The term, “new age,” has come to stand for a hodgepodge of ideas without scientific legitimacy. And at times the criticism seems justified. It is not easy to see how one proves the truth of such things as magical healing crystals, UFOs, or astrology. On the other hand, it might not be wise to dismiss out-of-hand everything labeled “new age.” A prejudice for or against an idea is still a prejudice. On this installment of Conversations Beyond Science and Religion, I interview Dick Larson, a student of the Ageless Wisdom Teachings and the Ascended Masters, about how a real new age — offering hope for personal growth and transformation — is actually beginning to dawn. But as I write in a recent blog (A Metaphysics for the New Age), the new age still has a fatal flaw: it lacks a metaphysics, an over-arching logical framework in which we can explain and legitimize...
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Although few people study it any more, everyone has a philosophy. It could be a philosophy about the role of religion in your life, working hard, staying upbeat, or not caring about anything. Although science today is viewed as the dominant source of authority, science itself was born in philosophy, and it might be helpful to re-examine what philosophy means and how we can all use a little more of it in our lives. On this installment of Conversations Beyond Science and Religion, I talk with internationally-known natural philosopher, Mark Ballabon, author of Courting the Future: Preparing for a Different World, and Why is the Human on Earth? about how we are all born philosophers, which is to say, born to wonder and to question. When we start using these inborn skills, we can strip away many of our preconceptions about science, spirituality and religion, and perhaps head toward a new...
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There is one world. We have one life. We have one chance to get it right. Read more of my contribution to Inspire me Today....
My short piece, One World, One Life, will be featured on InspireMeToday.com on June 1, 2014. This organization seeks to inspire people with thoughts from people they call luminaries, who are actually people who put inspiration to writing; i.e., any of us. Many household names have contributed to this website, such as Sir Richard Branson (Virgin) and Guy Laliberte (Cirque du Soleil) to thought leaders like Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Marci Shimoff (The Secret). So now it’s my turn. This daily wisdom takes a minute to read, yet acts as a conscious reminder to spark the fire within each of us: the fire that desires to know more, and to be more. I invite you to read my inspiration on InspireMeToday.com and browse through the wisdom of more than 1000 other Inspirational Luminaries, and see if it makes a difference in your life. ...
On this show we go to the land down under to talk with Brian Creigh, publisher of the Austrialian magazine, Veritas. Calling itself the “world’s most complete consciousness magazine,” Veritas features regular interviews with leaders in the “new consciousness” movement, such as Neale Donald Walsch, Amit Goswami, and Gregg Braden. It offers a unique mix of mind-expanding and health-focused content, while at the same time fulflling one of Brian’s objectives, which is to remain grounded in the real world. Brian joins host Philip Mereton to talk about why Veritas seems to have struck a cord in our rising consciousness. Listen to this episode...
In ancient Rome, the genius was the guiding spirit of a person. In some people, this spirit shown more brightly and they came to be known as “geniuses.” Today, we recognize special people with highly developed skills in music, art, science and other fields as “geniuses.” Most people have heard of geniuses: Mozart, Rembrandt, and Einstein, to name a few. One field of thought suggests that geniuses are born, not made, as if genius is written in the genetic code. But perhaps the Romans were right and each of us has a guiding spirit that we only need to tap to find our own genius. In this show, Manjir Samanta-Laughton, author of Punk Science and The Genius Groove, joins host Philip Mereton in a discussion of what the new developing scientific paradigm is saying about the hidden genius buried in all of us, and what we can do to find...
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Punk is a term more often associated with fierce rock music and harsh lyrics than as a form of science. The legacy of punk rock is one of rebellion, attacking conventional society and mainstream culture. “Punk Science” is also the name of a book by this week’s guest, Manjir Samanta-Laughton, of the UK, who has gained international fame for interpreting the findings of physics and cosmology in a new and creative way, and one that challenges mainstream science’s fundamental paradigm. She joins host Philip Mereton in a conversation about what a new scientific paradigm might look like and her own Black Hole Principle. Listen to this Episode...
It’s hard to argue with the value of an open mind. It’s also hard to argue that many people have one. The problem seems to be that modern life feeds us with so many stereotypes, beliefs, labels, prejudices, and biases with which to categorize our world that we stop thinking “like a child” and more like someone “set in their ways.” Pigeonholing saves time in a hectic world. On this show, Tim Boyd, President of the Theosophical Society, joins host Philip Mereton in a discussion of how open-mindedness is something that not only advances our appreciation for the variety of life, but may also lead us to understand better our true inner nature. Also, in a Something More episode, Philip talks with co-director, Robin Beck of Kima Publishers out of South Africa, about dramatic changes occurring in the publishing world and how his 20-year business continues to prosper. Listen to...
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What is the meaning of life? Of all Big Questions, this one may be at once the biggest, and the most befuddling. But can we proceed through life without at some point confronting the question? And, more importantly, does the question have an answer? On this show, Professor Jay Garfield of Smith College and the University of Melbourne (among other institutions), and lecturer for the Teaching Company’s course, The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World’s Great Intellectual Traditions, joins host Philip Mereton in an invigorating discussion of different ways to approach this perennial question, and how we might learn from some of history’s great thinkers to find the meaning in our own lives. Listen to this episode...
Science deals with the natural world; religion rests upon the supernatural. Science is empirical, methodical, and self-critical; religion deals with a truth revealed by God, and hence beyond questioning. But some cognitive researchers are finding that religion is in fact more natural than science; it comes fast and easy, and does not have to be taught or experienced. Science, meanwhile, is slow, hard, and time-consuming; it deals with things and ideas far removed from everyday life. The naturalness of religion means that despite all the advances of science, it may never go away. On this show, Dr. Robert McCauley, the Director of Mind, Brain, and Culture at Emory University, and author of the New Scientist article, “Natural Religion, Unnatural Science,” and the new book, Why Religion is Natural and Science Unnatural, joins host, Philip Mereton, in an engaging conversation about what brain research is telling us about the sustained power...
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