Big Ideas Press

BIG IDEAS PRESS: Books that Foster Wisdom and a Wisdom-Based Culture

Humanity has a problem: human knowledge tends to be highly compartmentalized. Research is conducted within narrowly-defined academic disciplines, and the books coming out of that research focus on topics that are narrower still. The result is an information archipelago — a multitude of islands of narrowly-focused, specialized knowledge.

That knowledge has value, but specialized knowledge is no longer enough. Humanity's matrix of interconnected problems transcends disciplinary boundaries, and the knowledge needed to deal effectively with those problems must also transcend those boundaries. Extreme complexity is a characteristic of the human situation, and whether the focus of an inquiry is personal, global, or cosmic, we need to supplement specialized knowledge with context-informed, perspective-enriched, multidisciplinary knowledge. We need books that link the islands of the information archipelago, books that connect the dots.

To deal with big issues, we need big ideas —

ideas that

are broad in scope,
address matters of deep human concern,
transcend narrow categories and knowledge boundaries, and
deal with complexity in helpful ways.

In response to this need, Big Ideas Press will publish

books that help us sift what is really important in life from the not so important and downright trivial, and
books that respond to
- primal concerns such as our place in the cosmos,
- personal concerns such as living an enjoyable, creative, significant life, and
- societal concerns such as sustainability and economic justice

We are pleased to announce the publication of

MATTERS of
CONSEQUENCE

Creating a Meaningful Life
and a World That Works

Copthorne Macdonald

HOW TO BUY PAPER-AND-INK COPIES OF COPTHORNE MACDONALD'S BOOKS:	Comparison-shop many online book sellers Buy from local book stores If you are a book store If you are a library
MATTERS OF CONSEQUENCE OVERVIEWS:	Detailed overview of the book The 15 matters of consequence
MATTERS OF CONSEQUENCE COMMENTS AND REVIEWS:	Comments by transformational leaders 15 reviews of Matters of Consequence
EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK:	Table of Contents Foreword by Paul H. Ray Introduction Appendix A: Intellectual Knowledge Resources Appendix B: Psychological/Spiritual Resources Appendix C: Social-Change Organizations
NEWS RELEASES:	A Return to the Long View — Terrorism, war, and the economy have taken our attention away from humanity's looming challenges Beyond Trivia and Infotainment — Exploring what's really important in life
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:	Short Biography More Detailed Biography Complete Publications List
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:	Mission Statement This Book's Publication Data Contact Information
USING THE BOOK IN COLLEGE COURSES:	Why this book? Where does it fit? Discussion and Essay Topics
USING THE BOOK IN READING GROUPS:	Reading Group Guide (html format) Reading Group Guide (MS Word format)
USEFUL INFORMATION FOR REVIEWERS:	This Book's Publication Data Contact Information Detailed Overview The 15 matters of consequence News Release: A Return to the Long View News Release: Beyond Trivia and Infotainment Comments by Transformational Leaders What Other Reviewers are Saying College Course Topics List Graphics to Accompany Reviews
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