I’m also encouraged by the facet that science is converging on several fronts to show the nature of connectedness and entanglement, as well as nature of intelligence. As well as what constitutes life. Thanks Dan for doing all these deep dives. I’m ready for double deep dives now, as they all leave me wanting more!
Thanks, this is great Dan! This approach makes sense to me. and Kolak's ideas, important in areas of cognitive therapy & brain science, are also, in my experience, very close to the principles of Deep Ecology (as opposed to shallow environmentalism). DE would say, "I am not an activist protecting old growth trees, i am the forest protecting myself." So i was a bit surprised (and maybe this is different from the actual book) to hear about changing our understanding of no boundaries within politics and social just, while not pointing to earth systems, i.e., no separation from air/water/elemental earth and the interbeing of biodiversity. after listening to this i feel both encouraged (that science is a path to non-separation) and discouraged that ethical behavior is still so often extended primarily to humankind. i'm left wondering how Kolak might include more-than-human kin (& the elemental world) into his philosophical approach? thanks again for finding and creating this piece on non-separation.
Good point Leila. I don't think Kolak directly addresses the more-than-human implications of dissolving the borders between human beings, but I do think it does point to aspects that you are bringing up. Just like the human being is an ecology of cells, the planet is also an ecology of humans and other life. There is no escaping the interconnectedness of everything. Seeing everything as "me" does imply an imperative to take care of "myself", i.e. all aspects of my being, not just the human aspects.
I really enjoyed this. I like the subject and find it hopeful to think that we could find new language to talk about our connectedness. My favorite takeaway was about creating “social systems that are more about maximizing everyone’s potential and wellbeing rather than just dividing up resources or competing for limited opportunities.” Thank you for this post.
Seems true in a deep sense. But exploration of the 'practical implications' section seems to me to cross categories and imply utopian possibilities if only we collectively change our language and our ideas about identity. From Headless perspective it seems to nail the view in, but expects results from that understanding to correct problems in the real world of relationships. "if we only realized that harming others is only harming ourselves"... sure, but now it's gone from a deep philosophical in-site to perhaps trite nonsense.
Relationships in nature include include symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, predation, competition, and amensalism. Nature is not always expressed in mutualism with both parties benefiting.
But there are no walls here at the center. As Robert frost said: "Something there is that doesn't love a wall..."
I’m also encouraged by the facet that science is converging on several fronts to show the nature of connectedness and entanglement, as well as nature of intelligence. As well as what constitutes life. Thanks Dan for doing all these deep dives. I’m ready for double deep dives now, as they all leave me wanting more!
Thanks, this is great Dan! This approach makes sense to me. and Kolak's ideas, important in areas of cognitive therapy & brain science, are also, in my experience, very close to the principles of Deep Ecology (as opposed to shallow environmentalism). DE would say, "I am not an activist protecting old growth trees, i am the forest protecting myself." So i was a bit surprised (and maybe this is different from the actual book) to hear about changing our understanding of no boundaries within politics and social just, while not pointing to earth systems, i.e., no separation from air/water/elemental earth and the interbeing of biodiversity. after listening to this i feel both encouraged (that science is a path to non-separation) and discouraged that ethical behavior is still so often extended primarily to humankind. i'm left wondering how Kolak might include more-than-human kin (& the elemental world) into his philosophical approach? thanks again for finding and creating this piece on non-separation.
Good point Leila. I don't think Kolak directly addresses the more-than-human implications of dissolving the borders between human beings, but I do think it does point to aspects that you are bringing up. Just like the human being is an ecology of cells, the planet is also an ecology of humans and other life. There is no escaping the interconnectedness of everything. Seeing everything as "me" does imply an imperative to take care of "myself", i.e. all aspects of my being, not just the human aspects.
I really enjoyed this. I like the subject and find it hopeful to think that we could find new language to talk about our connectedness. My favorite takeaway was about creating “social systems that are more about maximizing everyone’s potential and wellbeing rather than just dividing up resources or competing for limited opportunities.” Thank you for this post.
Seems true in a deep sense. But exploration of the 'practical implications' section seems to me to cross categories and imply utopian possibilities if only we collectively change our language and our ideas about identity. From Headless perspective it seems to nail the view in, but expects results from that understanding to correct problems in the real world of relationships. "if we only realized that harming others is only harming ourselves"... sure, but now it's gone from a deep philosophical in-site to perhaps trite nonsense.
Relationships in nature include include symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, predation, competition, and amensalism. Nature is not always expressed in mutualism with both parties benefiting.
But there are no walls here at the center. As Robert frost said: "Something there is that doesn't love a wall..."