Dear Homo Sapiens:
As of the Amoebal Dream in Africa, 1977, for about six weeks out
there on the African savannah, often under the stars, Anthony held daily
communions with me. By the time he left
Africa, OMNI-SCIENCE had been by and large transcendentally integrated in his
mind. The “Inconceivable” had been
conceived, now the “Unspeakable” must be spoken.
As soon as he settled back in Vancouver, he started working full
time on a book titled {OMNI-SCIENCE}, alternatively titled {The Fortunate and
Called Upon}, and {Dear Homo Sapiens of Earth}.
In
January this year, Anthony Marr, armed with the fourth incarnation of
OMNI-SCIENCE and six letters of recommendation dated 1985 from respected
scientists of the University of British Columbia, drove down the North American
West Coast on a speaking tour covering the University of Washington in Seattle,
the University of Oregon in Eugene, the University of California in Berkeley
and Stanford University in Palo Alto.
As
soon as he entered a campus, the first place he went to was the library, where
he looked into the academic catalog to find out what courses were available and
which professors taught the courses he had singled out. Next, he typed up, with the same portable
typewriter he used in Africa, one letter to each chosen professor, which read
as follows:
[ Dear Dr. _________,
I
am writing to seek the opportunity to discuss with you a matter of
philosophical interest that involves your field of expertise. I have held similar discussions with several
scientists of the University of British Columbia, whose critiques are herein
enclosed.
I
will be in (this city) over the next week and would appreciate two hours of
your time, uninterrupted if possible. I
will call you tomorrow to set up an appointment.
Sincerely,
Anthony Marr]
He
then returned to campus and delivered the letters to the offices of the
professors. The following day, he would
call the professors to make an appointment.
By
late last month, he had accumulated the following:
critiques on OMNI-SCIENCE:
Physical Anthropology, Professor Braxton M. Alfred (July 24, 1985):
“To
whom it may concern:
“Today
I was privileged to hear Mr. Anthony Marr discuss a genuine new conception in
philosophy which he calls Omni-Science…
I accepted Mr. Marr’s invitation with trepidation – there is far
too much pseudoscientific trash about
and I feel an obligation to stem the tide whenever and wherever the opportunity
is available, but I do not relish it.
“Within
minutes of his beginning I became aware that he assuredly is not a journalist
peddling feel good/bad stories. But
neither is he an institutional physicist, though his scientific background and
training is unmistakable.
“Mr.
Marr’s effort is in the tradition of 19th Century scholarship, but
is based solidly on 20th Century science. There is simply no modern parallel for his accomplishment. His system is extraordinarily ambitious in
that it purports, and is successful in my opinion, to explain hierarchical
structure in the phenomenal world… It is truly a grand scheme…
“He
speaks with the power and confidence of one who totally commands the
material. The presentation was
scheduled for two hours. After four
hours, mutually fatigued, we adjourned - and I was very reluctant to quit.
“It
is compelling indictment of the structure of contemporary academic departments
that, undoubtedly. No graduate would be allowed to pursue such a project with
any expectation of being awarded a degree.
This is in spite of the fact that Mr. Marr’s product is in every way
superior to any of the Ph.D. degree this department has awarded in the twenty
years of my appointment. It is
characterized by careful, thoughtful attention and rigorous development. I recommend it, and him, without
qualification.”
Biology, Profession Lee Gass (September 4, 1985):
“I
am writing on behalf of Anthony Marr.
My purpose is to document his seriousness of purpose, the strength of
his commitment to understanding, his intellectual solidity and honesty, and his
willingness and ability to consider an extremely broad range of issues in a way
that can potentially clarify them for large numbers of people…
“He
has responded to my most rigorous challenges extremely well, demonstrating a
degree of intellectual discipline that is rare even among professional
scholars…
“I
have no doubt that he has dedicated his life to this project…”
Geology and Oceanography, Professor R.L. Chase (September 11, 1985):
“…
The work is a brave attempt to give us a new, science-based philosophy, with
the aim of giving humankind a common purpose to unite the planet and seek
societies beyond it. As a geologist I
found his synthesis stimulating and refreshing. I have tried to work out for myself a philosophy based on
paleontology and the physical sciences, but Mr. Marr has gone further to
produce a more comprehensive worldview.”
Biology, Professor Ian McTaggart-Cowan (September 12, 1985):
“This
will introduce Mr. Anthony Marr… We met for a full afternoon during which he
presented his objectives, his background preparation and led me through the
development of his novel theory. We had
an extended discussion in which I probed deeply in my area of expertise.
