Exploring Science, Matter and Consciousness

January 5 — 23, 2009

David Peat, Amit Goswami, Peter Fenwick, Chris Clarke

The nature of consciousness has fascinated philosophers and scientists for centuries. Today, different fields of science are generating discoveries and insights which lead practitioners to expand existing theories of what consciousness is and what it can do.

Dualism – the belief that mind and matter are completely separate – has been at the basis of Western science and philosophy for centuries. However, this approach has been challenged by physicists and psychologists, as well as by those pursuing Eastern spiritual traditions. This course explores the theories and evidence which point toward a new understanding of the role of mind in nature.

Course Overview

This course explores the latest thinking from the perspective of physics, Eastern philosophy and neuropsychiatry. Participants will look at questions of consciousness: Can it exist outside of the brain? How does it relate to the material structure of our universe? Participants will equip themselves with exciting ideas and evidence from brain imaging techniques and near-death experiences, and the relationship between quantum mechanics, consciousness and spirituality. They will discuss what new ways of understanding consciousness tell us about how we should conduct scientific research and organise our societies. Participants will look at how new scientific discoveries can have a profound effect on the understanding of what it is to be human.

This course is intended for: all those who want to gain a trans-disciplinary introduction to the nature of the mind: scientists, philosophers, students, educators and other interested individuals. Specialist scientific knowledge is not required to take this course, but a willingness to engage with challenging concepts is.

Course Detail

Week 1: Unifying Mind and Matter

David Peat will explore the search for a unity between mind and matter, in particular through the work of the physicists David Bohm and Wolfgang Pauli, and psychologist Carl Jung.

Bohm’s search for a new order of physics led to the notion of the Implicate Order, in which mind and matter are two sides or aspects of an underlying unity. Bohm’s introduction of ‘active information” also pictures the atom as involving “proto mind”, and raises the question of whether mind guided the evolution of matter. Peat will also discuss Bohm’s views on the transformation of human consciousness and the role of the dialogue process.

Wolfgang Pauli also believed mind was present at the very origins of the cosmos and, after encountering Jung, much of his work was directed to uncovering a “psycho-physical reality” and a unus mundus out of which physics and psychology emerge. In Jung’s case he felt that synchronicities pointed to an underlying level of psychoid, that transcends the limitations of both matter and mind as distinct entities. Peat will look at how these two great thinkers influenced each other, the role of remarkable dreams, the need for eros and anima in physics, and their views on synchronicity and “acausality” in psyche and quantum physics.

Peat will give a brief overview of current issues in the neurosciences, such as: Neural correlates to consciousness versus Chalmers “Consciousness the Hard Problem”; The binding problem; Modes of perception and relationship to Whitehead’s modes of mental perception; Clues from neurological disorders; and, Theories of emergence –bootstrapping, neural nets, Samuel’s chequer player.

Week 2: Science within Consciousness

During this week, quantum physicist Amit Goswami will explicate the new aborning paradigm of science based on quantum physics and the primacy of consciousness. He will explain how this new paradigm integrates all the different forces within biology, psychology, and medicine and also how science and spirituality are integrated. He will also introduce the idea of quantum activism, a new way to live in the world.

Monday: The self-aware universe: How consciousness creates the material world
Tuesday: Quantum creativity: The quantum physics of the creative process
Wednesday: Physics of the soul: A comprehensive theory of survival after death and reincarnation
Thursday: The quantum doctor: An integration of conventional and alternative medicine
Friday: Creative evolution: A resolution between Darwinism and intelligent design

Week 3: Neuroscience, Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness

Monday and Tuesday:
Neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick will discuss some of the difficulties of the neurophysiology of consciousness, extended mind beyond the brain, changes in consciousness during dying, near death and approaching death experiences, and the new group of transcendental philosophers who point to the nature of the enlightened state.

Monday:
New views of brain function. Speed of data transmission, evidence from MEG. The plastic brain and how this turns our view of brain localisation upside down. The new view of downward causation in the CNS and why this has lead to John Searle the philosopher becoming a dualist. What the new data on ‘Death and Dying’ tells about the death process and consciousness.

Tuesday:
Bringing the old concept of enlightenment, or awakening up to date. We will study the work of Wei Wu Wei, Tony Parsons, Franklin Merrell-Woolff, Alain Forget & Eckhardt Tolle.

There will be a discussion of what is the true nature of the world and the ‘true’ nature of consciousness. This will continue into the afternoon discussions.

Wednesday-Friday:
Chris Clarke will explore our core awareness of the world and of ourselves. “Consciousness” in this sense has two aspects: an inner subjective experience accessible only to ourselves, and an outer bond of relationship with the world. He will examine how consciousness, as a universal element in all organisms, enters quantum mechanics as the pattern that continually brings the world into existence. This will be applied to the need for humanity to enter a new, loving relationship with the planetary ecosystem.

Wednesday: A universe of organisms. The idea of organism arises naturally in modern quantum theory (post-1980). The dualities of matter and consciousness, living and non-living are bridged by quantum logic.

Thursday: A universe of connection. Organisms are contained within each other, and thereby interconnected. How can this realisation enlarge our arena for experiencing and acting within the planetary community?

Friday: Creating the Future. Quantum freedom lies not in selecting options, but in creating vision. What does it mean to be human, in the light of our understanding of the universe derived from the whole course?

Note: the balance between different modes of learning will depend on the needs of the students.

Teachers

David Peat is a theoretical physicist. He is the author of Blackfoot Physics and founded the Pari Centre for New Learning in Italy.

Amit Goswami is Professor Emeritus in the Physics department of the University of Oregon, USA. He is a pioneer of ‘science within consciousness’.

Peter Fenwick is a neuropsychiatrist. He works at a Neuroscience unit in Japan investigating the magnetic fields which change during brain function.

Chris Clarke is a Professor of Applied Mathematics and has been actively involved with the charity GreenSpirit.

Course Fees

For businesses: One week £1,200, Two weeks £1,800, Three weeks £2,200
For individuals, NGOs & Educators: One week £700, Two weeks £1,300, Three weeks £1,800
These include accommodation, food, field trips and all teaching sessions.

Masters credits available subject to University approval.

Applying for the MSc in Holistic Science? Please see information on MSc Short Course Options here

How to make an application – click here

For further information about Schumacher College please see About the College

New feature – reserve your place now

To provisionally reserve a place for 5 days, email us your contact details and the name of the course admin@schumachercollege.org.uk

We will hold the place for five working days for reservations – three weeks before a course or earlier. After five days we will automatically offer your place to someone else if we have not received your application.

Schumacher College is part of the Dartington Hall Trust, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and as a charity (company no. 1485560, charity no. 279756). Registered office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL, UK.