Summary of the Faith and Science 21st Century mini meet up – 18 June 2009
Jay Lakhani opened the meeting eventually outlining his view on why Science and Religion were not two mutually exclusive spheres of human endeavour. He cited the influence of Wittgenstein, whose insistence that different models of belief could exist separately within their own universes, if they were internally self consistent with their own truths, as a key to why there has been some little integration between these two disciplines.
The resultant lack of reconciliation between Science and Religion has done untold damage both enterprises. Jay is extremely passionate about the benefits and achievements of Science which is the most enduring and widespread of all human systems. Science evolves by making hypotheses testing out theories and changing to encompass new discoveries. Scientific thought though is flawed with it’s fixation on matter. Religion though in comparison is stuck in a rut.
To understand the historical interpretation of religious experience Jay explained that the revelation of spirit or the absolute is always unchanging and transcendent in its nature yet has to be interpreted by the human experience through whatever the cultural filters and knowledge of the time. This explains the ancient tendency to create a personified aggrandised externalised God with superhuman attributes.
Today Science is struggling with the limitations of its own methodology; conceptually it is not generating notions with sufficient explanatory power to describe the phenomena that it is witnessing. As a quantum physicist Jay has been privileged to be taught by Roger Penrose and is very well acquainted with the key discoveries at the quantum level that challenge the underpinnings of scientific methodology.
Even Einstein as a physicist who was deeply committed to a rational material explanation of phenomena got himself into difficulties refuting the claims of Bohr Schrödinger and Heisenberg. Taking the group into the detail of quantum discoveries Jay demonstrated the limits of the materialist model to explain quantum entanglement and the uncertainty principle for example.
Jay drew the group’s attention to the fact that when you peered beyond the current limited scientific explanations all matter seems to be an appearance and also everything is inextricably interconnected. The deep introspection and contemplation of the mystics describe the essence of everything as non material consciousness.
Jays passionate evocation of the non material essence of reality, created a very receptive atmosphere for his claim that a new spiritual humanism was required, to embody the both the discoveries of Science and Religion.
Friday 26 June 2009
Sunday 21 June 2009
Dr. Rupert Sheldrake: The Extended Mind, Morphic Resonance and Spiritual Experience
Notes based on a joint conference held by the Alister Hardy Trust and the London Science and Medical Network group at Kensington Unitarian Church 6th June 2009.
Rupert gave a perfectly organised and cohesive talk on this topic straying into areas that he does not frequently cover in public forums. Interestingly he talked about the use of psychedelics to catalyse religious experiences throughout the history of spirituality and also divulged the positive lasting impact of his own personal experimentation with these drugs. He included this comment within a comprehensive categorisation of the types of activity that induce or generate religious experiences.
He followed this by describing three theories of mind; the materialist view which he claims has failed to prove its case, those metaphysical theories that are in essence platonic because they claim that there are laws outside of nature that govern the mind. Finally he explained his own theories and evidence for what he terms the extended mind.
He then talked about his appreciation of religious place, ceremony and ritual observance, commenting on how acts of ceremony and liturgy repeated consistently over time provide us with a direct ancestral connection. Those identical acts performed by our forbearers have set up a sympathetic field of Morphic resonance that is so embedded in sacred spaces that they can induce spiritual experiences in people simply by entering them.Rupert also extrapolated on his recent musings on the nature of consciousness and the past as well as the realm of possibility.
In the plenary session he depicted his own views of the 'credit crunch of materialist science'. He states that conventional science has constantly offered promissory notes on it’s conviction that a complete explanation of various phenomena in scientific terms is not far off. He stated it was time to insist on an end to these promised explanations. Especially because these scientists have cornered all the available funding using just one modality of scientific research.
He proposed a Littlewoods football pools betting exchange, whereby scientists had to declare specific dates and then bet their personal finances on these predictions! Furthermore he proposed an ‘ecumenogenesis’ of western life sciences in order to properly pool information to create a more convincing explanation of the unexplained and conveniently ignored gaps in the current scientific model .
In the break I commented to Rupert that his musings on consciousness the past and possibilities had move forward since the time he had spoken on the topic, he replied by stating that it was constantly on his mind as he tried to come up with a coherent explanation for the relationship between past present and future.