“I
emerged highly impressed with his seriousness of purpose, his intellectual capacity, his ability to grasp and use
unusually detailed information drawn from a broad range of scientific
disciplines. He met my challenges
forthrightly, thoughtfully and in detail.
“Subsequently,
I read his book manuscript. In this he
develops a philosophy that rests securely on basic scientific
understanding. I followed with
fascination the evolution of his theoretical concept of the progress of life on
earth from inception to society…
“I
am convinced that what he is striving to achieve is important.
“Mr.
Marr is an unusually talented and discipline individual. He is one of the many millions of people who
are deeply distressed by many of the directions and consequences he sees in the
world today, but unlike so many, he has dedicated himself to struggling
intellectually to develop and promote new attitudes.
“Mr.
Marr is a serious scholar who both writes and speak with ease and
confidence. I urge you to give his book
the serious attention it deserves.”
Astronomy and Geophysics, Professor T.K. Menon (December 15, 1985):
“…
I was highly impressed by his breadth of knowledge… There is no question in my
mind about the seriousness f his pursuit and the need to have his ideas widely
discussed. He deserves to have a wide
audience to expose his ideas for scholarly appraisal, and I urge that such an
opportunity be made available to him.”
Evolutionary
Biology, Professor G.G.E. Scudder (December 15, 1985):
“…
I spent a bout three hours with Anthony Marr… I found his approach to be
logical and thorough. He has a good
gasp of the basic principles and ideas in the natural sciences and is aware of
the limitations of our current knowledge… I believe that his contribution is
original and well founded. Mr. Mr. is
clearly dedicated and talented…”
Geology, Professor Stephen C. Porter (January 15, 1987):
“…
an interesting and enlightening experience.
It quickly became apparent to me that Mr. Marr is an extremely
intelligent and knowledgeable person and his devoted a considerable amount of
time and thought to the philosophical system he set forth in his
manuscript. He is articulate and
obviously is widely read in many fields of science. His knowledge, however, is not superficial, but demonstrates a keen
sense of scholarship.
“He
has undertaken a task, indeed a mission, that to many would appear overwhelming
- the integration of many fields of knowwledge, both scientific and cultural, in
a hierarchical scheme that illustrates the place of human beings in the natural
and temporal order of the universe.
“His
thesis is thought provoking and, as far as I know, original in its
approach. The subject is one that
should interest both professionals and nonprofessionals, and could elicit
considerable discussion. Assuming that
the manuscript is engagingly written at the appropriate level, it could command
a wide audience.”
Astronomy, Professor Woodruff T. Sullivan III (January 30, 1987):
“…
I am very impressed with his dedication, his abilities, and the synthesis he
has produces. As an astronomer and
historian of science who has long decried the compartmentalization of academia,
I applaud all serious efforts such as this to cross disciplinary lines and to
synthesize knowledge. We obviously do
not know of Mr. Marr’s picture is the ‘correct’ one, but it is well informed,
does not appear to be in conflict with the state of knowledge in scientific
fields with which I am familiar, and gives promise to lead to further insight…
his ideas deserve to be published and, I think, will appeal to a wide audience
of both lay-persons and scientists.”
Medicine, Biomedical History, Professor Keith R. Benson (January 31, 1987):
“…
I found his presentation to be creative, highly synthetic, scientifically sound
and eclectic, and extremely comprehensive.
Obviously, Mr. Marr has read and studied extensively; moreover, his new
theory reveals his impressive ability to think carefully and critically.
“A
an historian of biology, I am aware of the reluctance to construct cosmologies
at the present time because they inevitably involve major speculative
activity. However, I also think that it
may be necessary for scientific literati like Mr. Marr to engage in this work. After all, we are bombarded constantly with
cosmological schemes with the barest of scientific support. I find many aspects of Mr. Marr’s system
compelling. I urge additional support
for his work.
Ecology, Ethology, Sociobiology, Environmental
Studies, Professor Gordon H. Orians (February, 1987):
“During
the past month I have had an opportunity to listen to a lengthy presentation by
Anthony Marr of his comprehensive cosmological system. In addition, I have read most of his
book-length manuscript titled OMNI-SCIENCE.
These encounters have revealed to me that Anthony Marr is a deep
thinking and widely read person. In
those area of biology where I am competent to judge, Mr. Marr is thorough and
accurate in his presentation of fact.
He has delved deeply into evolutionary, ecological and behavioral
literature. He has also had extensive field experience, upon which he
draws repeatedly in his book.
