NEWEST Discussion Ideas for Community Groups -- As of June 28, 2008
If you want to skip the introduction and go to the latest discussion topic and discussion questions just scroll down to the section titled LIST OF ARTICLES.
INTRODUCTION
At least two or three meetings a month our IONS New Options Group in Amherst, MA discusses articles from various sources: Shift, Discovery, Ode, Science and Spirit, eSkeptic, Scientific American, What is Enlightenment?, Psychology Today, Quackwatch, the worldwideweb, et cetera. Typically I prepare six to eight open-ended process questions around which our semi-free-wheeling discussions are organized. This dynamic semi-structured process encourages discussants to interject their own questions and comments. When we conclude our meeting the feeling is 'we did it together . . . it was our meeting, not just the facilitator's. We have been using this process for over ten years and I attribute to it much of the excitement, sense of discussant ownership, enthusiasm, comraderie and steady attendance (average about 19 per meeting) characteristic of our group.
Stephen Dinan suggested that perhaps other IONS community groups might on occasion be interested in using a similar article discussion process. With that in mind we are test-running this ongoing 'living post' where you can find the titles of magazine articles and list of discussion questions used in Amherst. Feel free to use them as is or modify to suit yourself. Contact me at omnimind@admin.umass.edu for any clarification you may want.
SOME ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
In our IONS New Options Community Group weekly meetings we explore the pros and cons of a wide variety of research findings, concepts, practices, and ideas . . . for more integrally conscious, healthful, wise. mutually empathetic living, aging, dying and thereafter . . . all as they newly emerge from scientific, humanistic, and spiritual communities worldwide.
All our New Options events are free, as is membership in our group. We welcome small donations to help defray expenses incurred for copying, videos and DVDs, postage, et cetera.
Our experience is that a healthfully open psycho-spiritual-social climate is requisite for a successful discussion. To get an idea of the kind of climate we try to maintain in our IONS New Options Group, see http://www.shiftinaction.com/node/2052 titled Purpose, Values, and Attitudes of our Community Group.
We distribute copies of articles one week in advance of the meeting they will be discussed. Copies of questions are distributed at the beginning of the meeting.
LIST OF ARTICLES - Additions will be made as often as practicable.
Buried Prejudice by Siri Carpenter, Scientific American Mind, April-May 2008
The Unquiet Ice by Robin E. Bell, Scientific American, February 2008
Laws of Nature, Source Unknown by Dennis Overbye, New York Times. December 18, 2007.
When Morality is Hard to Like by Jorge Moll and Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza, Scientific American Mind Feb/March 2008
I Had the Strangest Dream Last Night: Jeremy Taylor On Dreams As A Tool for Social Change by Karen Karvonen, SUN magazine, March 2006, Issue 363
Disbelief Despite the Evidence by David Fontana, Shift Dec 2007-Jan 2008
Talking To The Dead: Laboratory Investigation of Mediumship by Julie Beischel, Shift Dec 2007-Jan 2008
Peering Into Our Potential: How Neuroscience is Mapping New Paths to Healthy Living by Matthew Solan, Shift Sept-Nov 2007
5 Essential Things To Do In Space by George Musser, Scientific American, October 2007
Windows on the Mind by Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen L. Macknik, Scientific American August 2007
Beyond Male and Female by Carol Lee Flinders, www.science-spirit.org
A Case for Double-Edged Optimism (and other surprises from the mind-body lab) by Paul Raeburn in Psychology Today, May-June 2006
Your World: Ten Emerging Trends That Could Reshape Our Lives Over the Next 10 Years. ODE magazine, December 2005
The Value of Skepticism: Is Skepticism a Negative or a Positive for Science and Humanity? Deepak Chopra v. Michael Shermer Debate, eSkeptic.com or Huffington Post archives.
Mind Reading by Annie Murphy Paul, Psychology Today, Sept-Oct 2007 and Sleights of Mind by George Johnson, The New York Times, August 21, 2007
Dealing with Fear by an anonymous presumably Buddhist author. If you want a copy write to me (Bob) at omnimind@admin.umass.edu
The Universe's Invisible Hand by Christopher Conselice, Scientific American, February 2007
How Evolution Works by Elisabet Sahtouris, "Google" LifeWeb: The Writings of Elisabet Sahtouris
The Secret Behind the Secret by Ingrid Hansen Smythe. eSkeptic magazine www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-03-07.html · Cached page; together with the DVD presentation of The Secret.
The Unsolved Mystery by Susan Blackmore. Science & Spirit, July-August 2006
Mammoth in the Garden -- Why the Harmonization of Science and Religion is a Strong Human Need by Paul T. Gross. www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/list07-jan-jun.html - 10k - Cached - Similar pages
The Strange Case of Homeopathy by Michael Castleman, April 2004 issue of Psychology Today.
The God Experiments by John Horgan. Discovery magazine, December 2006.
Reason and reverance by William R. Murry. UU WORLD, Winter 2006.
Heaven -- Where Is It? How Do You Get There? Barbara Walters Special, ABC News, December 20, 2005 (Transcript hardcopy)
Nature's Champions, Psychology Today. November-December 2006.
What Torture Has Taught Me by William F. Schulz. UU WORLD, Winter 2006
On the Proposed Department of Peace by James O'Dea. Shiftinaction.com Share page 2007
The Winning Edge by Peter Doskoch. Psychology Today, November-December 2005.
Mastering Your Own Mind by Kathleen Ellison. Psychology Today. September-October 2006
The God Theory by Bernard Haisch. New Scientist magazine, June 2006
Navigating the Future: A Guide for Conscious Activism by Andrew Beath. Shift, September-November 2006
Why There Almost Certainly is No God by Richard Dawkins Huffington Post Blog 2006
Awe-Based Learning by Kirk Schneider. Shift, September-November 2005.
Welcome to the Ecozoic Era by Amy Hassinger. UU World Spring 2006.
ARTICLES AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
ARTICLE: Buried Prejudice by Siri Carpenter, Scientific American Mind, April-May 2008
Introduction: "Deep within our subconscious," writes social psychologist and Scientific American Mind author Siri Carpeneter, "all of us harbor biases that we consciously abhor. And the worst part, says Scientific American Mind author Siri Carpenter, WE ACT ON THEM."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before reading this article had you an experience which surprised you because a prejudicial statement came uncontrollably pouring out of your mouth which contradicted your belief you were not prejudiced? If so, would you care to share it with us? If you have never had such an experience why do you think you haven't?
