Tag: self knowledge

Entangled Lives: Merlin Sheldrake

Entangled Lives: Fungal Networks, Ecology, and Us.

A fascinating conversation with the biologist and writer Merlin Sheldrake about the hidden universe of fungi. When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms, but mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems.

Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave. Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life’s processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster.

By examining fungi on their own terms, Merlin reveals how these extraordinary organisms—and our relationships with them—are changing our understanding of how life works.

Perfect Brilliant Stillness by David Carse (audiobook)

 

In what the author calls ‘the fine print’ at the start of the book, David Carse wrote: ‘There are many books out there that will help you to live a better life, become a better person, and evolve and grow to realise your potential as a spiritual being. This is not one of them…almost every popular spiritual teacher in America and Europe is teaching that ultimate spiritual enlightenment…can now be yours; and that reading their book or attending their seminar will help you toward that end. This book will tell you that these ideas are absurd, because it’s quite obvious that neither you nor anything else has ever existed….’ He then concludes, ‘That said, enjoy’. We think you probably will.

Animal emotions and empathy with Frans de Waal

Do animals show empathy? Are there any signs of morality in animal societies? Can a monkey distinguish right from wrong? And what are the standards of what is right and what is not? Does morality evolve in time both for human societies and animal societies?

It is hard to imagine that empathy—a characteristic so basic to the human species that it emerges early in life, and is accompanied by strong physiological reactions—came into existence only when our lineage split off from that of the apes. It must be far older than that. Examples of empathy in other animals would suggest a long evolutionary history to this capacity in humans. Over the last several decades, we’ve seen increasing evidence of empathy in other species. Emotions suffuse much of the language employed by students of animal behavior — from “social bonding” to “alarm calls” — yet are often avoided as explicit topic in scientific discourse. Given the increasing interest of human psychology in the emotions, and the neuroscience on animal emotions such as fear and attachment, the taboo that has hampered animal research in this area is outdated. The main point is to separate emotions from feelings, which are subjective experiences that accompany the emotions. Whereas science has no access to animal feelings, animal emotions are as observable and measurable as human emotions. They are mental and bodily states that potentiate behavior appropriate to both social and nonsocial situations. The expression of emotions in face and body language is well known, the study of which began with Darwin. Frans de Waal will discuss early ideas about animal emotions and draw upon research on empathy and the perception of emotions in primates to make the point that the study of animal emotions is a necessary complement to the study of behavior. Emotions are best viewed as the organizers of adaptive responses to environmental stimuli. If you like this kind of stuff you should read: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Is Humanity at a Turning Point? Fritjof Capra on Patterns of Connection

Michael Shermer speaks with scientist, educator, activist, and accomplished author, Fritjof Capra, about the evolution of his thinking over five decades. In this conversation, based on Capra’s book, Patterns of Connection, Shermer and Capra discuss: what it means to be spiritual in an age of science, nuclear energy and why Capra thinks we don’t need it and Shermer thinks we do, 50 years of progress or regress, limitations of models and theories of reality, limitations of analogies between western physics and eastern mysticism, mind and consciousness, and why Capra is hopeful for the future of humanity.

Riane Eisler speaks at Collective Trauma Summit 2021

Dr. Riane Eisler was a part of the Collective Trauma Summit 2021, an online event to explore how to work with individual, ancestral, and collective trauma. Eisler was a featured speaker and delivered a talk about shifting from the “trauma factories” of Domination Systems to Partnership Systems.