Exploring the Nature of Reality

FREE WEBCAST Thursday, November 11, 7:00 p.m. CDT

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What is the fundamental nature of reality? Philosophers and scientists tend to give very different answers to this question. The materialist view of many physicists and scientists tells us that energy and matter are fundamental, implying that physical reality is ultimately what is real. On the other hand, idealists believe that consciousness and the mind are the fundamental reality. Idealists argue that things like particles and brain matter are actually best thought of as ideas in consciousness.

Richard Smoley, editor of Quest: Journal of the Theosophical Society in America will share a dialogue with CERN scientist and philosopher Bernardo Kastrup, Ph.D. to explore a wide range of questions regarding the human condition, the nature of reality, the hard problem of consciousness, and the paradoxes of quantum mechanics. They will also discuss the great opportunities for spiritual growth open to humanity at this critical time.

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Can an Extended Science Bridge the Worlds of Matter, Mind, and Spirit?

FREE WEBCAST Thursday, August 26, 7:00 p.m. CDT

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A full understanding of the universe must encompass the three worlds of matter, mind and spirit, as well as building bridges between them. While physics has been remarkably successful in describing the material world, from the smallest scales of particle physics to the largest scales of cosmology, it currently makes no reference to consciousness and associated mental or spiritual experiences. Indeed, most physicists adopt a materialist and reductionist view in which consciousness is just an incidental by-product of the brain. However, many arguments from physics itself suggest that consciousness is a fundamental rather than incidental feature of the Universe, so it is natural to extend physics to accommodate it. This is especially true if one believes in certain anomalous interactions between consciousness and the physical world. However, this will require a radically different physical paradigm from the one that currently prevails.

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