"In Search of Reality"

My wife and I went to the Lido Restaurant of the ms Statendam while cruising in the Caribbean toward the Panama Canal one morning in January 2011. We asked an older couple if we could sit at their table for breakfast. This was the first and only time that I talked to Harold W. G. Allen, the author of In Search of Reality. Mr. Allen copyrighted In Search of Reality in 2007. It appears that much of the subject matter was created much earlier than 2007 and may have been previously included in other books published by Mr. Allen. In Search of Reality was published by Perspective Books of Spring Hill, Florida. The website Mr. Allen uses to promote his books and ideas is www.cosmicperspective.com.

I can honestly say that I have never met anyone in my life that engaged me as quickly as Mr. Allen in a discussion of some of the most controversial and interesting aspects of personal philosophy. Mr. Allen did most of the talking during our January breakfast. I listened and tried to understand what he was talking about. Mr. Allen gave me his card and I contacted him via email after we both returned from our cruise. Mr. Allen offered to send me one of his books and I agreed to write a review of it and post it on my web site. I have no idea how many copies of In Search of Reality have been printed or who has previously read or reviewed the book.

If I had to pick one word to describe In Search of Reality, the word would be “unique” or “different” or “controversial”. In Search of Reality is actually three books in one. The book is divided into three parts, Scientific Reality, Religious Reality and Social and Economic Reality. Mr. Allen valiantly tries to link very different elements of humankind’s existence through a unifying philosophy that one could call the Cosmic Spirit. The only comparable approach that is familiar to me is Albert Einstein’s life long single-minded “quest for a more complete explanation of the universe - a unified field theory that would tie together electricity and magnetism and gravity and quantum mechanics” that is described in Walter Isaacson’s book, Einstein – His Life and Universe.

About sixty percent of In Search of Reality is allocated to Scientific Reality. Mr. Allen directly challenges currently accepted theories in the area of science generally known as Cosmology. The following description of Cosmology is provided by Wikipedia. “Cosmology draws heavily on the work of many disparate areas of research in physics. Areas relevant to cosmology include particle physics experiments and theory, including string theory, astrophysics, general relativity, and plasma physics. Thus, cosmology unites the physics of the largest structures in the universe with the physics of the smallest structures in the universe.”

Mr. Allen presents substantial scientific analysis that explains that the highly publicized Big Bang Theory, which explains the origins and development of the universe, is wrong. Scientific Reality is highly technical. My college physics and astronomy classes combined with a career mostly in the space business doesn’t provide me with the background one needs to properly evaluate Mr. Allen’s theories. Only open minded experts in astrophysics and other Cosmology related disciplines can fully evaluate Mr. Allen’s theories. It would not surprise me if the Cosmology establishment has such a strong vested interest in its current theories that they would shut out alternative theories from outsiders like Mr. Allen. From a Scientific Reality perspective Mr. Allen is either the equivalent of an undiscovered Albert Einstein or delusional. I can’t tell you which is correct. Scientific Reality is hard to read due to the complexity of the scientific arguments. However, if you like reading alternatives to mainstream scientific thought you may find Scientific Reality extremely interesting.

Religious Reality is the second part of In Search of Reality, about 30 percent of the entire book. This part of the book is basically a harsh criticism or condemnation of Christian religions. The harshest criticism is given to those religious leaders throughout history that have preached a literal meaning of the Bible. Mr. Allen makes the case that both the Old and New Testaments are simply writings that are symbolic in nature. Mr. Allen makes the case that Jesus is not the Son of God, is not the Messiah, did not perform miracles and was not resurrected. Some of the arguments made by Mr. Allen have also been made by scholars that are considered experts in this field. Mr. Allen makes many good points that are worthy of thought and evaluation for those with open minds on religious issues. However, much of this section of the book reflects Mr. Allen’s opinions in context of his views on Cosmology.

The most interesting section of the entire book, in my opinion, was Chapter 10, The Dead Sea Scrolls. Mr. Allen efficiently summarizes and puts in context the physical geography of the scrolls when found, the history of the scrolls and the analysis that has been conducted by the international community. He explains that for decades the scrolls, originally found in Jordan, were under the control of an orthodox Catholic dominated group of experts that had no interest in telling the world that the Dead Sea Scrolls might reveal that 1900 years of Catholic teachings were incorrect. Mr. Allen’s digs into this subject to discover truths we all should know.

Social and Economic Reality is the third part of In Search of Reality, about 10 percent of the entire book. Mr. Allen’s philosophy on many subjects reminded me of Albert Einstein’s views on non-scientific issues as presented in Isaacson’s book. Einstein was called a pacifist and a communist. Einstein certainly believed in socialism for much of his life. I think all of the words could be used in some context to describe Mr. Allen’s views. In today’s world most people would typecast Mr. Allen as a liberal, progressive, socialist or a US style Democrat. As I finished this part and the overall book all I wanted to do was argue with Mr. Allen on almost everything he wrote in Social and Economic Reality because I think he is fundamentally wrong on virtually every recommendation on every topic he covered. I agree with Mr. Allen on some of the basic points he makes in this section of the book. However, his solution paths simply don’t work and have been proven not to work. This part of the book would serve as a great discussion document within a group of people that enjoys debating radical thinking.

In Search of Reality is a very “different” book. It is unique in terms of content and perspective. If my review has motivated you to read the book yourself, you can order In Search of Reality or Mr. Allen’s other books via his website, www.cosmicperspective.com.