Rupert gave a perfectly organised and cohesive talk on this topic straying into areas that he does not frequently cover in public forums. Interestingly he talked about the use of psychedelics to catalyse religious experiences throughout the history of spirituality and also divulged the positive lasting impact of his own personal experimentation with these drugs. He included this comment within a comprehensive categorisation of the types of activity that induce or generate religious experiences.
He followed this by describing three theories of mind; the materialist view which he claims has failed to prove its case, those metaphysical theories that are in essence platonic because they claim that there are laws outside of nature that govern the mind. Finally he explained his own theories and evidence for what he terms the extended mind.
He then talked about his appreciation of religious place, ceremony and ritual observance, commenting on how acts of ceremony and liturgy repeated consistently over time provide us with a direct ancestral connection. Those identical acts performed by our forbearers have set up a sympathetic field of Morphic resonance that is so embedded in sacred spaces that they can induce spiritual experiences in people simply by entering them.Rupert also extrapolated on his recent musings on the nature of consciousness and the past as well as the realm of possibility.
In the plenary session he depicted his own views of the 'credit crunch of materialist science'. He states that conventional science has constantly offered promissory notes on it’s conviction that a complete explanation of various phenomena in scientific terms is not far off. He stated it was time to insist on an end to these promised explanations. Especially because these scientists have cornered all the available funding using just one modality of scientific research.
He proposed a Littlewoods football pools betting exchange, whereby scientists had to declare specific dates and then bet their personal finances on these predictions! Furthermore he proposed an ‘ecumenogenesis’ of western life sciences in order to properly pool information to create a more convincing explanation of the unexplained and conveniently ignored gaps in the current scientific model .
In the break I commented to Rupert that his musings on consciousness the past and possibilities had move forward since the time he had spoken on the topic, he replied by stating that it was constantly on his mind as he tried to come up with a coherent explanation for the relationship between past present and future.
Monday 8 June 2009
Integral Parenting
My close friend Patrick Bryson recently gave a pioneering presentation at the June salon of the London Integral Circle on the topic of Integral Parenting. What follows is the post I put together on the groups Yahoo forum summarsing the flow of his talk;
An engaging evening devoted to Integral Parenting was enjoyed by the group in Hampstead last Wednesday evening
Patrick Bryson took us on a brief but intriguing journey into what integral parenting might look like. Not claiming to be an expert in integral theory, Patrick presented several examples of integral interventions he made whilst raising his fourteen-year-old daughter. These actions revealed the potential of adopting a conscious and integral approach to parenting, which he believed was allowing his daughter to find and experience an authentic identity, independent of the hypnotic pull of her peers and the prevailing materialistic culture. In relating to the topic of ‘Why parenting is already an integral issue’, Patrick put forward to the group that parenting was already an integral issue because the level of the parent’s consciousness was automatically the level of consciousness adopted by the child.
Patrick was insistent that the key factor in promoting his daughter’s welfare was his work with other students of Andrew Cohen on developing a new reference point for the self within the intersubjective, as guided and informed by his teacher Cohen. This equipped him to step back from some of his conditioned parenting impulses and be sensitive to critical moments in his daughter’s development. The focus of Cohen and Wilber and that of Spiral Dynamics on the stages of individual and cultural growth had been extremely useful in understanding and responding to his daughter’s experience.
One particularly mind-blowing event occurred when his daughter was around the age of seven and began asking profound and meaningful questions about life. They had been walking through some beautiful parkland when they spotted a deer. His daughter asked the question ‘Where did the first deer come from?’ and Patrick was able to answer her by explaining the deep time cosmological development of human consciousness in terms she understood. Furthermore, he witnessed her awaken to her own experience of the evolution of the universe within her own consciousness as they spoke! The consequences of this event are still unfolding today as she moves toward adulthood. These naturally occurring deep questions are frequently dismissed or ignored by parents, and the opportunity to develop depth is almost always wasted.
