I deeply enjoyed this talk! I’m an academic microbiologist and I have never believed in a purely mechanistic view of life. Outside of my work in the lab (only working with cells, I don’t use animal models) I have long studied and contemplated why and how the mechanistic view came to dominate. It’s a view that serves greed, that allows rampant exploitation. Challenging it is essential to the wellbeing of all life.
The funny thing to me is, even studying the workings of life with the reductionist approach, in my case the symbiotic relationship between our bodies and bacteria, the interconnection and innate wisdom and soul of life remain apparent. I recognize that it’s not possible to fully understand, the limits of our in vitro models that isolate cells and microbes render them almost futile. But, I see as much beauty there as I do in a flower. If you go to pdb.org and look at the various protein structures we’ve solved they are just as harmonious in their symmetry as a rose. It’s another way to witness the wonder of life, it’s up to us how we relate to the knowledge generated in scientific inquiry.
I hope that our return to animism and recognizing the spirit and unified nature of life and the universe continues. That we find our way back to integrating our minds with our hearts that have always felt the truth of our unity. Your work, and in a very small way, my work, are part of this return.
I believe we're on the verge of a major paradigm shift due to your work in debunking scientism dogma in "The Science Delusion" as well as scientism's inability to adequately explain discoveries quantum mechanics that defy physics dogma (e.g., conservation of energy - can neither be created or destroyed, yet energetic particles observed popping in and out of existence; quantum entangled irrespective of time and space; the inability of neurology to prove consciousness as an emergent property of the brain while dismissively explaining awareness phenomena that occurs outside the brain, etc.), all of which requires another nonmaterial agent itself independent of time and space and senior to matter and energy. Several highly respected physicist have come to the realization that agent is consciousness itself. Those who see the uselessness and unworkability in purely reductionist mechanical speculations will soon follow. What awesome advancements will occur and how much more glorious a living universe will appear then is beyond imagination.
Can you please talk with Jordan B Peterson, I would much like to hear the two of you speak and I really think the world needs to understand these things.
Why in our Intellectual Soul are we comfortable with a sense of Mother Earth, but not Father Sun? And how are we supposed to identify the true nature of reality with the 'sounds & symbols' nature of language?
If experiential wisdom is the ability to define foolishness should we question the myth of rationality? By noticing how AI's training in language models mimics the training of our 'apparently' conscious mind?
Was R. D. Laing foolish when he commented: we are all in a post-hypnotic trance induced during early infancy? Was Jung being foolish when he wrote "you can teach a parrot to speak a few words quite clearly" in his book: Psychology & Alchemy? And is it the height of self-hypnotic stupidity to believe we know ourselves because we know the words of our Name?
Do we all prefer the blue-pill of rationality to the red-pill of Truth? And how much truth is there in Jung's "until you make the subconscious conscious it will direct your life and you will call it fate?"
Wonderful, I’m so glad I found you on here. Another issue that no doubt you’ll come to is that the machine people must ergo believe they were created by non machine creators. Every machine I own was designed and built and is maintained by me.
I see nature as being more than mechanical by showing behavior in attraction and defense that is adaptive. Examples are many. Both behavoirs show awareness and a notion of life, or contuation that is simply not repetitive, mechanical characteristics
Do most people believe that nature is mechanical? No, they believe that nature is natural. But if you want to talk about “nature”, you first have to define what you mean by the term nature. If nature is everything, it makes little sense to define everything with something specific (like a machine or a soul or a clock or whatever). When we leave our cities at the weekend (as described), we are not going into the wild, but into a “green” environment that is entirely shaped by humans (supposedly natural with a soul) and nowadays by machines (supposedly not natural without a soul). So if nature is (most likely) not mechanical, do you think our machines are also natural and have a soul?
That’s brilliant, and I agree, in a manner of speaking. I see it as phenomenological. Well, what does that mean? A phenomenology of form, process, production, exasperation, reclamation, and assimilation. Now… that sounds reductive but is it? No. That’s phenomenal. Because it’s not mechanical. It’s biological and… dare I say openly… divine.
