|
Writing Projects
|
|
|
|
My B.A. dissertation, Toward a Religious Understanding
(1977), which I wrote at Eckerd College, is a naively ambitious
work that traces and promotes a pantheistic worldview through
a variety of lenses such as mystical experience, Jesus’
teachings, and Eastern philosophy. My University of West
Florida M.A. dissertation, Dionysus/Shiva/Yin and Apollo/Vishnu/Yang
(1988), surveys the Greek, Indian, and Chinese expressions
of nature’s bipolarity; then explores ways in which
Western culture has demonized the dark, feminine yin and
eulogized the light, masculine yang, thus misplacing the
balance; and ends with a discussion of ways in which we
could benefit from re-igniting an awareness of and reverence
for the balance. My Florida State University Ph.D. dissertation,
Cross-cultural Expressions of Nature’s Polarities
(1991), is a much longer, more thoroughly researched version
of the M.A. dissertation.
There is a clear link between the dissertations and my
book, The Balance of Nature’s Polarities in New-Paradigm
Theory, which was published by Peter Lang in 1994. The
theme centers on the rise and evolution of ecocentrism.
The first two parts cover that evolution in terms of Romantic
writers such as Emerson, Jungian scholars such as Neumann,
ecofeminists such as Eisler, and ecopsychologists such as
Roszak. Part Three examines “the revitalization of
the feminine, ecological impulse via the Sixties Zeitgeist,”
which includes expositions of literature, Rock music, Green
politics, and the influx of aboriginal and Eastern spiritual
traditions.
I am currently working on another auspiciously ambitious
project entitled Renewing the Balance: Gender, Culture,
and Cosmos. I have finished many of the chapters, some
of which have been published: "Eranos, Esalen, and
the Ecocentric Psyche: From Archetype to Zeitgeist"
(The Trumpeter); "Renewing the Balance: Gender,
Culture, and Cosmos" (Ashé Journal);
"Hollywood's Transformed Hero: A Countercultural Journey"
(Journal of Religion and Popular Culture);"Revisioning
Jesus: The Quest to Universalize Christ" (Quodlibet);
"The Evolution of Rock and Roll: Its Religious and
Ecological Themes" (Journal of Religion and Popular
Culture); and "Physics, Gaia, and Ch'i: Paths toward
Integrative Knowing" (ReVision). Specific essays
can be accessed at:
Other, Less-Academic Projects
In 1978, I published A Matter of Perspective. Written
in a diary format the work contains poetry, drawings and
paintings, philosophical meanderings, and general ravings
about “finding meaning in the cosmic configuration
called consciousness.” I have been working for years
on a novel, Confessions of a Basketball Junkie, which
is based on flashbacks but aims at unwrapping the gift of
here and now. I also have an ever-growing collection of
poems (I’ve written hundreds and published a few).
|
|
|
|
Excerpts from Reviews of and Endorsements
for
The Balance of Nature’s Polarities
in New-Paradigm Theory
- This is an important and much needed history of contemporary
religious and philosophical thought. It breaks new ground.
It gives us new perspectives on some of the most profound
thinking of our time. There is simply no way to exaggerate
the significance of the historical and thematic connections
made here (Michael Murphy, endorsement).
- This is an original and significant work. It offers a
bold and inspiring interpretation of contemporary cultural
history; moreover, it lays the groundwork for a new, ecologically
based psychological paradigm (Theodore Roszak, endorsement).
- In this important book, Dirk Dunbar offers a concise and
well-written overview of many of the foremost minds of modern
Western society that have called attention to the dangers
of the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm of thinking, and have
sought to help redirect society’s course toward living
in harmony with nature and ourselves (Jim Swan, Sufism).
- I must say unreservedly that this remarkable volume represents
research, scholarship and cause of the first order. I would
rank it with Sam Keen’s The Passionate Life and Theodore
Roszak’s The Voice of the Earth (Barry Arnold, endorsement).
- Dr. Dirk Dunbar’s new paradigm scholarship is a welcomed
word to a polarized world. The book represents some of the
most refreshing theological and scientific perspectives
in print (Reverend William Allinder, Omaha Presbyterian
Church).
- The book’s main message is summarized in the last
chapter, “The Dynamics of Balance as a Solution to
the Present Spiritual Crisis.” Featured are a reintegration
of the feminine mystique, Earth Wisdom, and the mind-in-nature
holistic mentality. This is a delightful account of what
characterizes the newly rediscovered balance in the cultural
celebration of life (William Frost, Explorations).
- While the title sounds forbidding, the work is very timely
and approachable. Much of the work is based on the science-religion
dialogue and merges such themes as mysticism and physics,
Carl Jung’s Mother Goddess archetype, and Taoism (Heidi
Brugger, The Northeaster).
- Dirk Dunbar’s book is a valuable and important contribution
to the study of contemporary philosophy, religion, and science.
It does not rehash or duplicate material already on the
market, but represents a new voice with unique, interesting
and valid insights (David Darst, endorsement).
- Dirk Dunbar’s book is an honest and helpful addition
to the literature which clarifies the turbulent changes
of our century, and it is well worth the time and energy
of anyone interested in the spiritual and scientific implications
and potentials of those changes (Dana Wilde, endorsement)
|
|
|
|