2. Social psychologist and science writer Siri Carpenter says, "All of us hold unconscious cliched [subtle] beliefs about social groups: black and white, female and male, elderly and young, gay and straight, fat and thin . . . which we consciously abhor. And the worst part is we act on them." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 33).
3. Carpenter says, "Such implicit bias is far more prevalent than the more overt, or explicit, prejudice that we associate with, the instance, the Ku Klux Klan or the Nazis." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 34-35)
4. The author cites one study which showed, ". . . white preschoolers tended to categorize racially ambiguous angry faces as black rather than white; they did not do so for happy faces." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 35, 3rd col, last para)
5. She observes, "Certain social scenarios can automatically activate implicit stereotypes and attitudes, which then can affect our perceptions, judgments and behavior, including the choice of whom to befriend, whom to hire and, in the case of doctors, what treatment to deliver." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 34)
6. She says, "People tend to mistake a harmless object such as a wallet for gun if a black face accompanies it. This 'weapon bias' might have played a role in the tragic shooting of West African immigrant Amadou Diallo in New York City." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 36-37)
7. In the final paragraph of her article Siri Carpenter writes, ". . . we have a choice about how to respond [to our biases]. We can respond with sadness or, worse, with apathy. Or we can react with a determination to overcome bias. 'The capacity for change is deep and great in us.' But do we want the change?" What are your feelings and thoughts?
8. Is there a process we can use to learn to liberate ourselves from our deeply buried prejudices and biases and learn to manage them? Yes, here is one cocreated by Bob Johnston and his psychospiritual consultant OM:
This affirmational meditation process is useful for clearing one's soul from the bondage of unwanted involuntarily learned beliefs, values, implicit and explicit prejudices and biases, and behaviors blocking one's health, free thinking, creativity and effectiveness, and respect for the inherent worth and dignity of others:
1) Along with everyone else, I am a constituent of our infinite ageless Source of all individuals of all beliefs, skin colors, cultures, societies, values, and gender orientations.
2) I am not any temporal belief relative to a feeling, thought, behavior, image, identity or material possession;
3) I transcend, own and include in my repertoire of beliefs all my temporal feelings, thoughts, identities, behaviors and possessions as conscious options;
4) I intend to cocreatively manage as conscious options the use of my beliefs relative to my biases and prejudices in a way mutually respectful and healthful to myself, other entities -- irrespective of race, skin color, gender orientation, values, beliefs -- and our ecosystem;
5) I am open to feedback from my body, dreams, other entities and ecosystem on how well I am doing in managing my optional responses to my biases and prejudices. I make adjustments to my intentions and actions as wanted.
ARTICLE: The Unquiet Ice by Robin E. Bell, Scientific American, February 2008
Introduction: Glaciologist and Scientific American writer Robin E. Bell states, "Abundant liquid water newly discovered underneath the world's great ice sheets could intensify the destablilizing effects of global warming on the sheets. Then, even without melting, the sheets may slide into the sea and raise sea level catastrophically."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article had you heard of an ecosystemic phenomenon called "the unquiet ice"? If so, at that time what were your feelings/thoughts about it?
2. Author Robin E. Bell writes, "Abundant liquid water newly discovered underneath the world's great ice sheets could intensify the destabilizing effects of global warming on the sheets. What do you think prevented Bell and her fellow glaciologists from making this important discovery earlier? Based on the data given us in the article does that seem plausible? Probable? (Ref: p. 60-62).
3. Bell says nothing observable happened until early in the Antarctic summer of 2001-2002 when deep cracks were reported on a site called Larsen B. Soon after a slab about 1,300 square miles of Larsen B had fragmented with nothing remaining but an armada of ice chunks. "Suddenly the possibility that global warming might cause rapid change in the icy polar world was real . . . and elsewhere some of the ice sheets are responding with accelerated slippage and breakup. What is your take on why those processes are so vital to understand? (Ref: p. 62, 2nd col, 2nd para)
4. According to Bell ice sheets are not permanent fixtures on our planet. For example, Greenland and West Antartica probably disappeared for a time, reappeared and are now losing mass. Bell says that in the past five years investigators have developed two important new insights about the processes than can trigger accelerating flows. Let's take a look at them as summarized on page 63, 2nd column, 3rd paragraph.
5. In the left hand side panel on page 66, Bell outlines a timeline leading up to the 2007-2009 International Polar Year which is its fourth official observance . She says more than 50,000 scientists from more than 60 nations have joined the effort to understand the polar environments. Let's take a look at it together. What, if anything, does this timeline suggest to you?
6. Overall, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the scientific findings presented in Robin Bell's report? What are your feelings and thoughts about their possible implications for our future?
ARTICLE: Laws of Nature, Source Unknown by Dennis Overbye, New York Times, December 18, 2007
Introduction: "Gravity,"goes the slogan on posters and bumpers stickers. "It isn't just a good idea. It's the law." And what a law. Unlike, say, traffic or drug laws, you don't have a choice about obeying gravity, observes New York Times writer Dennis Overbye, about obeying gravity or any other law of physics. Jump and you will come back down.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article did you have some idea(s) about what could be called nature's rules or laws for operating? If so, please share a description of one of them.
2. Author Dennis Overbye states, "Unlike, say, traffic or drug laws, you don't have a choice about obeying gravity or any oth the other laws of physics. Jump and you will come back down. Faith or good intentions have nothing to do with it." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 1, 2nd para)
3. The author states, ". . . the idea of rationality in the cosmos has long existed without monotheism. As far back as the fifth century B.C. the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagorus and his followers proclaimed that nature was numbers . . . a transcendent tone that has been popular, especially with mathematicians and theoretical physicists, ever since." Do you agree with Pythagorus et al? Disagree? Why? (Ref; p 3, last para)
4. Referring to Plato and the whole idea of an independent reality in which a law of physics is a pattern that nature obeys without exception, Overbye says ". . . according to the standard interpretation of [quantum mechanics] physics is not about [the world of nature] at all, but about only the outcomes of experiments, of our clumsy interactions with that world." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 5, 2nd-4th para)
5. Philosopher of science Steven Weinstein termed the phrase "law of nature" as "kind of a honorific" bestowed on principles that seem suitably general, useful and deep. How general and deep the laws really are is partly up to nature and partly up to us, since we are the ones who have to use them." Another group, these poet-physicists think that ". . . perhaps Plato is really dead and there are no timeless laws or truths." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 5-6)
6. Following the suggestion that the laws of nature could emerge "higgledy-piggledy" from primordial chaos, some physicists have suggested we should be looking not so much for the ultimate law as for the ultimate program." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p 7, 1st para).
