Radical Prince: The Practical Vision of the Prince of Wales

by David Lorimer

Eccentric or wise man? What does Prince Charles really stand for? This is the first book to provide an explanatory overview of the Prince of Wales' philosophy, revealing the coherence of his ideas on ecology, organic agriculture, holistic health, religion, architecture, and education. In this eye-opening book, David Lorimer outlines the radical thinking that underpins the prince's vision and the ways in which he has translated this into practical...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 086315431X
• ISBN13: 9780863154317
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Floris Books
• Length: 427 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Radical Visionary-Using tradition and privilege to create a better future for all

He is a prince of the new paradigm. Reactions to Britain's Prince Charles are often extreme, representing a profound division not only about social and cultural values, or even about the relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world-but also about our deepest worldviews, about the very nature of reality itself. Charles is not merely a radical prince, he is also a radical philosopher, and he uses his role and status to address a wide range of issues-including ecological, agricultural, architectural, medical, economic, educational, and religious. He has made it his business to stay abreast of the key challenges in each of these domains, and he is not shy about speaking out to support worthwhile causes in the face of overwhelming social and corporate pressures. For many years, I've been aware of Charles' outspoken views on architecture and the environment, and sensed his passion for beauty and balance in our lives and how we fit into the rest of nature. However, until I read David Lorimer's Radical Prince, I was not aware just how deeply committed the Prince of Wales is to what is nothing less than a multi-faceted challenge to the dominant paradigm. Like any insightful and "radical" philosopher who questions worldviews, Charles sees that the root cause of the malaise is ultimately metaphysical. What is needed now, perhaps more than ever, is a radical revisioning of what it means to be human, inextricably rooted in an ecological matrix of physical and spiritual processes. In short, Charles challenges the currently dominant metaphysical notion, which underlies most of modern science and society, that the ultimate nature of reality is purely physical stuff-nothing but purposeless "atoms in the void." This materialist assumption is not only philosophically meaningless, it is also extremely dangerous socially, psychologically, and spiritually. And, paradoxically, materialism also poses a severe threat to matter itself-to our bodies-not just to mind, soul, and spirit. Why is materialism "meaningless"? The short answer: If it were true, there would be no possibility for any meaning whatsoever. A slightly longer answer is that materialism harbors a self-destructive contradiction. The only reason materialism exists as a worldview is because beings with consciousness invented it. However, the indisputable fact of consciousness is precisely what materialism is utterly at a loss to explain. In the absence of an explanation for consciousness, materialism must insert a miracle to account for mind emerging from wholly mindless matter. But miracles are precisely what materialism denies are possible. In a nutshell, the problem is this: In order to be true, materialism must be false! Philosophically, that's a real problem. This is what I explore in Radical Nature and Radical Knowing. And whereas I show how the philosophy of "radical naturalism" offers an alternative that includes and honors both matter and spirit, Lorimer's Radical Prince (and

Far More Than a Simple Biogaphy

This is in outstanding piece of work! It has become one of my books of the year. Radical Prince is an exploration of an array of exceedingly important ideas, seen through the lens of the life and work of the Prince of Wales. Misunderstood by many, the Prince has already made major contributions in a number of different fields. From an early age, he has dedicated his life to the betterment of humanity. Many outstanding teachers have gravitated towards him. Not so much because he is a Prince, but because of his inner spiritual Being. It is difficult to imagine anyone other than David Lorimer - the former director of the Scientific and Medical Network - being able to write this book, which needed forays into so many different areas of our existence: health, ecology, architecture, education and several others. For anyone with even a passing interest in a broader view of our lives and our place in the Universe, this is a "Must read."