His daughter also went through a period of time during which she had become highly insecure because of intense competition among her peers. It was ‘a battlefield of best friends’. The dynamics of this competition caused her much torment. During this time both her parents did not get too drawn into the day-to-day drama of her suffering but held a larger integral context for her. Slowly, she was able to disentangle herself from these dynamics and discover within herself, a distaste for the unhealthy competition. In doing so, she had made her suffering an object and became disidentified from the causes of her suffering. This was the process, Patrick noted, through which consciousness always evolves. His daughter has now developed a level of autonomy within the peer group and is able to stand her own ground. She can question and challenge behaviours which make her unhappy. In the last few months she is starting to relate to her potential, thinking of the future, making her own plans, and shining in her studies.
Patrick also touched on the simple guidance offered to him by Andrew Cohen related to raising children by teaching them respect and demonstrating that life is positive. On the subject of respect, Patrick also spoke about the postmodern parenting context in which parents are reluctant to exercise their authority with children and, rather, seek friendship and equality with their offspring. The necessity to provide structure and guidance is frequently neglected and leads to scenes of the child-parent insanity we frequently witness in our streets and shops.
A lively back-and-forth discussion ensued. Challenges and responses to the issues raised by integral parenting were explored by the group. It was clear that such an implicating issue provoked deeper and wider engagement in the group than is usually the case!!
An engaging evening devoted to Integral Parenting was enjoyed by the group in Hampstead last Wednesday evening
Patrick Bryson took us on a brief but intriguing journey into what integral parenting might look like. Not claiming to be an expert in integral theory, Patrick presented several examples of integral interventions he made whilst raising his fourteen-year-old daughter. These actions revealed the potential of adopting a conscious and integral approach to parenting, which he believed was allowing his daughter to find and experience an authentic identity, independent of the hypnotic pull of her peers and the prevailing materialistic culture. In relating to the topic of ‘Why parenting is already an integral issue’, Patrick put forward to the group that parenting was already an integral issue because the level of the parent’s consciousness was automatically the level of consciousness adopted by the child.
Patrick was insistent that the key factor in promoting his daughter’s welfare was his work with other students of Andrew Cohen on developing a new reference point for the self within the intersubjective, as guided and informed by his teacher Cohen. This equipped him to step back from some of his conditioned parenting impulses and be sensitive to critical moments in his daughter’s development. The focus of Cohen and Wilber and that of Spiral Dynamics on the stages of individual and cultural growth had been extremely useful in understanding and responding to his daughter’s experience.
One particularly mind-blowing event occurred when his daughter was around the age of seven and began asking profound and meaningful questions about life. They had been walking through some beautiful parkland when they spotted a deer. His daughter asked the question ‘Where did the first deer come from?’ and Patrick was able to answer her by explaining the deep time cosmological development of human consciousness in terms she understood. Furthermore, he witnessed her awaken to her own experience of the evolution of the universe within her own consciousness as they spoke! The consequences of this event are still unfolding today as she moves toward adulthood. These naturally occurring deep questions are frequently dismissed or ignored by parents, and the opportunity to develop depth is almost always wasted.
His daughter also went through a period of time during which she had become highly insecure because of intense competition among her peers. It was ‘a battlefield of best friends’. The dynamics of this competition caused her much torment. During this time both her parents did not get too drawn into the day-to-day drama of her suffering but held a larger integral context for her. Slowly, she was able to disentangle herself from these dynamics and discover within herself, a distaste for the unhealthy competition. In doing so, she had made her suffering an object and became disidentified from the causes of her suffering. This was the process, Patrick noted, through which consciousness always evolves. His daughter has now developed a level of autonomy within the peer group and is able to stand her own ground. She can question and challenge behaviours which make her unhappy. In the last few months she is starting to relate to her potential, thinking of the future, making her own plans, and shining in her studies.
Patrick also touched on the simple guidance offered to him by Andrew Cohen related to raising children by teaching them respect and demonstrating that life is positive. On the subject of respect, Patrick also spoke about the postmodern parenting context in which parents are reluctant to exercise their authority with children and, rather, seek friendship and equality with their offspring. The necessity to provide structure and guidance is frequently neglected and leads to scenes of the child-parent insanity we frequently witness in our streets and shops.
A lively back-and-forth discussion ensued. Challenges and responses to the issues raised by integral parenting were explored by the group. It was clear that such an implicating issue provoked deeper and wider engagement in the group than is usually the case!!
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