Unknown Man

Decrying ``the whole New Age lexicon of pseudo-science and pseudo-mysticism,'' this weightless, witless and copiously illustrated tome nevertheless appropriates New Age themes as it proposes that man is on the verge of attaining an ineffable cosmic consciousness. Playing upon the fears of apocalypse that historically accompany the closing of a century (and especially one that ends a millennium), the author glibly enumerates both material threats to survival and mystical prophecies of doom to prove that we are at a unique point in our evolution as a species and in our role on this planet. Given our astonishing information-processing technologies, for example, ``in biological terms it is not unreasonable to conclude that human beings might well be the Earth's way of gaining global consciousness.'' Disdaining scientists, whom he describes as ``blindfolded,'' Yatri extols and paraphrases Eastern spiritual leaders. He also suggests that the key to our evolution may be the activation of currently unfathomable brain capacities and ``dormant'' glands like the thymus. The author wisely seeks refuge in a pseudonym (``Yatri'' is Hindi for ``traveler''). 35,000 first printing in paper. (Nov.)