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Maya Ward's avatar

A wise and beautiful piece, thank you. McGilchrist’s framing of matter as a phase of consciousness is stunning. In the transcendent/transformational encounter, the experience of the universe’s natural values becomes clear - the good, the true, the beautiful, all qualities far greater than, and preceding, humanity. Nothing we’ve made up, or decided on. Innate to life. Thus the vital importance of the encounter. Looking forward to your timely book!

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Alex Goodall's avatar

Excellent piece, Ali!

Fully on board with all the points you make - many of which I include in my own 'forthcoming' book - and it inspires me to be more explicit about the importance of adopting idealism as the accepted cultural metaphysics - as a core part of conceiving how me might transform.

I really like the idea of physicalism being the generator function of the generator functions. It's a wonderfully succinct systems-expression of a very important idea.

Your fish-farm theme is also very nice - except that when you got to the third episode, I was expecting something about a more visceral, personal response (upper left quadrant) - based on an understanding of the interconnectedness of all things and a different motivation by the fish farmer: one inspired by "flourishing" rather than "finance". (I use the phrase "From Finance to Flourishing" to sum up the paradigm change we need if we are to truly change our civilizational system.).

Instead, you provide a systems response (lower left (right?) quadrant) - legislation that takes a more 'flourishing' position by encouraging the protection of the commons. That's equally valid, I guess, but I think it's important to emphasise that we each, as individuals, have to transform, rather than simply expecting and waiting for others to 'change the system' (in ways of which we approve) so that we are incentivised to do the right thing.

But it's still a nice happy ending to the apparently insurmountable multi-polar trap dilemma.

Finally, I have to comment on the video where you chatted with Bernado Kastrup. I've listened to him a lot, and read some books - but that video re-blew my mind! Archetypes, causality, synchronicity, complexity and fractal reality: it took my understanding (and respect) for Analytic Idealism to a whole new level.

All good stuff, Ali!

Alex

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