“Mr.
Marr’s mode of presentation of his ideas deviates strikingly from standard
scientific ones, reflecting his philosophical ancestry and his goals. Primarily he is attempting to develop a
philosophical scheme that can encompass both modern science and religion in a
way that can be acceptable to both. His
is also a futuristic perspective, offering hope at a time when so many of us feel
a deep sense of despair. This is a daunting
task but one which we avoid at considerable peril. Given the religious rejection of science that are so rampant in
American culture today, thorough attempts to develop comprehensive cosmologies
are badly needed and should receive our serious attention. Mr. Marr has provided one such system. I hope that it can be published and made
available to a wide audience so that it can receive serious discussion by
persons of many walks of life and varied persuasions.”
Biology, Professor Dennis Todd (January 22, 1987):
“Anthony
Marr has developed a new theoretical framework that integrates a great deal of
scientific information from diverse fields.
His thesis deserves your careful attention.
“Mr.
Marr impressed me with the breadth of his knowledge, the seriousness of his
intellectual pursuit, and the keenness of his insight. He is a rare person: one who can understand
the findings of specialized branches of various sciences, apply them to other
branches, synthesize a meaningful and coherent overview, and present his
conclusions in a masterly and cogent fashion.
“His
philosophy unites the multiplicity of levels of organization, both biotic and
abiotic, into a coherent system of analysis.
The system that he proposes, with parallels between levels ranging from
the atomic to the cosmic, provides a fresh perspective for those who wish to
understand the workings of nature.
Furthermore, his principles can function as a springboard for leaps into
realms that, at least for the present, are purely philosophical - teleology,
epistemology and ontology.
“Mr.
Marr is a serious and dedicated scholar.
I commend him and ask that you grant him an opportunity to present his
ideas to you.”
Geology, Professor Greg Retallack (January 29, 1987):
“…
Although initially skeptical, I found his whole system quite fascinating and
thought provoking… I thought that his model was superior to those already
available. His proposed books will be
important advances in thinking on the origin and evolution of life and society…
His presentation was made with the care and rigor of a serious and dedicated
scholar. He has a good and up to date
understanding of the natural sciences.
I could not detect a trace of mysticism or journalistic pseudo-science
in his presentation. Mr. Marr is a
hard-headed thinker in the best scientific tradition. He deserves serious attention.”
Ecology, John Burket (January 30, 1987):
“This
letter is to urge the serious and positive consideration for the work done by
Anthony Marr.
“I
spent an afternoon talking with Anthony and learning the system of thought as
set down in his manuscript. That short
experience has instilled in me the kind of wondered awe that arises when
previously nebulous thoughts, ideas and feelings suddenly crystallized into a
framework of order.
“It
is my opinion that Anthony Marr’s system of Integrative Transcendence is the
germ of a new worldview, and that the minds of people today are very fertile
ground for this philosophy. The clarity
and logical order of this system gives an immediate sense of recognition of
ones place in the scheme of existence.
“Further,
one can see from this philosophy how the future of our planet can be seen in
terms of undeniable purpose and hope, a state of mind so lacking in these times.
“I
urge you to listen to Anthony Marr and publish his work. His is an idea whose time has come.”
Biology, Professor Stanton A. Cook (February 10, 1987):
“Anthony
Marr has explained to me his thoughts on physical hierarchies and evolution of
organic hierarchies on earth. He
elaborated a novel way of diagramming or organizing these thoughts that should
be quite useful to an audience that has not thought much on these matters. I do believe that comprehension and
appreciation of levels of organization has been hampered by a want of just such
a methodical and visual approach… he left me with a clear impression that he
has a well developed message…”
Biology, Professor Richard W. Holms (February 26, 1987):
“I
have listened to a presentation by Anthony S. Marr. His synthesis of ideas from
a remarkable broad perspective of sciences truly deserves the name
OMNI-SCIENCE. His presentation was
precise and clear, and I believe he would be an effective speaker for groups at
varying levels of expertise… This is a person of great depth who speaks and
writes both with confidence and ease. I
am happy to recommend him as a speaker and a writer.”
Anthropology, Professor Tim White (February 26, 1987):
“…
I have not seen a draft of the book, but I can say that after spending a few hours with Mr. Marr, I am very much
looking forward to reading it… Mr. Marr is an exceedingly unique individual - I
have never crossed paths with such a person.
