Copthorne (Cop) Macdonald is a writer, independent scholar, and former communication systems engineer. His interests include the nature of reality (including consciousness and mind), the development of wisdom, the global problematique, and the challenge of creating a sustainable future. He has written extensively in all of these areas, and his published writing to date includes 8 books (3 on the subject of wisdom) and over 130 articles, scholarly papers, reviews, and column installments.
Cop's interest in wisdom education had its first expression in the early 1990s with the publication of his first two wisdom-related books: TOWARD WISDOM and GETTING A LIFE. Then, in 1995, his communication and wisdom interests came together in a decision to create The Wisdom Page, a website devoted to wisdom resources. Currently located at www.wisdompage.com, this site is visited in a typical month by more than 5000 people from over 50 countries, and successfully fills more than 15,000 requests for electronic documents and audio and video presentations. Easy to locate, a Google search for the term "wisdom" returns about 90 million pages and has consistently put The Wisdom Page in the top ten of those, on the first page of the search returns.
Macdonald, Copthorne. (2010). The Centrality of Wisdom. John E. Wade II Ed., How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth, Pelican Publishing Company, pp. 294-296.
This article begins Considering the complexity of the world situation and the large number of problems that humanity faces, the task of achieving a heaven on earth seems daunting. Where does one start? Is there by any chance a simplifying element, a focal...
Macdonald, Copthorne. (2009). Nicholas Maxwell in Context: The Relationship of His Wisdom Theses to the Contemporary Global Interest in Wisdom. Leemon McHenry, Ed. Science and the Pursuit of Wisdom: Studies in the Philosophy of Nicholas Maxwell. Ontos Verlag. pp. 61-81.
This chapter in Leemon McHenry's book acknowledges Nicholas Maxwell's quest since the early 1980s: Maxwell has called for a shift in academic focus from knowledge acquisition for its own sake to “what is of value in life” for human beings. Knowledge...
Macdonald, Copthorne. (Fall/Winter 2007). Values, Wisdom, and Action. Kosmos Journal, Vol.VII, No. 1, pp. 21-22, 43-44.
The Kosmos Journal intro to the article: A long-time researcher of wisdom tells us how outwardly acquired intellectual knowledge and inwardly acquired insightful knowledge imbue transformative action with wisdom and make it maximally effective. The full...
Macdonald, Copthorne. (2007). Developing Personal Wisdom. Published online at the Big Ideas Press website — http://www.bigideaspress.com/Articles/developingwisdom.html.
If we want to become wiser people, we can develop the characteristics of wisdom — the relevant perspectives, and values, and intellectual knowledge — and incorporate them into our lives. In this article Macdonald discusses 9 tools that can help us do...
Macdonald, Copthorne. (2007). Seeing the Nature of Reality Through Buddhist Meditation. Published online at the Big Ideas Press website — http://www.bigideaspress.com/Articles/reality.html.
One aspect of wisdom involves relating local happenings to various contexts. The most fundamental of those contexts are the physical and mental realities with which, and through which, we live our lives. Using contemporary concepts, this article presents...
Macdonald, Copthorne. (2006). Playing the Wisdom Game: Some thoughts about the nature and development of wisdom. Jason A. Merchey, Ed. Living a Life of Value: A Unique Anthology of Essays on Values & Ethics by Contemporary Writers. Values of the Wise Press. pp. 359-368.
Regarding the nature of wisdom, Macdonald says: "Wisdom is internal, embodied by persons. Words of wisdom arise from it. Wise behavior arises from it. But wisdom itself is not its products. Wisdom is a mode of cognition — one rooted in perspectives...
Macdonald, Copthorne. (2006). WISDOM: The Highest Aim of Life and Higher Education. A "Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar" address at Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, delivered on April 5, 2006.
In March and April of 2006, Copthorne Macdonald spent two weeks at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, as a "Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar." Among his activities was a public talk on the nature and development of wisdom...
Macdonald, Copthorne (2004) Big Ideas Press (Hardcover ISBN: 096896186X; paperback ISBN: 0968961878; Adobe Acrobat eBook ISBN: 0-9689618-8-6)
MATTERS of CONSEQUENCE is a comprehensive map of the human situation that encompasses what is really important in life, addresses our personal search for meaning and significance, and deals with humanity's future in a positive solution-oriented way...
Macdonald, Copthorne (2001) Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, ISBN 0-595-20256-X Also, Adobe Acrobat eBook edition ISBN 0-9689618-0-0
Toward Wisdom takes the position that the only way to make the world a better place is to make it a wiser place. We, and the world, need wisdom-based analyses of our problems followed by wisdom-based action. This book focuses on the existential, metaphysical...
Macdonald, Copthorne (2001) Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, ISBN 0-595-20246-2. Also, Adobe Acrobat eBook edition ISBN 0-9689618-3-5
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Macdonald, Copthorne. (2000) Deep Understanding: Wisdom for an Integral Age. First published in the online journal Integralis: Journal of Integral Consciousness, Culture, and Science, Vol. 1, No. 0 and later re-published in The Journal of Conscious Evolution Vol. 2.
The article begins: Although Paul Ray’s values survey (1996) revealed that some 20 to 45 million Americans are attracted to integral values, Ken Wilber recently pointed out (2000, Introduction) that this is not the same as possessing fully-developed integral...