7. In the last paragraph of his article Overbye says, "When in doubt, confronted with the complexities of the world, scientists have no choice but to play their cards as if they can win, as if the universe is indeed comprehensible. That is what they have been doing for more than 2,000 years, and they are still winning." Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
ARTICLE: When Morality is Hard to Like by Jorge Moll and Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza, Scientific American Mind - Feb/March 2008
Introduction: How do we juggle evidence and emotions to make a moral decision? In the past decade or so cognitive scientists have begun examining what happens in the brain when we struggle with moral and ethical decisions. Co-authors Jorge Moll and Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza are director and researcher, respectively, at the Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit at Labs D'Or in Rio de Janeiro.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever been in a situation in which you found yourself in a kind of moral Catch 22? One in which you had to choose between the lesser of two 'evils' . . . you would be damned if you did and damned if you didn't? Or the better of two 'goods'? If so, would you care to tell us about the situation and how you felt and thought as you made your decision?
2. Moll and Oliveira-Souza open their article describing a letter Albert Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt which he knew could affect the WW II and the future of humanity . . . a moral dilemma (whether to disclose scientific evidence that could lead to a fearsomely lethal new [nuclear] weapon) and a utilitarian calculus (Would more lives be spared if America rather than Germany eventually built such a weapon?) Do you agree with what Einstein wrote in that letter? Yes? No? Why?
3. The authors cite a recent paper in the widely respected scientific journal Nature which examined the question of what happens in the brain when we struggle with moral and ethical decisions. Researchers compared moral judgments made by neurologically normal people with those made by people with damage to a brain area known to be active in moral sentiment -- the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). The inset in the lower left corner of page 32 outlines "Where Morality Resides." Let's 'walk through' it discussing the five points as we go.
4. The seeming contradictory results of the two Koenigs studies can be reconciled. The one study which showed the VMPFC-damaged patients playing the ultimatum game, for instance, let their emotions, such as anger and contempt, steer their nonutilitarian decisions to reject unfair offers. And the second study showed VMPFC-damaged patients were more utilitarian when facing difficult moral dilemmas because the damage to the underside of the prefrontal cortex (ventral parts) reduced their prosocial [empathetic] sentiments, which gave a relative advantage to coldhearted reasoning. What are your feelings and thoughts about the implications of these two studies for society? (Ref: pp. 32-35)
5. Getting back now to Einstein's utilitarian choice . . . was it cold-blooded, resulting from emotions being overpowered by pure cognition? Yes? No? Why? (Ref: p. 35)
ARTICLE: I Had the Strangest Dream Last Night: Jeremy Taylor On Dreams As A Tool for Social Change by Karen Karvonen, SUN magazine, March 2006, Issue 363
Introduction:Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley Professor and Unitarian Universalist minister Jeremy Taylor discusses dreams as a tool for social change. Inspired by the work of pioneering psychologist Carl Jung, Taylor believes that our dreams can not only connect us to our authentic selves, but also foster healing in society. He estimates that he has helped people work with more than a hundred thousand dreams.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you remember a 'strange dream' you had last night? If so, would you care to share it with us?
2. On page 2, SUN magazine interviewer Karvonen asks, "Why did you initially turn to dream work to heal racism?" Jeremy Taylor answers, ". . . out of desperation . . . Here we were [Unitarian Universalist volunteers working for reducing racism], strong believers in civil rights and equality, and we had failed to overcome our own unconscious racism." "With the release of our neurotic self-deceptions [through the study of our dreams] came increased mutual respect in our interactions with people in the African American community." What are your feelings and thoughts about Taylor's response?
3. Near the bottom of page 3 Karvonen asks, "What effect did this experience have on you?" to which Taylor responded, "It opened my eyes to the potential of working with dreams as a tool for nonviolent political, social, and cultural change. I saw that if you can touch the unconscious directly, hearts and minds can be changed." Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
4. On page 4, Karvonen asks, "What is the 'collective unconscious' that Jung spoke of, and how are dreams connected to it?" Taylor: Jung theorized that below the personal unconscious, which is connected to a certain individual, there is a vast unconscious that forms the foundation of our common humanity . . . it is the realization that we are one family." What are your feelings and thoughts?
5. Lower on page 4, the interviewer asks, "But we usually think of dreams as personal messages from our own unconscious. Aren't dreams about us?" Taylor's answer, "Dreams carry personal meaning related to our individual experience, and at the same time reach down into the collective unconscious, in that vast foundation . . . the dream is working on everything simultaneously." What are your feelings & thoughts?
6. Karvonen states, "Jung also said that the collective unconscious is made up of 'archetypes.'. What are archetypes, and how are they related to dreams, myths, and folklore?" Taylor responds: "Archetypes are recurring symbolic forms or patterns that carry essentially the same meaning for all people." Can you think of some examples? What are your feelings and thoughts about the usefulness of archetypes?
7. On p. 5, Karvonen says, "You've said that there is no such thing as a bad dream, that the more horrific a nightmare may be, the more significant it is to the dreamer's health and wholeness. Why is this? In a summary statement [p. 6], Taylor says: "All dreams, not just nightmares, are trying to guide the dreamer directly to 'roadblocks' in the psyche (soul): childhood injuries, current self-deception, repressed desires -- in short, all the things that separate us from spiritual health and wholeness." What are your feelings and thoughts?
ARTICLE: Disbelief Despite the Evidence by David Fontana, Shift Dec 2007-Jan 2008
Introduction: Why do so many scientists, religious leaders, and even some parapsychologists resist the evidence that consciousness survives death? The reasons are varied, but as our thirst for meaning grows, the data are finding a more willing and receptive audience. This Shift article is by David Fontana, PhD, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and author of the book Is There an Afterlife?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever found yourself disbelieving something despite the evidence supporting it? If so, what was it and why did you disbelieve? Do you feel-think differently about the evidence now? Why?
2. Psychologist and author David Fontana asks, "Why isn't the evidence (as opposed simply to belief) for survival of physical death more widely known and accepted in the West? . . . The answer is that research into survival of death has to struggle against four influential groups . . . "namely, established science, parapsychology, established religion, and the general public. Can you think of any other groups which should be in that list? Why?
