or those individuals who consider themselves to be en route, that is, to be on a philosophical or theological journey as opposed to already having arrived at a resolution to their cosmic-scale issues, this investigation may prove helpful. God and the New Metaphysics examines metaphysical and cosmological proposals for an alternate vision of reality.The title of this work is a deliberate play on physicist Paul Davies'' volume, God and the New Physics. The difference is that whereas his approach is a scientific one, this study comes to the subject of God and cosmology from a philosophical and theological angle, while at the same time remaining sensitive to scientific concerns.The origin of the universe remains a scientific mystery, but once it was under way, additional mysteries surface. There is a gap in our understanding, presently at least, between the world of chemistry and the onset of biology. How life arose from non-life has not been resolved. Then there is also a gap between biology and psychology, namely how an entire host of metaphysical categories arose, or at least the alleged realities to which they point. These include mind, soul, spirit, consciousness, self-consciousness, awareness, and self-awareness. Mysterious too is not only how the world began but how it will end.While the current analysis cannot hope to unravel these mysteries once and for all, it engages the thought of some of those who begin to disentangle us from the metaphysical knots in which we have tied ourselves. In sequential order it will consult the work of Alfred North Whitehead, James Lovelock, Rupert Sheldrake, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, David Bohm, and sample the thought of several others for the insights they can bestow.Endorsements"The perennial mystery of existence has inspired tomes of both scientific and metaphysical speculation over the millennia. In God and the New Metaphysics, Herb Gruning presents a fresh perspective, one that choreographs a dance between Whitehead''s process theology and recent developments in physics, biology, medicine, cosmology, and several other fields. Whether discussing Heraclitus or David Bohm, morphogenetic fields or Gaia theory, Gruning is lucid, articulate, engaging, and provocative. His readers will never think of their universe in the same way again." Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., co-author, Extraordinary Dreams and How to Work with Them, co-editor, Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examining the Scientific Evidence"This book is a vigorous plea for a new metaphysics capable of revealing being and becoming as the texture of both the world and the nature of God." Maurice Boutin, Ph.D., J.W. McConnell Professor of Philosophy of Religion, McGill University, Montreal, Canada"God and the New Metaphysics is a handy guide (''road map'') for anyone venturing on philosophical excursions into the big questions surrounding the origins of the universe itself, and of life within it. It succinctly summarizes scientific advancements and their implications for the way we view the world, since (as Herb Gruning writes) ''All epistemological activity ... functions worldviewishly.'' In addition to dealing with the development of the philosophy of science in the context of the clashes between science and religion, the author suggests interesting lines of inquiry to help resolve the questions which will remain in the reader''s mind at the end of the book, as they do in philosophy and science to the present day." Francine McCarthy, Professor of Earth Science and Great Books/ Liberal Studies, Brock University"What can abide and what must change in our understanding of God and nature? Walking the ever-shifting boundary lines between religion and contemporary science and drawing on rich resources to be found on both sides, Gruning has written a well-informed, insightful, and adventuresome book, addressing this question. And while refusing to oversimplify, he manages to write lucidly about deep and complex matters." John C. Robertson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Religious Studies, McMaster University"In lucid and sparkling prose, Herb Gruning provides the inquisitive layperson with a solid summary of the history and present state of the natural sciences, together with a panoply of the most significant meta-scientific reflections on the meaning and import of those sciences for the higher purposes of human life. God and the Mew Metaphysics offers more than a road map through the highways and byways of science, philosophy, and theology. It is a traveler''s guide through adjacent territories that have been explored by other travelers, with lively commentary on the usefulness of the older guidebooks. Above all, it identifies the limits of the previous explorations, and so reveals the openness of the horizons of knowledge, instilling in the reader a sense of further adventure at the edge of the known world." Dr. James Lawler, Philosophy Department, SUNY at Buffalo"The author gives an excellent account of the controversy surrounding science and religion as alternative avenues to truth and argues persuasively how science in general has failed to unravel some of the deep mysteries of the universe such as the origin of the universe and of life, among others.The book makes interesting reading with the author''s critical look at traditional theology with respect to its stand on the nature of god and purpose of creation, and his suggestion for a new direction in this regard along the lines developed by Alfred North Whitehead and others who consider the universe in all its diversity as a Divine Process - a view cosistent with that of modern physics where the cosmic reality is looked upon as a play of cosmic energy. While it is a valuable addition to one''s collection, the book provides useful material for a course in science and religion." Gowdar Veeranna, economist, Winnipeg, Canada