But, that’s just it in a nutshell…. And what do I mean by that so there’s no confusion? Something like this.
Reality itself seen and lived, not as a dead system of cogs in a machine, but as a living experience and as a requiem state of becoming. Hmm… in a tapestry? Maybe? Of becoming, as well? Maybe… and maybe, that’s not entirely unlike how the Hopi have structured their language, by flow states. We have English though, and it's great for classifications and reductive perspectives. I mention this because, if we look at Sapir-Whorf theory, language structures and or impacts the very shape of our perspective and thought of awareness.
So, how might we feel things if we look at life the way the Hopi language communicates? In Hopi, instead of saying “the sun is shining”, it’s more like “the sun is in a state of becoming within I am, alive and well”That's something else entirely, and not a direct translation but close enough to make a point:
What kind of worldview experience might we get when we are more in tune with a language flow as instead of a reductive and classification model? Something else entirely. Maybe something quite phenomenal. Thank you, Dr Sheldrake, by the way. Great video and work, as usual.
Absolutely yesish but no but sounds ish reduction to 17C scientism whith appeal to cultural/industrial metaphorical imaginings from clock to computer + finale ultima dispensings via reduction ‘obviously not a clock’. Horse beforeth generic/conceptual cartwheel absurdish. Yantra rudhani mayaya - ‘machine controlled by magic’ - see Bhagavad Gita 18:61. ‘Paramatma’ - Isvara, Narayana - yes absolutely all pervasive, resident, controlling/dispensing/liberating according to action/’free’ will “…just as an object rotates on a machine” (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura). Spirited, vital, ensouled machine hence consciousnes, agency, intelligence, organic reproductive capacity - naturally. Fortunate as machine wears out, breaks down. Rusting, unreliable, oft diseased, occassionally sexy though fleeting thing.
I deeply enjoyed this talk! I’m an academic microbiologist and I have never believed in a purely mechanistic view of life. Outside of my work in the lab (only working with cells, I don’t use animal models) I have long studied and contemplated why and how the mechanistic view came to dominate. It’s a view that serves greed, that allows rampant exploitation. Challenging it is essential to the wellbeing of all life.
The funny thing to me is, even studying the workings of life with the reductionist approach, in my case the symbiotic relationship between our bodies and bacteria, the interconnection and innate wisdom and soul of life remain apparent. I recognize that it’s not possible to fully understand, the limits of our in vitro models that isolate cells and microbes render them almost futile. But, I see as much beauty there as I do in a flower. If you go to pdb.org and look at the various protein structures we’ve solved they are just as harmonious in their symmetry as a rose. It’s another way to witness the wonder of life, it’s up to us how we relate to the knowledge generated in scientific inquiry.
I hope that our return to animism and recognizing the spirit and unified nature of life and the universe continues. That we find our way back to integrating our minds with our hearts that have always felt the truth of our unity. Your work, and in a very small way, my work, are part of this return.
I believe we're on the verge of a major paradigm shift due to your work in debunking scientism dogma in "The Science Delusion" as well as scientism's inability to adequately explain discoveries quantum mechanics that defy physics dogma (e.g., conservation of energy - can neither be created or destroyed, yet energetic particles observed popping in and out of existence; quantum entangled irrespective of time and space; the inability of neurology to prove consciousness as an emergent property of the brain while dismissively explaining awareness phenomena that occurs outside the brain, etc.), all of which requires another nonmaterial agent itself independent of time and space and senior to matter and energy. Several highly respected physicist have come to the realization that agent is consciousness itself. Those who see the uselessness and unworkability in purely reductionist mechanical speculations will soon follow. What awesome advancements will occur and how much more glorious a living universe will appear then is beyond imagination.
Thank you so much Rupert! I love the way you transport all of this knowledge, wisdom and teachings and listening to your voice is really relaxing!
Thank you, Rupert. Wonderful.
Can you please talk with Jordan B Peterson, I would much like to hear the two of you speak and I really think the world needs to understand these things.