3. As to the first group -- established science -- Fontana says they are resistant because ". . . they simply don't know the evidence even exists. They have never studied it and show little sign of even wanting to study it." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: first page, 2nd col)
4. The second group is parapsychology which despite appearances that it should be the first to support exploration of survival after death questions, "The great majority of parapsychologists are still influenced by the fear that fieldwork research into mediumship, apparitions, and other spontaneous survival-related phenomena risks hindering the scientific acceptance that parapsychology has so painstakingly sought to achieve." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: all of page 27).
5. The third group, established religion, Fontana thinks should in theory be among its strongest supporters but actually opposes research into the after life and related issues ". . . leaving a wide range of unanswered questions, and religion would be greatly strengthened if it could provide answers to them." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 28, 1st col)
6. The fourth and last group is the general public which Fontana says, ". . . does not so much oppose research into survival as avoid it. Death, as we are frequently reminded these days is a taboo subject. We are in fact the only age in which this has become the case." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 28, 2nd col; p. 29, 1st col)
7. Fontana wraps up his article on page 29 with some thoughts about "New Answers". What are your feelings and thoughts about them?
ARTICLE: Talking To The Dead: Laboratory Investigation of Mediumship by Julie Beischel, Shift Dec 2007-Jan 2008
Introduction: Pharmacologist and toxologist Julie Beischel, PhD, says in this article "The scientific study of mediumship has grown increasingly sophisticated,, and the results potentially more relevant to our understanding of the relationship between mind/consciousness and how the brain works."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Researcher and author Julie Beischel opens the article stating "The survival of consciousness -- that is, the continuation of life after death -- is a vital issue to many people. Is it to you? Yes. No. Why?
2. Beischel states "As with the study of any natural phenomenon, bringing mediumship into the regulated environment of the laboratory allows for the controlled and repeated examination of the mediumship process," and she lists three reasons why she believes it important. Let's take a look at those reasons (page 21, 1st column, 2nd paragraph). Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
3. Beischel goes on to outline the research methods used by the Windbridge Institute for Applied Research in Human Potential. Starting at the bottom of page 21, 1st column she outlines a five-step research process. What are your feelings and thoughts about this research methodology?
4. On page 21, 2nd column she discusses how sitter-raters, discarnates and mediums are screened, emphasizing "Before participating in formal research each prospective medium is screened over several months using an intensive screening and training procedure." What are your feelings and thoughts about this screening procedure?
5. On page 22, 2nd column in the section titled "Pairing and Formatting of Research Readings" she discusses the scenario which she says eliminates fraud, cold-reading, rater bias, experimenter cueing, and perhaps even telepathy between the blinded experimenter and the mediums as plausible explanations for the accuracy and specificity of the information the mediums provide during the readings. Are you confident that these procedures would do all that? Yes. No. Why?
6. On page 24, 1st column Beischel describes her scoring methodology and sums up by saying, "This complete scoring system brings clarity, reliability, and validity to the scoring of mediumship readings." Do you agree? Disagree? Why.
7. In the final section of her paper, Beischel describes what she sees to be coming next, followed by the statement "These and similar questions can be answered only with further investigation" What are your feelings and thoughts about that and the strengths and weaknesses of her whole article?
ARTICLE: Peering Into Our Potential: How Neuroscience is Mapping New Paths to Healthy Living by Matthew Solan, Shift, Sept-Nov 2007.
Introduction: "From the placebo effect and meditating monks to the adolescent brain and food cravings," writes science writer Matthew Solan, "the tools of neuroscience keep penetrating the nature of being human." And as they do, new insights are revealed about our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article how much do you feel-think you knew about how neuroscience has been mapping paths to healthy living? A great deal? A moderate amount? Little to none? Can you give us an example or two?
2. Author Matthew Solan cites work being done on how the brain can heal us: One area where neuroimaging has proven to be highly effective is in examining the placebo effect. Another is in providing psychotherapy with deeper insights and additional options for treatment. A third area is deep brain stimulation, a potential therapy for people with treatment-resistant depression; a fourth is meditation and its effects on the brain relative to promoting cortical plasticity in adults. What are your feelings and thoughts about these studies? (Ref: pp 12-15)
3. Solan describes studies being done by education professor Raleigh Philp relative to decoding adolescent behavior. On page 15, 2nd column he lists five salient points (in italics) emanating from his work. Let's take a look at them together. What are your feelings and thoughts about them?
4. On page 16, 1st column the author tells about the work being done by nueroscientists relative to addiction.and how they have come to see that the linchpin of understanding the disease is dopamine. What are your feelings and thoughts about the findings coming out of this research on addiction?
5. Speaking to what he sees to be a promising future for neuroscience research, Solan wraps up his article by writing in the last paragraph on page 16, "We not only have a greater understanding of the mysterious inner workings of the brain, but we have opened doors into improved psychotherapies, enhanced learning capabilities, and healthier relationships with ourselves and one another." Do you share those feelings with him? Yes? No? Why?
ARTICLE: 5 Essential Things To Do In Space by George Musser, Scientific American, October 2007
Introduction: To a child of the space age, books about the solar system from before 1957 (Sputnik) are vaguely horrifying. How little people knew. All in all, the planets seemed like pretty small places back then, little more than smudges of light. Earth seemed a lot larger than it does now. No one had ever seen our planet as a planet: a blue marble on black velvet, coated with a fragile veneer of water and air. In this article George Musser describes how today planetary scientists are articulating goals for exploring the solar system.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Since the launch of Sputnik into space by the USSR in 1957 how to what degree have you followed the evolution of the world's various space explorations? Why?
