Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind

First published in 1901, this work is an investigation of the development of man's mystic relation to the infinite. In reviewing the mental and spiritual activity of the human race, Dr Bucke postulates that at intervals, certain individuals have appeared who are gifted with the powers of transcendent realization, or illumination. He proposes that these experiences are on the increase and gives details of all the cases on record at the time of writing.

Bucke's account (1901) of his research and contemplation on the trend towards heightened intellectual awareness in man, through evolution, explaining his theory of the three stages of conscious development that culminate in flashes of understanding of the life and order of the cosmos, illustrated by his own and others' experiences.