We need to build ‘bridges’! Carter Phipps, author of Evolutionaries - Unlocking the Spiritual and Cultural Potential of Science’s Greatest Idea, lays out a full description of what bridge building really entails. He considers not only Teilhard de Chardin an Evolutionary pioneer who discovered the holistic patterns in nature, culture cosmos and consciousness, but also many others – scientists, philosophers, theologians who build bridges to wholeness and Oneness.
Carter’s book, Part I begins with the exterior aspects of creation – Evolution and Science. Part II deals with the interior aspects - Culture and Spirituality. Phipps interviewed many scientists in writing his book including these:
Elizabet Sahtouris, evolutionary biologist – about the Evolution Cycle – Competition to Co-operation. One stands in awe of how our ancient ancestors, bacteria, learned how to co-operate in order to survive. Sahtouris explains how consciousness is evolving ....
John Stewart and Robert Wright, evolutionary scientists – about Directionality in Evolution and Cultural Patterns. Stewart saw that DNA in biological cells is really a management or governance structure enabling cooperation that also operates in higher forms of organization like tribal councils, contemporary megacities to eventual planetary governance and beyond. Check out these links: http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2010/mar/05/meaning-life-evolution-universe and http://www.evolutionarymanifesto.com/.
Howard Bloom, prolific complexity scientist and writer – about Novelty or Creativity. When interviewed by Carter he expounded on complexity where new and higher forms of both novelty and order emerge that mark evolution’s advance and that these happen usually at the edges of chaos. A system generally has to be thrown into disequilibrium for new and higher levels of self-organization to emerge.
Ray Kurzweil, informationalist and humanist. Here Carter touches on artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, robotics, life extension, genetics, space travel, and computational theory through interviewing Ray Kurzweil. Religion as we have known it cannot answer questions of meaning in the face of this. Neither can science. Philosophy is struggling with them.
Bridge building is crucial in the face of developments already occurring on our planet. Science, Philosophy and Theology/Spirituality can form a Whole by recognizing each other’s importance and function. Evolutionaries, beginning with Jesus do just that. However, bridge building is done by each human like you and me, not only by Evolutionaries.
Do you want to be a ‘bridge builder’?
If so please come to the Symposium “Becoming Agents of Evolutionary Change” July 4-6, 2014. Carter Phipps is the keynote speaker and will be presenting with Sue Wilson, CSJ. Please see www.etouches.com/ehome/79110 for details.
Mary Vandersteen, csj and Ann Steadman, Associate