2. Science writer George Musser writes that the National Research Council (NRC) panel that scrutinizes the NASA's Earth observation program lists five priorities. The first is to monitor our Earth's climate, the action plan for which cludes funding 17 new satellites proposed by the NRC over the next decade (estimated cost: $500 million a year; and, second, to found a climate agency. Do you agree with this action plan? Yes? No? Why? (Ref: p. 70)
3. Musser says "Like climate monitoring, guarding the planet from asteroids always seems to fall between the cracks . . . no agency has a mandate to stave off human extinction. Thus the NRC's second priority is prepare an asteroid defense, the action plan for which is threefold: One, extend asteroid search to smaller bodies, perhaps using a dedicated infrared space telescope; Two, deflect an asteroid in a controlled way as a trial run; and Three, develop an official systems for evaluating potential threats. Do you agree with the action plan? Yes? No? Why? (Ref: p. 72-73)
4. The NRC's third priority is to seek out new life. "The search is not just about finding companionship in the cosmos. It is about divining our own origins. The goal is to "analyze the surface organics to see if there are systematic trends that suggest the start of self-organization, which is how most origins of life people think life began on Earth." The action plan includes: one, get the Martian rover sample return on track; and two, gear up for returning to Europa (an orbiter to measure how the satellite's shape and gravitational field respond to tides raised by Jupiter) and Titan (a hot air balloon which could dip down every now and then to grab rocks and dirt.). What are your feelings and thoughts about this action plan? (Ref: p. 72, 1st col to p. 73)
5. NRC's fourth priority is to explain the genesis of the planets. Studies of the origin of the planets overlap quite a bit with studies of the origins of life . . . Venus sits at the inner edge of the habitable zone. Mars sits at the outer edge. Earth sits in the middle . . . understanding the differences between those planets is central to asking about life beyond our solar system." The action plan is to return samples from a comet nucleus, the moon and Venus. What are your feelings and thoughts about this fourth priority and action plan? (Ref; pp 74-74)
6. The fifth NRC priority is to break out of the solar system. A new spacecraft would measure the abundance of amino acids in interstellar particles to how much of the solar system organics came from beyond; and many other goals too numerous to list here so lets read them starting on page 74, 3rd column, starting with the third paragraph under the priority five (5) heading. After reading all that let's consider the action plan which is to begin developing and testing technology for an interstellar probe. Do you agree with the action plan? Yes? No? Why?
7. Overall, what do you feel/think are the strengths and weaknesses of our U.S. space program? Why?
ARTICLE: Windows on the Mind by Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen L. Macknik, Scientific American August 2007
Introduction: As you read this, your eyes are rapidly flicking from left to right in small hops, bringing each word sequentially into focus. According to science writers Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen L. Macknik, once scorned as nervous tics, those tiny, unconscious flicks of the eyes now turn out to underpin much of our ability to see. These movements may even reveal subliminal thoughts.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article had you given any thought to those unconscious flicks of the eyes called "nervous tics?" If so, what was at least one of the thoughts and the level of concern you may have had?
2. On the first page of the article, left side, the authors list three Key Concepts highlighted in the paper. Let's consider them one by one. Do you find them believable? What are your feelings and thoughts about each?
3. On page 58 there is a graphic titled "Miniature Eye Movements Revealed." Did you try the suggested exercises? Did you experience the results the authors suggested you would? If yes, how much of that could be the result of 'wish fulfillment' or 'self-fulfilling prophecy'? Why?
4. On page 59, the authors give us another exercise [see the large box]. Have you tried it? Again, Did you experience the results the authors suggested you would? If yes, how much of that could be the result of 'wish fulfillment' or 'self-fulfilling prophecy'? Why?
5. The authors state, "You may avert your eyes from that last piece of cake or an attractive man or woman near you, but the rate and direction of your microsaccades betray your true focus." Do you feel/think the research presented in this paper is sufficient to support the conclusion that it is based on valid and reliable evidence? Why? Why not? (Ref: pages 62-63)
6. Do you see such betrayal of your true attentional spotlight (described in 5. above) to be of practical concern right now? Yes? No? Why?
ARTICLE: Beyond Male and Female by Carol Lee Flinders, www.science-spirit.org
Introduction: Down through history mystics have forged paths that transcend gender. In most monotheistic religions, believers see themselves as reflections of their version of a creator. That's one reason 'God' is so often described as being male or female. "Many mystics," says Science & Spirit writer Carol Lee Flinders, "those who experience direct union with their timeless Source -- have seen something else. They look beyond the either/or of gender and see a 'oneness' or 'unison' that transcends male and female."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article had you given any thought to the possible value of something beyond male and female? If so, would you care to share those thoughts with the rest of us?
2. Science and Spirit writer Carol Lee Flinders says, "In most monotheistic religions, believers see themselves as reflections of their creator. That's one reason God is so often described as being male or female. Many mystics . . . have seen something else . . . they look beyond the either/or of gender and seek a 'oneness' or 'unison' that transcends male and female." Is this a useful concept for us to consider adopting? Yes? No? Why? (Ref; 1st page, 2nd col)
3. Flinders goes on to say, "Mysticism is generally defined as a quest for direct experience of, or union with, the divine. Many observers say mysticism is experiencing a revival today in meditation, prayer and study." What do you feel and think the implications of that (if true) are for the individuals engaged in this quest? For society at large? For our ecosystem? (Ref; p. 43, 1st col, 2nd para)
4. What are your feelings and thoughts about the author's reference to the writer Paul's declaration in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."? (Ref: p. 43, 1st col, 7th para)
5. What are your feelings and thoughts about the inset titled "In the Eyes of the Beholder" which alleges U.S. men and women have preferences in their deity? Women see God as more engaged in the world, and men have higher rates of atheism (7.8 percent).
6. Some of you have seen my electric battery depiction of another way to show how an integration of male and female attributes can represent both the equal importance of female (anima - yin) and male (animus - yang) and at the same time male and female principles as complementary opposites. Here it is again in the context of today's discussion.
See http://www.shiftinaction.com/node/5361.
What are your feelings and thoughts about it in light (no pun intended) of our earlier discussion?
For those interested in an affirmational meditation for realizing greater flexibility, gender harmony, versatility, creativity, etc, here is one which can be useful:
1. I am a timeless constituent of the cosmic 'ocean' of our all-pervading Source who appears to use our all-encompassing psycho-electro-magnetic energy field as its medium of intra- and intercommunication.
2. I am not anything temporal, such as my beliefs, values, attitudes, intentions, behaviors and material possessions. Accordingly, my intelligence is neither anima or animus.
3. While neither anima or animus in intelligence, I transcend, include and integrate both intelligences into one harmonious integral intelligence which I assume I am delegated by our Source to use at will within known healthful parameters of my being.
4. I cocreatively self-manage my deployment of the full range (keyboard?) of options existentially available to me in choosing responses to sensations within my body, communications with other people and our ecosystem. I remember that any response I misuse or overuse may result in dysfunction and illness -- individually, socially and ecosystemically.
5. I am receptive to feedback from my dreams, my body sensations, other people and our ecosystem and make adjustments in my intentions and behavior as I see fit.
