Bringing years of scholarship to his thoughtful argument, Michael Nagler contends that many of the social, cultural, and even economic problems now faced by American society today are direct results of an overemphasis on material consumption, which in turn reflects spiritual poverty. These ills, he posits, spring from a false way of looking at the world ? namely, from considering material things to be fundamental, and consciousness merely derivative. He advocates a return to the ancient Eastern spiritual view that consciousness is fundamental ? that it is the basic stuff of the universe, and matter and energy merely ephemeral forms or appearances. In developing this conception and applying it to the nation's social problems, Nagler explains how readers can best oppose war, consumerism, commercialism, and scientism, and heal the spiritual deficit many feel today.