The Science of Oneness A World View For Our Age

by Hollick, Malcolm

• ISBN13: 9781905047710
• ISBN10: 1905047711
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-11
• Publisher: O Books

Summary

The Science of Oneness weaves modern science together with experiential, spiritual and cultural knowledge. It presents a scientifically valid vision of reality that is conscious, creative, loving, and purposeful. It balances openness to all sources of knowledge with critical evaluation of their reliability. Each chapter offers experiential activities, thought-provoking questions and guided meditations to stimulate intuitive understanding. It provides a coherent world view for cultural creatives and the holism movement.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	xv
Prologue	1	(3)
How to use this book	4	(3)
PART I: TOWARDS A SCIENCE OF ONENESS	7	(58)
1 Science and Knowledge	9	(13)
An Overview of the Scientific Approach to Knowledge	9	(1)
Technical Limits to Science	10	(1)
Science and Belief	11	(4)
Science, Subjectivity and Culture	15	(2)
The Light and the Shadow of Science	17	(3)
In Conclusion	20	(2)
2 Perception and Reality	22	(9)
Sensations, Models and Facts	22	(4)
Language as Mental Model	26	(2)
The Way the Brain Works	28	(2)
In Conclusion	30	(1)
3 Other Ways of Knowing	31	(14)
Reason and Logic	31	(3)
Intuition and Spiritual Knowing	34	(2)
Knowing as Relationship	36	(4)
Approaches to Oneness	40	(4)
In Conclusion	44	(1)
4 Reliable Knowledge and Wisdom	45	(14)
Testing the Reliability of Knowledge	45	(4)
Cooperative Inquiry	49	(1)
Wisdom	50	(3)
In Conclusion	53	(2)
Review of Part I	55	(4)
Reflections on Part I	59	(6)
A Meditative Review of Our Journey So Far	59	(2)
The Power of Final Causes	61	(1)
Quotations about Knowledge and Wisdom	62	(3)
PART II: THE SCIENCE OF SYSTEMS	65	(44)
5 The Nature of Systems	67	(13)
Self-regulating Systems	67	(3)
Chaos	70	(5)
Self-organization	75	(2)
Network Simulations	77	(1)
In Conclusion	78	(2)
6 Of Parts, Wholes and Holons	80	(9)
The Boundaries of Systems	80	(1)
System Identity	81	(3)
Holons and Holarchies	84	(3)
The Holarchy of Nature	87	(1)
In Conclusion	88	(1)
7 Evolution	89	(10)
Differentiation, Integration and Emergence	89	(2)
The Role of Disturbances	91	(1)
Chance and Necessity	91	(3)
Evolution and time Stability, Change and Revolution	94	(1)
In Conclusion	95	(1)
Review of Part II	96	(3)
Reflections on Part II	99	(10)
Illustrations of Connection, Wholeness and Fragmentation	99	(2)
A Guided Meditation on the Effect of Fragmented Thinking	101	(1)
A Guided Meditation to Explore Chaos	102	(1)
Exploring Self-organization and Form	103	(2)
A Meditation on Self-Organization	105	(2)
A Reflection on Polarities in Reality	107	(1)
A Reflection on Evolution	108	(1)
PART III: RELATIVITY AND QUANTUM PHYSICS	109	(40)
8 The Physics of the Very Large	111	(9)
3-D Space and 4-D Spacetime	111	(1)
The Perception and Measurement of Time	111	(3)
The Relativity of Space and Time	114	(4)
Spacetime	118	(1)
In Conclusion	119	(1)
9 The Physics of the Very Small	120	(15)
Fields	120	(1)
Solitons	121	(2)
The Source of Matter	123	(1)
Wave-Particle Duality	124	(2)
Quantum Entanglement	126	(2)
Consciousness and Matter	128	(3)
The Nature of Ultimate Reality	131	(3)
In Conclusion	134	(1)
Review of Part III	135	(4)
Reflections on Part III	139	(10)
What Does It Mean to Understand Something?	139	(1)
Experiences of Time	140	(6)
The Nature of Reality	146	(3)
PART IV: THE EVOLUTION OF THE COSMOS	149	(38)
10 A Brief History of the Universe	151	(10)
The Challenges and Limits of Cosmology	151	(2)
The Moment of Creation	153	(2)
The Evolution of the Cosmos	155	(2)
Dark Matter and Dark Energy	157	(1)
Where Will It End?	158	(1)
In Conclusion	159	(2)
11 Cosmos, Consciousness and Destiny	161	(10)
Conscious Evolution	161	(5)
Cosmic and Human Destiny	166	(4)
In Conclusion	170	(1)
12 Cosmic Design and Evolution	171	(7)