By Robert Wayne Johnston - December 26, 2007
ARTICLE: A Case for Double-Edged Optimism (and other surprises from the mind-body lab) by Paul Raeburn in Psychology Today, May-June 2006
Introduction: Personality and outlook are critical for staying healthy but a sunny disposition only goes so far. For some, a shot of pessimism packs more medicinal punch. From good stress to lethal optimism, this Psychology Today article by Paul Raeburn discusses some new rules of the immunity game.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article what were your ideas about optimism and its affect on your biochemistry?
2. Writer Paul Raeburn starts the article with a case study featuring the life of Brian who suffered from poor self-image yet became a success which triggered a series of depression, next alcoholism, then obesity and finally heart disease so severe he couldn't go on his book signing tour. Duke scientists say that the Brians among us stay healthier when success is more modest and slower to arrive. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: pp 74-76, 1st col)
3. Raeburn cites research which shows that stress can prime the immune system, making us stronger. In the section titled "The Sweat Boost" on page 78, second column, he says "We've known for years that moderate exercise boosts the immune system . . . but exercise, like personality, has a nuanced impact on immunity" He then cites four of those "nuances." What are your feelings and thoughts about them?
4. On page 78, first column in the section titled "Find Your Crowd," he writes, "People cultivating a few close friendships can be just as rich in emotional nourishment as those belonging to larger social networks, right? Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
5. On the same page, second column under the sub-heading "Keeping Self-Esteem and Success in Sync" Raeburn describes the phenomenon, called 'self-discrepancy,' which occurs when self-image differs markedly from one's actual self, your wished-for self or the unfolding of life events. In a study of healthy college students blood tests showed that students with fewer discrepancies had a greater killer T cell count. What are your feelings and thoughts about possible implications for us as retired older adults?
6. In the subsection on page 79, first column, titled "The Curiosity Cure" the author says, "The connection between good health and optimism is widely accepted but studies show that optimism seasoned by reality works best." Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
7. We've heard of the impatient, anxious and hostile Type A personality and the calmer, happier Type B, but now there is a Type D who has a killer personality -- characterized by cynicism, hostility and keeping bad feelings inside -- and is four times more likely than the others to die from coronary heart failure. What are your feelings and thoughts about why that is? (Ref: p. 79, 1st and 2nd col)
8. On the last page, last section titled "Setting Your PNI Thermostat" the author writes, "Finding the right temperature for mood and expression requires careful adjustment. As soon as you think you have the dial set on 'healthy' you may need to turn it a notch." Then he lists four possible adjustments. What are your feelings and thoughts about them?
ARTICLE: Your World: Ten Emerging Trends That Could Reshape Our Lives Over the Next 10 Years. ODE magazine, December 2005
Introduction: Real change often arrives in disquise. However it is possible to read the signs all around us. Some small things today will be big and influential tomorrow. This article suggests "The best way to predict the culture is to help create it." We will discuss 10 new developments detected as already underway that could reshape the world, your world.
DISCUSSION POINTS (in lieu of discussion questions this time . . . see article for details)
1) Just do it . . . yourself. The reign of experts is nearly over
2) Hello and welcome, everyone. Diversity is central to economic and cultural vitality
3) Liberation of education. Farewell to standardized test, assembly-line schools and one-size-fits all curriculum
4) Natural health. Healing is less about battling disease and more about co-operating with our own bodies
5) Global goes local. The rise of regional power will redraw our maps once
6) Who are you really? A revolution of authenticity brings surprising social change
7) A new spirit. Peace, at last, in the war between science and spirituality
8) We are family. The return of the tribe -- but with one key difference
9) Abundance! Our hardest lesson may be accepting the bounty of the universe
10) From greed to need. Business will evolve beyond profit
Plus an extra idea . . . Let's get civilized. The most important of all?
ARTICLE: The Value of Skepticism: Is Skepticism a Negative or a Positive for Science and Humanity? Deepak Chopra v. Michael Shermer Debate, eSkeptic.com or Huffington Post archives.
Introduction: This 'debate' was initiated by Deepak Chopra, MD, after he and Michael Shermer, PhD, exchanged Huffington Post blogs on the topic of Intelligent Design. While both oppose ID their written debate evolved to Deepak's suggestion in an article to eSkeptic magazine that there is scientific evidence of intelligent consciousness in the universe as evidenced by findings from quantum physics. He invited skeptic Shermer to respond. Therein lies the context for their 'debate'.
ARTICLES: Mind Reading by Annie Murphy Paul, Psychology Today, Sept-Oct 2007 and Sleights of Mind by George Johnson, The New York Times, August 21, 2007
Introduction: "Whether we know it or not we're all street corner psychics," says author of this Psychology Today article Annie Murphy Paul. "Without the ability to divine others' thoughts and feelings, we couldn't handle the simplest social situations -- or achieve true intimacy with others." What would stage magician and paranormal skeptic James Randi say about such everyday parasensory experiences? What are your feelings and thoughts about being a "street corner psychic"?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before reading this article on mind reading had you had an experience, or experiences, during which you had the distinct impression you were reading another person's mind? If your answer is yes would you like to share one such instance with us?
2. Article author Annie Murphy Paul writes, "Mind-reading ability is perhaps the most urgent element of social intelligence. Do it poorly and consequences are serious. It can lead to conflict born of misunderstanding." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 4, 1st col, 2nd and 3rd para)
3. Paul says, "It's astonishing that we can peer into each other's minds at all -- but in truth we generally don't do it all that well." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 4, 1st col, 4th para)
4. She discusses mind reading as a sixth sense which utilizes the other five senses including reading body language as well as the content of speech . . . words matter. What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: all p. 5)
5. Research on mind reading offers more surprises. You might think that high scorers on tests of sensitivity would be great mind readers. But they aren't. Neither are professional listeners . . . such as psychics and psychotherapists . . . however, they're significantly more accurate in making inferences based on language." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 6, 2nd col, last para)
6. The author says, "For anyone in a relationship, the art of mind reading demands knowing when to probe and when to leave well enough alone, a strategy that calls for an old-fashioned virtue: discretion . . . You may have a pretty good idea of what's going on in there, but you respect your partner's boundaries, and your partner respects yours." What are your feelings and thoughts about section on "How to Be a Better Mind Reader" (Ref: p. 7, 1st col, last section and p. 5 inset)
7. In the article "Sleights of Mind" George Johnson tells about experiences with scientists and magicians attending a scientific conference on consciousness. On the last page of the article he writes "With a grab bag of devices accumulated over the eons, the brain pulls off the ultimate conjuring act: the subjective sense of I. "Stage magicians [like James Randi] know that a collection of cheap tricks will often suffice to produce 'magic,'" Dr. Dennett has written, "and so does Mother Nature, the ultimate gadgeteer." What are your feelings and thoughts about those observations in relation to our earlier article on mind reading?
