Kenneth Walker (author) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenneth Walker
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| Born | 6 June 1882 Hampstead, London
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| Died | 22 January 1966 |
| Nationality | British |
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| Medical career | |
| Field | Urology |
| Institutions | St. Bartholomew's Hospital |
Kenneth Macfarlane Walker (born June 6, 1882 – died January 22, 1966) was a British writer, thinker, and a special kind of doctor called a urological surgeon. He wrote many books and was interested in how science and ideas connect.
About Kenneth Walker
Kenneth Walker was born in Hampstead, a part of London, England. He went to school at The Leys School and then studied at Caius College at Cambridge University. He also studied at the Royal College of Surgeons.
During World War I, from 1915 to 1919, he served as a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps. This group provides medical care for the army. In 1908, he earned a special medical degree called F.R.C.S. This stands for Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. In 1910, he won the Jacksonian Prize for an essay he wrote about a health problem called tuberculosis of the bladder.
He worked as a surgeon at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and was later an emeritus surgeon at the Royal Northern Hospital. An emeritus surgeon is someone who has retired but keeps their title because of their important work.
His Books and Ideas
Kenneth Walker wrote many books on different topics. In 1923, he wrote The Log of the Ark with Geoffrey Boumphrey.
He also wrote Meaning and Purpose in 1944. This book looked at big scientific ideas from the past 100 years. It explored how these ideas affected religious beliefs. Walker questioned if Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and evolution told the whole story. He also thought about how new scientific discoveries changed what people believed. In his 1961 book, Life's Long Journey, he again challenged ideas that saw the universe as just a machine.
Walker was very interested in the teachings of George Gurdjieff. He studied with Gurdjieff's student, P. D. Ouspensky. After Ouspensky passed away in 1947, Walker visited Gurdjieff in Paris. He wrote thoughtful articles for Picture Post, a very popular magazine. A friend even called him 'The Sage of Picture Post' because of his wisdom. He also led study groups about Gurdjieff's ideas in London. Some of his books on this topic include A Study of Gurdjieff's Teaching and Venture with Ideas. People liked his writing because it was clear and easy to understand.
Interest in the Mind
Kenneth Walker was also curious about parapsychology. This field studies things like mind reading or other abilities that seem beyond normal science. In his book The Extra-Sensory Mind, he supported some ideas about radionics. Radionics is a method that claims to diagnose and treat diseases using special devices.
