Science, Sense and Soul


Book Description

In a world of political and social turmoil, can science tell us anything helpful? Can we make practical use of mysticism-the essence of religion-with its promise of a higher spiritual truth? Is it true that physics and biological science are incompatible with religion? Or can they be fruitfully reconciled? In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Casey Blood shows how quantum physics does indeed explain the true nature of the physical universe. He tells us how neuroscientists can provide an understanding of the way the brain makes sense of our inner and outer worlds. He also shows that neuroscience, in conjunction with a basic knowledge of mysticism, can clarify how and why meditation techniques and other mystical practices work. Most satisfying of all, he paints a world picture in which quantum physics is no only compatible with mysticism but also gives us a deeper understanding of spiritual matters. For Dr. Blood, three diverse disciplines-quantum physics, neuroscience, and mysticism-rather than being in conflict, give a unified picture of human existence. Together they show that the spiritual world has an immense effect on what happens here and now. And they suggest that spiritual practices can enable society to match human aspirations. Though the subjects are profound, Science, Sense & Soul is written in a clear, uncomplicated, readable style. The three sections on physics, neuroscience, and mysticism are mini-courses in the basics of those fields of inquiry. These three strands are then interwoven into an intricate design that illuminates the structure of and reason for human existence.




The Marriage of Sense and Soul


Book Description

There is arguably no more critical and pressing topic than the relation of science and religion in the modern world. Science has given us the methods for discovering truth, while religion remains the single greatest force for generating meaning. Yet the two are seen as mutually exclusive, with wrenching consequences for humanity. In The Marriage of Sense and Soul, one of today's most important philosophers brilliantly articulates how we might begin to think about science and religion in ways that allow for their reconciliation and union, on terms that will be acceptable to both camps. Ken Wilber is widely acclaimed as the foremost thinker in integrating Western psychology and the Eastern spiritual traditions. His many books have reached across disciplines and synthesized the teachings of religion, psychology, physics, mysticism, sociology, and anthropology, earning him a devoted international following. The Marriage of Sense and Soul is his most accessible work yet, aimed at guiding a general audience to the mutual accord between the spiritual, subjective world of ancient wisdom and the objective, empirical world of modern knowledge. Wilber clearly and succinctly explores the schism between science and religion, and the impact of this "philosophical Cold War" on the fate of humanity. He systematically reviews previous attempts at integration, explaining why romantic, idealistic, and postmodern theories failed. And he demonstrates how science is compatible with certain deep features common to all of the world's major religious traditions. In pointing the way to a union between truth and meaning, Ken Wilber has created an elegant and accessible book that is breathtaking in its scope.




Has Science Displaced the Soul?


Book Description

Religion tells us that God is love but neuroscience counters with love as a well-timed trickle of transmitters and hormones. With doctorates in both mathematics and theology, Kevin Sharpe explores these notions and asks the question Has Science Displaced the Soul?




The Varieties of Scientific Experience


Book Description

“Ann Druyan has unearthed a treasure. It is a treasure of reason, compassion, and scientific awe. It should be the next book you read.” —Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith “A stunningly valuable legacy left to all of us by a great human being. I miss him so.” —Kurt Vonnegut Carl Sagan's prophetic vision of the tragic resurgence of fundamentalism and the hope-filled potential of the next great development in human spirituality The late great astronomer and astrophysicist describes his personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos. Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, Sagan presents his views on a wide range of topics, including the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets, creationism and so-called intelligent design, and a new concept of science as "informed worship." Originally presented at the centennial celebration of the famous Gifford Lectures in Scotland in 1985 but never published, this book offers a unique encounter with one of the most remarkable minds of the twentieth century.




Science in the Soul


Book Description

A "defense of science and clear thinking [in a] career-spanning collection of essays, including twenty pieces published in the United States for the first time"--Amazon.com.




Science, Soul, and the Spirit of Nature


Book Description

Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld interviews 12 respected visionary thinkers about their deep connection with the earth and their views on the relationship between humanity and nature. Each contributor adds insights into the urgent change in consciousness that we must adopt in order to heal and restore our holistic relationship with the earth.




Can Science Make Sense of Life?


Book Description

Since the discovery of the structure of DNA and the birth of the genetic age, a powerful vocabulary has emerged to express science’s growing command over the matter of life. Armed with knowledge of the code that governs all living things, biology and biotechnology are poised to edit, even rewrite, the texts of life to correct nature’s mistakes. Yet, how far should the capacity to manipulate what life is at the molecular level authorize science to define what life is for? This book looks at flash points in law, politics, ethics, and culture to argue that science’s promises of perfectibility have gone too far. Science may have editorial control over the material elements of life, but it does not supersede the languages of sense-making that have helped define human values across millennia: the meanings of autonomy, integrity, and privacy; the bonds of kinship, family, and society; and the place of humans in nature.




The Soul Fallacy


Book Description

Most Americans believe they possess an immaterial soul that will survive the death of the body. In sharp contrast, the current scientific consensus rejects the traditional soul, although this conclusion is rarely discussed publicly. In this book, a cognitive scientist breaks the taboo and explains why modern science leads to this controversial conclusion. In doing so, the book reveals the truly astonishing scope and power of scientific inquiry, drawing on ideas from biology, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and the physical sciences. Much more than chronicling the demise of the traditional soul, the book explores where soul beliefs come from, why they are so widespread culturally and historically, how cognitive science offers a naturalistic alternative to religious conceptions of mind, and how postulating the existence of a soul amounts to making a scientific claim. Although the new scientific view of personhood departs radically from traditional religious conceptions, the author shows that a coherent, meaningful, and sensitive appreciation of what it means to be human remains intact. He argues that we do not lose anything by letting go of our soul beliefs and that we even have something to gain. Throughout, the book takes a passionate stand for science and reason. It also offers a timely rejoinder to recent claims that science supports the existence of the soul and the afterlife.




Astonishing Hypothesis


Book Description

Readers will come to appreciate the strength and dignity of Berneta Ringer, a true Western heroine as Doig celebrates his mother's life after finding a cache of her letters, photographs, and childhood writings. It begins with her first winter living in a tent in Montana's Crazy Mountains to the ravages of the Depression on a ranch on Falkner Creek.




Making Sense of Science


Book Description

This volume demystifies science studies and bridges the divide between social theory and the sociology of science.