ARTICLE: Dealing with Fear by presumably a Buddhist author. You may obtain a copy by writing to me at omnimind@admin.umass.edu
Introduction: Many of our present fears are rooted in what Buddha identified as "delusions" -- distorted ways of looking at oneself and the world around us. If we learn to control the contents of our mind, and reduce and eventually eliminate these delusions, says the author of this article, the source of all our fear -- healthy and unhealthy -- is transcended and can be self-managed.
1. Have you studied and practiced the Buddhist approach to dealing with fear? If so, generally speaking, what was your experience with it?
2. According to Buddhism there is unhealthy (deluded) fear and healthy (undeluded) fear. Do you agree with Buddhism's two types of fear? Yes. No. Why? (Ref: pp 1-3)
3. Buddhist authors of this article believe that the root of fear all boils down to those that arise from attachment, those that arise from anger and hatred and, in particular, fears that arise from the mind of self-grasping ignorance, which is the root of all other delusions, and thus the source of all fears. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: pp 4-7)
4. Near the bottom of page 7 thru the top of page 8, the authors offer a seven-step process for overcoming fear. Did you try it? If so, how did it work for you in overcoming your fear(s)? What are its strengths and weaknesses from your experience?
5. According to Buddhists, there are two causes of refuge or inner protection fear and faith. Fear to them means a realistic and healthy awareness of our vulnerability and the danger we are in. The fact is that as long as we are in samsara (cycle of birth-life-death-rebirth) we are never safe. However, there are three jewels -- Buddha Jewel, Dharma Jewel, and Sangha Jewel -- which are the objects of faith and refuge. What are your feelings and thoughts about these three "objects of faith and refuge?" (Ref: pp. 8-9)
6. According to the author(s) of this article, Buddha said love overcomes fear thus meditation on love is the best armor. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p 9)
7. Buddhists hold that ". . . if we base our life on a realistic awareness of our mortality, we shall regard our spiritual development as far more important than the attainments of this world, and we shall view our time in this world principally as an opportunity to cultivate positive minds such as patience, love, compassion, and wisdom." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: pp 10 & 11)
8. They say, "The only way to free our mind of delusions [unhealthful fears] is to make a conscious, concerted effort to apply their opponents. Each delusion has a specific opponent . . . The more we familiarize our mind with these opponents, the weaker our delusions will become." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: pp 12-13)
ARTICLE: The Universe's Invisible Hand by Christopher Conselice, Scientific American, February 2007
Introduction: The detection of dark energy ranks among the most revolutionary discoveries in 20th century cosmology. It not only makes up about 95% of the universe -- the remaining 5% being light -- says Scientific American writer and astronomer Christopher Conselice, but also hurries along the expansion of the universe. If its existence stands the test of time, new theories of physics and cosmic intelligence will probably be required.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article what did you think of when you heard the term "dark energy"?
2. On page 36, contained in the inset titled Overview/Dark Energy, astronomer Christopher Conselice outlines what he thinks Dark Energy is. What is your interpretation of what he is saying? What are your feelings and thoughts about it?
3. On page 37, in the darkened inset titled Evidence for Dark Energy, the author overviews five areas of evidence. While we don't have the benefit of his research data to critique, based on what he has given us here what are your feelings and thoughts about the validity and reliability of the evidence cited?
4. On page 38, Conselice underlines his view of Dark Energy as Cosmic Sculptor by briefly outlining how Dark Energy Takes Charge. In making those attributions what do you feel or think his underlying assumptions are about the intelligence, if any, of Dark Energy? Why?
5. On page 40, the author depicts some "What-If Scenarios". If you were the Cosmic Sculptor dubbed Dark Energy which scenario would you prefer? Why?
6. Conselice says, "Although these processes may seem distant, the way galaxies form has an influence on our own existence . . . If lower star formation rates meant that these elements . . . heavier than lithium . . . did not form in great abundance . . . life itself might never have arisen. In this way, dark energy could have had a profound effect on many different and seemingly unrelated aspects of the universe, and perhaps even on the detailed history of our own planet. What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 41, 2nd col, 2nd para)
7. In closing his article, Conselice writes, "Dark energy is by no means finished with its work. It may appear to benefit life: the acceleration will prevent the eventual collapse that was a worry of astronomers not so long ago. But dark energy brings other risks. At the very least, it pulls apart distant galaxies, making them recede so fast that we lose sight of them for good . . . Worse, dark energy might be evolving . . . Ultimately, planet Earth will be stripped from the sun and shredded, along with all objects on it." How does all that grab you?
ARTICLE: How Evolution Works by Elisabet Sahtouris, "Google" LifeWeb:The Writings of Elisabet Sahtouris
Introduction: Pioneering post-Darwinian evolutionary biologist Elisabet Sahtouris writes "What a fascinating and bold exercise it is to stand at this historic millennial juncture looking back into our past as we attempt to look forward another thousand years -- and in that broad timeframe to address the question of "How Evolution Works" . . ."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article what were your ideas about how evolution works? Did you view them as dogma? Yes? No? Why.
2. Elisabet Sahtouris cites Russian geologist Vladimir Vernadsky who "viewed life as a "disperse of rock . . . as a geochemical process that transforms rock into highly active living matter. In this view life is thus a kind of planetary metabolic activity . . ."What are your feelings and thoughts about Vernadsky's view of life?
(Ref: page 2, 6th paragraph)
3. Sahtouris says, "In seeing the billions of years of Earth's evolution as a single process we begin to comprehend its larger patterns, such as that of interwoven species co-evolving with each other, demonstrating a pattern of maturation from young acquisitive and competitive species that multiply as rapidly as possible and take over all the resources and territory they can to mature cooperative species sharing resources and contributing to each others' livelihoods in more stable ecosystems such as rainforests or prairies." What are your feelings and thoughts about her vision? (Ref: p. 3, 7th para)
4. "Most notably," she says, "our view of DNA as a fixed 'blueprint' in each creature, altered only by accidents in the course of evolution, is changing dramatically. We are still in early stages of an exciting new view of DNA as complex self-organizing system in communication with other such systems, notably the cell membrane, such that DNA responds with apparent intelligence to information about events outside its cell and even outside the multicelled organism in which it resides." What are your feelings and thoughts about this new view of DNA? (Ref: p. 4, 1st para in The DNA Revolution section)
5. Sahtouris writes, "This growing body of evidence suggests that evolution may proceed much faster under stress than was thought possible. It also reveals how the world wide web of DNA information exchange invented by Archean bacteria still functions today, not only among bacteria as always, but also within multicelled creatures and among species. As UMass microbiologist Lynn Margulis puts it: "Evolution is no linear family tree, but change in the single multidimensional being that has grown to cover the entire surface of Earth." What are your feelings and thoughts about those statements?