He is very serious, very dedicated, and very polished in his
presentation… The care with which he his proceeded is commendable… his
synthesis is formidable…”
Botany, Professor Herbert G. Baker (February 27, 1987):
“…
an extremely interesting experience… worthy of the attention of a wide variety
of persons. If he writes as clearly
and understandably as his oral communication, the book should be an important
contribution towards understanding cosmology.”
Paleontology, Professor Carole S. Hickman (March 3, 1987):
“…
deserves the attention of serious scholars… an extraordinary intellectual
undertaking… a unique framework… both intellectually and aesthetically
stimulating… a bold and eclectic piece of scholarship that is, above all,
refreshingly honest… His clarity of expression is exceptional. His logical consistency is a delight. The aesthetic quality of the model, in
particular his attention to symmetry, provides a dimension that is appealing
but sadly lacking in much of Western thought and tradition. The optimism, concern and compassion for
humanity that are expressed in the application of the model to human behavior
likewise commands attention…”
Zoology, Professor Richard C. Strohman (March 4, 1987):
“…
His views and thinking are quite original… a thoroughly logical system… might
indeed fill a large gap in the way we think about evolutionary connections
between ourselves and our world. I
sincerely encourage you to listen to Mr. Marr.
And I have one suggestion. His
presentation is quite detailed and covers very large areas. My thought is that he and his listeners
would all do much better in a small seminar setting so that there would be a
symmetry between his own very wide knowledge and the ability for him to obtain
meaningful feedback.”
Astronomy and Physics, Professor Marc Davis (March 5, 1987):
“…
As one who actually specialize in cosmology as a research endeavour, I was at
first very skeptical that Mr. Marr would be yet another crackpot of the type
that seems to congregate in this field.
However, after only a few minutes of listening to his explanation of his
viewpoint, my fears were allayed… His ultimate goal appears to be to provide a
forward looking moral framework for progress in human social evolution, one
that is consistent with empirical science and which is not based on historical
writings…and important contribution to society…”
Paleontology, Professor Donald E. Savage (March 7, 1987):
“Professors
and scientists at the universities of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and
California, to date, have each spent two hours or more listening to the
powerful presentation of Anthony Marr of his erudite synthesis of scientific,
philosophic and sociologic theory: OMNI-SCIENCE, A New Theory of
Cosmology. I can add nothing to the
praise that has been heaped upon Mr. Marr and his ideas by these men, and I
endorse their statements with reservation.
Now is the time for Mr. Marr’s ideas to be published, for the scientific
world and general public should become aware of his synthesis.”
Institute of
Human Origins, Berkeley
Dr. William
H. Kimbel, President (March 13, 1987):
“I
have recently had the great pleasure of listening to Anthony Marr describe the
results of his thinking on cosmology.
“Owing
to the large number of half-baked ‘pop’ theories on cosmology currently in
circulation, I admit that I faced the prospect of my meeting with Mr. Marr with
some trepidation.
“From
the outset, however, it was clear that Mr. Marr is no amateur populariser. On the contrary, he is a dedicated scholar
whose theories, I believe, make a profound contribution to the fundamental
definition of humankind in relation to the broader universe.
“Although
Mr. Marr has an uphill battle ahead of him, I firmly believe that his ideas
deserve very serious consideration by a wide audience. Not only do they unify the fragmented
Western scientific disciplines, but they have implications of great depth and
breadth for the future course of human actions. In the current atmosphere of censorship and anti-intellectualism,
Mr. Marr’s concept of OMNI-SCIENCE is too important to ignore.”
Philosophy, Professor John Bogart (March 5, 1987):
“I
spent 3.5 hours with Mr. Anthony Marr… held my attention for the entire period…
has plainly synthesized a great deal of information in a number of distinct disciplines…
organized it into an interesting and coherent whole… compelling… intended to
have moral import… can be cast into a form of interest to moral philosophy…
would be of interest to a wide audience…”
Anthropology, Professor John W. Rick (March 9, 1987):
“…
very thought provoking… an integrative scheme capable of making sense out of a
wide variety of natural science knowledge, which at the same time reaches out
to philosophy and epistemology… clearly deserves extensive discussion… a
serious, well-founded vision, not the product of trivial or eccentric
thought. My feeling is that he deserves
attention and his ideas should be published.
