Some would even say we*ve forgotten important things our ancestors knew. Indeed, so many of the myths, legends, philosophies and religious institutions that gave guidance to the lives of our ancestors seem to be lost or under siege.

Scientific discoveries contradict key issues of faith. Philosophies rooted in shared cultural heritages are placed into question by communication with other peoples. We stand in awe not only at the deep differences among us but also at the amazing similarities. It's frightening.

So we know a great deal, but how do we live with this knowledge? Can we survive in this new world we are creating? Is there any clue out there to help us make sense of what we've learned and remember what we may have forgotten? Could there be guidance hidden somewhere in our new discoveries?

Perhaps there is meaning for humanity in this mass of information we've collected, but we've yet to look at it in the right way. There is the possibility that if we collect and study a broad spectrum of this new knowledge, we may be able to discern a pattern that will yield meaning in a form that could serve as a useful guide for living. In addition to any meaning we glean from these new findings, we might also be able to detect a direction the whole process is moving. Perhaps combining meaning and direction can give us some insight into where our present direction is taking us. Even more exciting is the possibility that we can envision alternative futures, which might be used as a guide for planning and designing a more desirable life for our own generation and those to come.

Fortunately we have a powerful tool to use in this search. One of the most basic mental functions that man is endowed with is the ability to take a mass of chaotic information and detect a pattern imbedded within it that gives birth to meaning. This process, known as perception, is largely subconscious but is constantly used to make sense of the information we receive from our eyes, ears and other sensory organs.

Perception is so common to our experience that we tend not to realize its power in making sense of a highly complex and dynamic information flow. This ability, within man's highly developed brain, has enabled him to survive and thrive in a world populated with stronger and better-adapted animals. He has accomplished this simply by out thinking them.

To exercise our powers of perception, we will embark on a journey of exploration into our own wondrous world. This journey will be divided into four stages of discovery.

We will seek answers to the following questions:

I wonder: "Where are we?"

I wonder: "Where did we come from?"

I wonder: "What are we?"

I wonder: "Where are we going?"

During our first quest we will search out the best information, theories and understanding that science has to offer today in order to discover where we are in the universe. It will take us back in time almost to the beginning of the universe. And then, out into space as far as the Hubble space telescope has been able to see. On the second voyage we will journey back in time to find where we came from and how we developed into the human organism. We will see that the way has been laced with creative growth, ferocious competition and great uncertainty.

Our third exploration, to find what we are, will take us inside own body - all the way into the amazing, microscopic world of the cell. We will see how cooperation ultimately created Homo sapiens - thinking man. An amazing creature who is able to ask questions - questions that involve unlimited space, infinite complexity, eons of time and a multitude of possibilities.

During our last stage we will look into the future. Using all of the background information we have collected and digested we will attempt to create some meaningful pattern and to predict where the process might be going. Then we will try to foresee the direction and consequences of our present course. Finally, using our creative powers, we will envision possible alternatives and decide the way we should be going to insure the survival and improvement of our generation and the future of generations to come.

With this introduction, it is time to begin our first quest. Now we will attempt to find an answer to the first question - "Where are we?"

Summation And Conclusions

From our observations we can only conclude that, ready or not, we are rapidly entering a new phase of human history. We are coming into a growing awareness of our extensive interconnections with the cosmos. Life can only have purpose and prosper in symbiotic cooperation within a group. An individual apart from others has little meaning. It is like a large pipeline that has a small leak. The little squirt may be the most conspicuous part but it only detracts from the great smooth flow of fluid within. Furthermore, while we are a vital part of today, at the same time we are a link between the past and the future.

The process is ongoing. It has existed for eons before us and will continue long after the end of our time on earth. Our future survival lies in the ability to learn to weave our mutual destiny into the strong, colorful pattern of a harmonious tapestry. Within this pattern we can move forward with confidence and joy. It is our great privilege to have the opportunity to participate in this epic work of building a successful world community.

We have finally arrived at the end of our search. We have explored widely and seen much of magnitude and mystery. While many of us may be left in a state of profound awe, strangely we may also have a nagging feeling that there is little new in our conclusions. However we should not be dismayed. We have gained more than it might seem.

We are not the same person that we were when we began our search. We have gained a new perspective that enables us to understand the old truths in a new light. Illuminated by this enlarged perspective we are able to apply these truths more widely. To see our world and ourselves in sharper focus and to be able to apply our new knowledge in a concrete and effective form as a guide to our daily living is no small advance.

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Catalogue Information

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