NONFICTION - Dec. 26, 1993

AWAKENING EARTH: Exploring the Evolution of Human Culture and Consciousness by Duane Elgin (William Morrow: $23; 382 pp.). Social scientist Duane Elgin recognizes that in “our current era of scientific skepticism and social cynicism, it strains credibility to describe a future time when we might achieve a ‘golden age’ of compassionate understanding and deep bonding among the human family.” That doesn’t stop him, though, from propounding this New Age vision of the future, a vision born of a crisis-provoked three-day meditation and based on “dimensional evolution” (his term) of the human race. Elgin believes there is a psychological, perceptual “geometry” parallel to physical geometry; in “Awakening Earth” he details the passage of Homo sapiens through eight stages of consciousness that can ultimately result in a peaceful, enlightened, planetary civilization. There’s a fly in this book’s ointment, however: Elgin’s vision is indeed incredible, for although internally consistent, it’s rarefied to the point of disconnection from historical reality. History does make appearances here, but usually to bolster Elgin’s speculations: War, racism, sexism, etc., will disappear because their unreasonableness will become apparent; “the sacred message of reflective consciousness” will be transmitted even through the “profane medium” of television; man will develop “oceanic consciousness,” a compassionate spirituality replacing current religious dogma. Will Elgin’s dream come to pass? I doubt it--and hope not, too, because he seems to think his dream world, however tentative, is of universal appeal. The “common agenda” Elgin counsels seems uncommonly suitable to those of his societal background--which is to say that while his psychology and spirituality may be transcendental, his cultural assumptions are not.