Why in our Intellectual Soul are we comfortable with a sense of Mother Earth, but not Father Sun? And how are we supposed to identify the true nature of reality with the 'sounds & symbols' nature of language?
If experiential wisdom is the ability to define foolishness should we question the myth of rationality? By noticing how AI's training in language models mimics the training of our 'apparently' conscious mind?
Was R. D. Laing foolish when he commented: we are all in a post-hypnotic trance induced during early infancy? Was Jung being foolish when he wrote "you can teach a parrot to speak a few words quite clearly" in his book: Psychology & Alchemy? And is it the height of self-hypnotic stupidity to believe we know ourselves because we know the words of our Name?
Do we all prefer the blue-pill of rationality to the red-pill of Truth? And how much truth is there in Jung's "until you make the subconscious conscious it will direct your life and you will call it fate?"
Just brilliant. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and wisdom 🙏🏻
Wonderful, I’m so glad I found you on here. Another issue that no doubt you’ll come to is that the machine people must ergo believe they were created by non machine creators. Every machine I own was designed and built and is maintained by me.
I see nature as being more than mechanical by showing behavior in attraction and defense that is adaptive. Examples are many. Both behavoirs show awareness and a notion of life, or contuation that is simply not repetitive, mechanical characteristics
Do most people believe that nature is mechanical? No, they believe that nature is natural. But if you want to talk about “nature”, you first have to define what you mean by the term nature. If nature is everything, it makes little sense to define everything with something specific (like a machine or a soul or a clock or whatever). When we leave our cities at the weekend (as described), we are not going into the wild, but into a “green” environment that is entirely shaped by humans (supposedly natural with a soul) and nowadays by machines (supposedly not natural without a soul). So if nature is (most likely) not mechanical, do you think our machines are also natural and have a soul?
Inspired me to to a PhD in Ecological Psychology - Gibson came close and extended it experimentally.
Btw I know you’re not a doctor but… PhD… and what’s a good doctor? A healer.
That’s brilliant, and I agree, in a manner of speaking. I see it as phenomenological. Well, what does that mean? A phenomenology of form, process, production, exasperation, reclamation, and assimilation. Now… that sounds reductive but is it? No. That’s phenomenal. Because it’s not mechanical. It’s biological and… dare I say openly… divine.
But, that’s just it in a nutshell…. And what do I mean by that so there’s no confusion? Something like this.
Reality itself seen and lived, not as a dead system of cogs in a machine, but as a living experience and as a requiem state of becoming. Hmm… in a tapestry? Maybe? Of becoming, as well? Maybe… and maybe, that’s not entirely unlike how the Hopi have structured their language, by flow states. We have English though, and it's great for classifications and reductive perspectives. I mention this because, if we look at Sapir-Whorf theory, language structures and or impacts the very shape of our perspective and thought of awareness.
So, how might we feel things if we look at life the way the Hopi language communicates? In Hopi, instead of saying “the sun is shining”, it’s more like “the sun is in a state of becoming within I am, alive and well”That's something else entirely, and not a direct translation but close enough to make a point:
What kind of worldview experience might we get when we are more in tune with a language flow as instead of a reductive and classification model? Something else entirely. Maybe something quite phenomenal. Thank you, Dr Sheldrake, by the way. Great video and work, as usual.
Absolutely yesish but no but sounds ish reduction to 17C scientism whith appeal to cultural/industrial metaphorical imaginings from clock to computer + finale ultima dispensings via reduction ‘obviously not a clock’. Horse beforeth generic/conceptual cartwheel absurdish. Yantra rudhani mayaya - ‘machine controlled by magic’ - see Bhagavad Gita 18:61. ‘Paramatma’ - Isvara, Narayana - yes absolutely all pervasive, resident, controlling/dispensing/liberating according to action/’free’ will “…just as an object rotates on a machine” (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura). Spirited, vital, ensouled machine hence consciousnes, agency, intelligence, organic reproductive capacity - naturally. Fortunate as machine wears out, breaks down. Rusting, unreliable, oft diseased, occassionally sexy though fleeting thing.
Brilliant as always Rupert!
Its mental. Reality is infinite Mind