I would recommend that those who have the time listen and argue over his
presentation. One should not
underestimate the time this may take, however, since his model covers a broad
expanse of knowledge. I would think
that his presentation would be an ideal forum in an academic department where a
group of faculty and graduate students could take time to thoroughly examine
his proposition…”
Philosophy, Professor John Dupre (March 12, 1987):
“…
A few days ago, I had a lengthy discussion with Mr. Anthony Marr about his
philosophical ideas. I can certainly
confirm the impressions gained by the various other scholars who have written
on his behalf. Marr is a highly
intelligent, thoughtful man who has evidently acquired a thorough knowledge of
the impressively broad range of topics over which his ideas range. As we were talking, I asked him all the
difficult questions that occurred to me as he was outlining his ideas. He was always very quick to get the point,
and had intelligent and relevant responses.
I was very impressed with his various intellectual accomplishments.
“Though
his ideas are extremely intriguing and provocative, I must confess to having
considerable skepticism about his project which he did not altogether
dispel. However, I very much doubt
whether anyone could dispel this skepticism, and certainly not in two hours. I am not convinced, that is to say, that a
systematic view of the scope that Marr attempts is really an intelligible
project. However, there is no doubt
that such projects will be forthcoming, and such a system informed by Mr.
Marr’s deep and thorough understanding of the current state of scientific
theory will undoubtedly be incomparably more edifying than the vast majority of
such attempts, whether religiously based, or grounded on superficial
impressions of science. Indeed, I am
open to being convinced that such a project will address a pressing social
need: if people insist on adopting comprehensive cosmological systems, then I
would certainly encourage them to try his.
I certainly share his concern about the dangers of many contemporary
religious, especially fundamentalist, cosmologies.
“One
thing, then I would say without any qualification is that I would strongly
encourage any publisher to accept his book.
I have not read the manuscript, but assuming, as I have no reason to
doubt, that Marr is as articulate, clear and cogent on paper as he is in
person, his system would make fascinating reading, and would, I suspect,
attract a large audience…”
Physics, Professor Leonard Susskind (March 12, 1987):
“…
the cosmic significance of life and evolution.
Although this is not exactly my ‘meat’, I thoroughly enjoyed the two
hours… I found myself stimulated, educated… His ideas are worth listening to,
even for those of us who are not of the same philosophical bent…”
Applied Physics and Astrophysics, Professor Vahe Petrosian (March 13, 1987):
“…
elaborate… clearly well thought out and researched… I was fascinated by his
novel ideas in this very ambitious task… a beautiful synthesis… what I heard
was captivating and should be of interest not only to experts but to all
thinking people of the world… will find a wide and interested audience…”
Sociology, Professor Alex Inkeles (March 29, 1987):
“Recently
Mr. Anthony Marr persuaded me to give him an hour of my time, all I could spare
in that cycle of my calendar, and at that it had to be at the end of a busy
day. This obliged Mr. Marr, as he told
me, to adopt a different style of presentation than the one he usually used,
one much more compressed and involving a more top-down approach instead of his
usual inductive procedure. Despite
these handicaps, Mr. Marr managed to impress me not only with the quality of
his presentation, but also the quality of his thinking. The range of his knowledge is broad, and for
something so broad seems impressively authoritative. At the heart of his approach is a conception of all living and
indeed nonliving matter as organized in systems, and this gave him a
considerable edge with me since my own propensity is to think in system terms…
exceptionally comprehensive…”
Geology, Professor W.R. Evitt (April 20, 1987):
“On
March 9, 1987, Mr. Anthony S. Marr visited my laboratory and, during the course
of two and a half hours, explained his philosophical system which he calls
‘Omni-Science’. Prior to this meeting
he had provided me with copies of testimonial letters relative to his theory
which he had received previously.
Without restating here the recurring themes in those documents, suffice
it to say that I agree wholeheartedly with the opinions expressed therein about
his sincerity, imagination, intellectualism and scholarship.
“This
afternoon was for me a unique and stimulating experience. In a highly logical series of simple steps,
he developed a comprehensive concept of the interrelations and interdependence
of all things, ranging from the subatomic to the supercosmos… The failure of
the world’s religions and philosophies to fill the gaps in our knowledge is
made self-evident by the diversity of their competing and, in part, patently
incompatible tenets. What Mr. Marr offers
is immensely logical construct that should be accessible and acceptable to
persons with a wide range of cultural, social, scientific and philosophical
sophistication.
“His points are meticulously thought out,
with great care, to making his thesis externally consistent with the facts of
science as currently perceived, and internally consistent in the
interrelationships among its arguments.
In so far as I can judge, he has succeeded in both respects.
“I see Mr. Marr’s philosophy a majestic in
scope but intrinsically simple, satisfying and optimistic. His ideas should have a very broad appeal…
These are important ideas with great potential for lessening the conflicts in a
troubled world by demonstrating its pervasive unity.”