Bestselling author Steve Richheimer chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his book “The Fallacy of Materialism: How Consciousness Creates the Material Universe and Why it Matters.”
Richheimer obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Lehigh University in 1968, and an M.S. degree in 1971, and his Ph.D. degree in bioorganic chemistry from Stanford University in 1974. His Ph.D. advisor at Stanford was the illustrious, two-time Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling.
After completing his Ph.D., Richheimer taught chemistry at several colleges in California, Missouri, and Colorado, after which in 1980, he took a job as Director of Quality and R&D at a small pharmaceutical company in Denver, CO.
In 1990, Richheimer joined Hauser, Inc. in Boulder, CO as a research and development senior staff chemist. There he specialized in the isolation and purification of valuable drugs and nutraceuticals from natural sources, project management, analytical methods development, and scale-up/ process development. During his 38-year career in pharmaceutical and natural products chemistry, Steven authored numerous scientific papers and patents.
Steven began practicing yoga in the summer of 1968 after his graduation from Lehigh University. He was formally initiated into the practice of Tantric meditation by an acharya of Ananda Marga (Path of Bliss) in 1970, and soon afterward traveled to Ranchi, India to have personal contact with his guru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. Known affectionately as Baba, Anandamurti taught that consciousness is primary and that mind and matter evolve from consciousness.
Since consciousness creates reality, in essence, everything is simply a manifestation of the One. Being a scientist by training, Steven quickly realized that the spiritual ideology of Anandamurti was both rational and completely consistent with scientific principles. He developed an interest in how evidence from the physical and behavioral sciences confirmed the spiritual worldview.
In 2008, Richheimer and his wife, Jeanne, moved to the retirement home they built in Steamboat Springs, CO. There Steven continues to enjoy the activities he loves such as golf, skiing, fly-fishing, biking, hiking, and flying sailplanes.
Richheimer has written four books in the arena of science and spirituality. These include The Unity Principle: The Link between Science and Spirituality, The Nonlocal Universe: Why Science Validates the Spiritual Worldview, Reincarnation: Science of the Afterlife, and The Fallacy of Materialism: How Science is Discovering the Role Cosmic Mind Plays in the Unfolding of Reality (in publication). In addition, he wrote a chapter in the book: Economic Renaissance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence entitled “The New Age of Science and Spirituality,” where he argued that science confirms that reality emerges from a subtle domain of wholeness.
Synopsis of the book
For people today, materialism is the most common lens through which they view reality. This is despite the fact that there is overwhelming scientific evidence that disproves this morbid worldview. The evidence includes the important part that consciousness plays in how we perceive and experience reality; the “observation problem” and nonlocality of the quantum realm; the connection between space and time in Einstein’s theory of relativity; and the fact that paranormal phenomena such as ESP, mystical experiences, near-death experiences, and reincarnation memories are fundamental aspects of human experience.
In this book, Dr. Richheimer presents an alternate vision of reality that he calls the spiritual worldview. This model of reality portrays creation as cyclical in nature—beginning and ending with cosmic consciousness. It offers a logical, scientifically sound explanation for phenomena that materialism fails to explain or attempts to deny. In addition, the author explores why scientists find it difficult to reject materialism, and how the adoption of the materialist worldview by most scientists and intellectuals is a root cause of many of society’s problems.
All books, regardless of genre, have a story about its creation, so what’s the story behind ‘The Fallacy of Materialism: How Consciousness Creates the Material Universe and why it Matters’?
After reading Paul Levy’s book The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality, I decided that there was a need to address the issue of how the materialist worldview had apparently “taken over” as the way most people today measure reality.
I had addressed some of the issues of how science has revealed numerous inconsistencies with this worldview in my earlier book entitled The Nonlocal Universe: How Science Validates the Spiritual Worldview, but this book was intended for an audience that already had an interest in spirituality.
I felt there was a need to write a book that catered more to an audience that assumed that science had firmly established the veracity of the materialist worldview, and show beyond any reasonable doubt that this was not only untrue but also a destructive ideology for human society.
This book is certainly a thought-provoking read. Can you tell us more about what the concept of a “spiritual worldview” is all about?
I use the term “spiritual worldview” to describe the theory of reality (ontology) that postulates that consciousness is the “ground substance” of creation—not matter. Some of the other terms used for this worldview are idealism, holism, non-duality of consciousness (Advaita), consciousness as primary, fundamental oneness, and panentheism.
This ontology differs from materialism in that it describes causality as “top down”—saying that consciousness is transformed into the material world. From a blank-slate perspective whether consciousness is created from matter or whether matter is created from consciousness are equally plausible. However, in order to decide which vision of reality may be correct, I take the reader on a journey through the scientific evidence that shows that spirituality is
consistent with both science and the fundamental aspects of human experience while materialism comes up well short in this regard.
When people are finished with ‘The Fallacy of Materialism: How Consciousness Creates the Material Universe and why it Matters’ what do you hope they take away with them in terms of their own personal worldview and development?
It is my hope that readers take away from the book the idea that as human beings we are more than simply a “bag of particles” that is assembled in such a way that we have awareness and life for a brief moment of cosmological time only for our existence to end forever when we die. In other words, there is a meaning and purpose for life; and that our consciousness does not end with the demise of our current body, but will continue until we attain union with cosmic consciousness.
When people realize that there is more to life than the ceaseless quest for pleasurable experiences and achievements, then they have taken the first steps on the path to spiritual union; and we call such persons “seekers.” Such a transformation brings greater mental and physical health to the individual and to society as a whole.
While writing this rather epic read did you learn anything new about yourself?
I learned how important it is to study the ideas of the proponents of the alternate worldview of materialism in order to better explain their ideas and thinking and to better point out anomalies in this morbid worldview.
What are you doing when you are looking to relax your body and mind?
I have practiced meditation for over 50 years. The purpose of meditation is to free the mind from the incessant “chatter” of the brain and experience the oneness of pure consciousness. This reduces anxiety and tension, and promotes a relaxed state of mind and body. There are many other benefits of regular meditation that I describe in chapter 24 of the book.
After finishing this book I am sure fans will be looking for more. Do you have another book in the works you can tell us about?
I have no current plans for a 5th book but will continue to add more blogs about science and spirituality to my website, by clicking here. In addition, I have plans to write articles for some magazines including the first edition of the Cosmic Society Journal due for publication in January of 2022.
“The Fallacy of Materialism: How Consciousness Creates the Material Universe and Why it Matters” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
