| Abstract - Thomas Maxwell - Saturday October 12th |
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Saturday October 12th - 1pm The
Sapiential Origin of Integral Knowledge The base data of biology can be interpreted at multiple levels of significance. All levels of significance are equally logical, factual, and objective- there is no way to prove the existence of higher levels from lower levels. However, confining truth to "the minimum of knowledge" -to the lowest levels of significance- yields an impoverished view of reality. Amazing discoveries in the realm of quantum physics have led many scientists to conclude that traditional science is studying only "waves on the ocean of reality", and that consciousness may be a more fundamental attribute of this reality then space-time or matter. Introspective examination of human consciousness reveals a spectrum of subtle levels ranging from the most gross/ordinary to the most subtle/contemplative, which are delineated rather precisely on the basis of actual experience. The subtle levels of consciousness, occasionally experienced spontaneously and developed through a sustained and dedicated meditation practice, reveal levels of significance that are hidden from ordinary scientific interpretation. Subtle sapiential experience, which Einstein calls the "sower of all true art and science", reveals a numenous presence in which we "live and move and have our being"- described by Heisenberg and Plotinus as the "translucent splendor of the eternal One shining through the material phenomena". Extending the empirical
method to include the full spectrum of consciousness allows for consensual
validation of truth claims based on sapiential knowledge. On this basis
we envision a nested holarchy of "integral sciences" ranging
from the most rigorous and reductionist at the lowest level of significance
(traditional natural science) to the most unitive at the highest level
of significance. This approach answers Wolfgang Pauli's call for a "synthesis
embracing both rational understanding and the mystical experience of
unity" while providing a remedy for the spiritual impoverishment
of scientific materialism. Register
for the online e-symposium
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