A Designer Universe?	171	(2)
Cosmic Evolution?	173	(3)
In Conclusion	176	(2)
Review of Part IV	178	(3)
Reflections on Part IV	181	(6)
Before the Beginning	181	(2)
The Creative Act	183	(2)
Cosmic Design	185	(2)
PART V: LIFE	187	(60)
13 The Nature and Origins of Life	189	(10)
What Is Life?	189	(3)
The Miracle of Life	192	(2)
The Origins of Life	194	(3)
In Conclusion	197	(2)
14 Development	199	(10)
The Process of Differentiation	200	(1)
The Process of Morphogenesis	201	(5)
Archetypes and Wholeness	206	(2)
In Conclusion	208	(1)
15 The Evolution of Life	209	(13)
Variation	209	(4)
Natural Selection	213	(2)
Emergence of New Species	215	(1)
The Role of Organisms	215	(1)
Competition and Cooperation	216	(4)
A New Theory of Evolution?	220	(1)
In Conclusion	221	(1)
16 Ecosystems and Gaia	222	(11)
Ecology	222	(5)
Gaia	227	(4)
In Conclusion	231	(2)
Review of Part V	233	(4)
Reflections on Part V	237	(10)
What is Life?	237	(1)
Connecting with the Miracle of Life	238	(2)
Who Am I?	240	(1)
Who Are We?	241	(1)
Connecting with the Earth	242	(5)
PART VI: BRAIN, MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS	247	(76)
17 Science, Mind and Consciousness	249	(5)
In Conclusion	253	(1)
18 Mind, Consciousness and Matter	254	(12)
The Materialist View	255	(1)
Mind and Consciousness as Emergent Properties of the Brain	256	(4)
Mind and Consciousness as Inherent in All Matter	260	(3)
Individual and Aggregate Mind and Consciousness	263	(2)
In Conclusion	265	(1)
19 Brain, Mind and Consciousness	266	(8)
Brain Structure and Development	266	(1)
Brain Function	267	(1)
Mind-body Interactions	268	(3)
Memory	271	(2)
Brain and Consciousness	273	(1)
In Conclusion	273	(1)
20 The Experience of Human Consciousness	274	(18)
Normal Waking Consciousness	274	(2)
The Subconscious Mind	276	(1)
Transpersonal Consciousness	277	(1)
Before Birth and Near Death	278	(3)
Past Lives, Other Lives	281	(2)
Consciousness and Material Reality	283	(2)
Parapsychology	285	(3)
Unity Consciousness	288	(3)
In Conclusion	291	(1)
21 Theories of Consciousness	292	(15)
The Hard Problem of Consciousness	293	(1)
The Development of Normal Consciousness	294	(3)
The Evolution of Normal Consciousness	297	(6)
Theories of Transpersonal and Unity Consciousness	303	(3)
In Conclusion	306	(1)
Review of Part VI	307	(2)
Reflections on Part VI	309	(14)
The Relationship of Mind and Matter	309	(2)
The Experience of Transpersonal Consciousness	311	(3)
The Essence of Unity Consciousness	314	(3)
Mindfulness Meditation	317	(3)
The Power of Transpersonal Consciousness	320	(3)
PART VII: SPIRIT AND SPIRITUALITY	323	(62)
22 The Nature of Spirit	325	(7)
What is Spirit?	325
The Nature of Spirit	316	(14)
God and Spirit	330	(1)
In Conclusion	331	(1)
23 The Diversity of Spirituality	332	(13)
To Be Human Is To Be Spiritual	332	(1)
The Varieties of Spirituality	333	(3)
Exoteric and Esoteric Spirituality	336	(3)
Transcendent and Immanent Spirituality	339	(5)
In Conclusion	344	(1)
24 Towards a Spirituality for Our Age	345	(10)
The Integration of Transcendent and Immanent Spirituality	346	(2)
Participatory and Co-creative Spirituality	348	(4)
Towards a New Model of Spirituality	352	(2)
In Conclusion	354	(1)
25 Who Am I?	355	(8)
The Experience of the Self	355	(2)
The Self as Story	357	(1)
The Holistic Self	358	(2)
Coming to Terms with Death	360	(2)
In conclusion	362	(1)
26 Why Am I Here?	363	(7)
The Meaning of Life	363	(3)
The Purpose of Life	366	(2)
Setting About Our Task	368	(1)
In Conclusion	368	(2)
Review of Part VII	370	(3)
Reflections on Part VII	373	(12)
On Spirit	373	(2)
The Search for Truth	375	(2)
Who Am I?	377	(2)
Coming to Terms with Death	379	(2)
The Meaning and Purpose of Life	381	(2)
The Successful Life	383	(2)
PART VIII: JOURNEY'S END	385	(14)
A Final Review and Challenge	387	(3)
A Final Reflection: The Inward and the Outward Journeys	390	(9)
Sources and Notes	399	(12)
References	411	(16)
Index	427