The Reality Club

According to founder Brockman, the exclusive Reality Club, based in Manhattan and comprising philosophers, neurophysiologists, social critics, particle physicists, anthropologists and psychologists, charges its speakers ``to represent an idea of reality by describing their creative work, their lives, and the questions they are asking themselves.'' Fortuitously, this stimulating collection of essays, offshoots of lectures by 14 Reality Club members, is, for all its sophistication and erudition, remarkably accessible. Nearly half of the selections explore speculative theories about the mind in its various aspects, such as the creative process, the sequential nature of thought and the origin of the brain. Other pieces cover future technologies, the measurement of love, teaching children to read critically, and a defense of elitism cum an attack on affirmative action. This volume offers many innovative insights, but perhaps is most valuable as a celebration of the process of thinking and questioning. (Nov.)