Can a 14-year-old boy contemplate such deep topics as the meaning of life, criteria for morality or the chicken-or-the-egg debate?
Absolutely, said Jack Bowen, author of “Dream Weaver: One Boy’s Journey Through the Landscape of Reality,” who spoke about his debut novel to a group of six at the California Historical Center Thursday afternoon.
The book, released in March 2006 and already a top 500 book on Amazon.com, delineates the strange experiences of Ian Pinkle, who creates a “dream world” where rocks talk and friends carry special binoculars that see the thoughts of people and animals.
Through Ian’s adventures and dilemmas, readers are meant to develop their own answers about philosophical questions relevant in today’s world, Bowen said.
The De Anza philosophy teacher explained that children are the best philosophers because they are wide eyed, curious and constantly asking questions of adults.
The sense of awe is beaten out of us as we grow older, he added,with standardized tests and grades replacing queries and curiosity.
“I always tell my students that the only dumb question is one that can be answered on the green sheet,” he said.
Yet growing up in San Diego, Bowen didn’t have too many questions. Raised in what he characterized as a very closed-minded community, everyone was Republican and everything was black and white, he said.
Bowen took a liking to philosophy after taking an ethics in science course at Stanford, and was overwhelmed.
After that, he says, the questions started pouring in.
He wondered: What else is there besides science? What else can guide us? Should there be another path to knowledge?
Bowen graduated with a degree in Biology, but has since earned a Master’s in Philosophy.
Bowen is also an accomplished athlete, and was an alternategoalie for the 1996 men’s water polo team and a member of the 2000 men’s training team, according to www.dreamweaverphilosophy.com.
He is also a drummer and has recorded over ten albums. His most recent album was recorded with the Bay Area’s Amboy Kelso.
Bowen is currently working on an anthology of articles to accompany the book.
The event took place at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
