essay
Some people, when admonished to comply with moral absolutes–to always be honest, generous, tolerant, or the like–nod their heads at the sage advice. Me, I no longer see moral absolutes; I only see moral dilemmas. I think of honesty, generosity, tolerance, and other seemingly monolithic virtues as questions, not answers. As of this week I…
©2007 Andrew Ilachinski My imaging philosophy is very simple. I strive to record the subtle, interconnected web of energy that makes up what we call the world. For me, beauty, which permeates everything around us, appears in its most sublime state when form, color, pattern and texture are all in harmony. In the same way…
Why the constructive engagement of religion and science is needed and some strategic thoughts about how this might be best pursued.
A century ago, James maintained an interest in different disciplinary fields even as they had begun their historical swing toward the specialization that our current transdisciplinary initiatives are designed to remedy. As I have followed William James through his inspirations from many fields, including the natural sciences, religion, psychology, and the humanities, I suggest that…
Paper: A. Theodicy B. Definitions C. The Machine A. Theodicy The Spirit intercedes on our behalf with sighs too deep for words. Romans, 8,26 In antiquity, four elements were generally assumed to constitute matter. A fifth element was reserved for the heavens. The laws of nature not having been discovered, the kosmos could not…
Preface: What constitutes the unity of knowledge? Does this unity lie in the power to encompass phenomenal reality in a single formal theory (physics) or in a set of ideal first principles (metaphysics)? Or, does this unity have more of an epistemological character, being concerned less with the content of theoretical statements than with the…
I was reviewing a book in the library stacks of a well-known divinity school a few years ago when I overheard an exchange between two young seminarians in the next aisle. It was a beautiful summer day, but their conversation sent a chill through my body. One student had asked the other student a question…
Human evolution and transdisciplinarity The compatibility or incompatibility of evolution and creation is a problem with ancient roots which has been addressed at different moments throughout the history of humanity and which continues to have important repercussions in the, sometimes difficult, dialogue between science and creeds The two poles of the problem are also reflected…
The ecological crisis manifests a crisis of the moral imagination. The ways we think about who we are, what is important and valuable, and the existential meaning of human being shape and steer the practices degrading the ecological health of the plane. Specifically, the dualism typical of Western thought problematically divides the world between an…
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 We begin by noticing that consciousness is a highly multi disciplinary subject. Of course, it has long been recognized as an important aspect of religion and spirituality. But, for almost 80 years now, it has come to be recognized as having to do something with science as well, particularly at deeper levels…