6. She quotes Muktananda who says "Universal Consciousness creates this universe in total freedom . . . Contemporary scientists are becoming aware that the basis of the universe is energy . . . the entire world is the play of this energy. Within its own being, by its own free will, it manifests this universe of diversities and becomes all the forms and shapes we see around us. This energy pervades every particle of the universe, from the supreme principle to the tiniest insect, and performs infinite functions . . it permeates the human body, filling it from head to toe . . this energy powers our bodies." To you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 9, 6th para)
7. Let's read Elisabet's final paragraph on page 10. After completion of our reading, let's discuss your your feelings and thoughts about it.
ARTICLE: The Secret Behind the Secret by Ingrid Hansen Smythe. eSkeptic magazine www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-03-07.html · Cached page; together with the DVD presentation of The Secret.
Introduction: Psst! Have you heard The Secret? If not, the first thing you need to know," says eSkeptic writer Ingrid Hansen Smythe, "is that The Secret isn't a secret." Well, maybe, maybe not. We will view the DVD presentation of The Secret and discuss Smythe's article, the theme of which is that "whenever the very name of a thing is a contradiction of the things itself, it is easy to imagine that the bridge up ahead may be washed out." Or is it? What are your feelings and thoughts about the pros and cons of The Secret?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before reading the announcement regarding our topic today had you heard about "The Secret" as described by Rhonda Byrne? If so, what was your initial reaction to it?
2. Ingrid Hansen Smythe says Byrne's concept of The Secret is based on "The Law of Attraction" which asserts what you think creates what you feel, and these feelings flow from your body as magnetic energy waves over vast distances, which then cause the universe around you to vibrate at the same energy levels as your feelings . . . Like attracts like . . . It always works, it works every time, with every person . . . There is no such thing as accident or coincidence . . ." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: page 1, 2nd para)
3. The author says there are 100 assertions that constitute the backbone of the Law of Attraction, 15 of which are listed starting near the bottom of page one (1). What are your feelings and thoughts about them?
4. Smythe writes, "One needn't quarrel with the psychology behind some of The Secret's hysterically cheery rah-rah motivational coaching. For instance, their 'Don't be a Negative Sourpuss' philosophy has its roots in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a psychological approach to altering maladaptive, unrealistic and negative thoughts in an effort to change feelings and, as a result, behavior." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 2, 2nd para)
5. She says, ". . . even if The Law of Attraction was logically consistent and scientifically sound, the moral implications of a Law such as this are alarming . . . some of the difficulties with The Law of Attraction are similar to those encountered in the Law of Karma." What are your feelings and thoughts?
(Ref: p. 4, 2nd para)
6. The author asks, "Given the moral defects, the lack of scientific backing, and the various philosophical shortcomings, how is it that a significant number of people still believe there's something to the Law of Attraction? What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 5, 3rd para)
7. Smythe closes her article: "[The Secret] is just another kind of magical thinking and, worse, another brand of fundamentalism." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 5, last sentence)
ARTICLE: The Unsolved Mystery by Susan Blackmore. Science & Spirit, July-August 2006
Introduction: Science & Spirit writer Susan Blackmore in her book Conversations on Consciousness: What the Best Minds Think About the Brain, Free will and What It Means to be Human says in this article, "Conversations with some of the world's foremost thinkers raise questions about the very thing that makes us human -- and shed light on the uniquely difficult problem of studying ourselves."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you have a definition of consciousness? If so, what is it? What is it not?
2. Writer Susan Blackmore says, "Consciousness is said to be the deepest mystery confronting science, with philosophers, neuroscientists and psychologists fighting over who has the best way of explaining it." Is it the deepest mystery confronting science? Yes? No? Why? (Ref: p. 74, 1st col, 1st sentence)
3. She says to David Chalmers, "You have made an analogy here with trying to understand life. Some people say that consciousness is going to be just the same -- that when we really understand all the mechanisms in the brain, we'll understand consciousness. Why don't you think it's like that? Why isn't that a fair analogy?" (Ref: p. 75, 1st col, 4th para)
4. Daniel Dennett says, ". . . I think the reason that we find consciousness so hard is that we have evolved a certain capacity for self-knowledge, a certain access to ourselves which gives us subjective experience, which gives us a way of looking our at our world from where we are. And this just turns out to be very hard to understand . . . Each one of us is trapped within a point of view. I can't ever get inside your head, and you can't ever get inside mine." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 75, 2nd col, 3rd para)
5. Regarding the problem of free will: John Searle quotes Kant who pointed out that "it's characteristic of conscious decision making that you can't proceed except on the presupposition of free will and that even if you try to deny it -- if you say, 'Well I don't believe in free will, so I won't do anything" -- that is itself only intelligible to you as an exercise of free will.'" Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 76, 2nd col, 5th para)
6. Blackmore says, "Then you say it's impossible to live without that sense of having free will, I dispute that. I've tried very hard and, to some extent it does gradually go away." Do you agree with Blackmore? Disagree? Why? (Ref: last page, 4th para)
7. Her final assertion is that, "The whole point about this determinist sort of theory is that the decisions will be made; they will be made not by a conscious rational agent, but by all the underlying processes." Do you agree? Disagree? Why?(Ref: last page, last para)
ARTICLE: Mammoth in the Garden -- Why the Harmonization of Science and Religion is a Strong Human Need by Paul T. Gross. www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-02-21
Introduction: Hot debate over evolution, creationism, and science education for children is mainly a USA affair -- so far. But commentators elsewhere, especially in Europe, needn't be smug. It is in full career wherever one of the Abrahamic religions is established or is the majority faith. Three new books reviewed by Paul R. Gross provide some insights we may find useful if we are to understand the conflict.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article had you viewed the harmonization of science and religion as a strong human need? Yes? No? Why?
2. Author Paul Gross writes, "Hot debate over evolution, creationism, and science education for children is mainly an USA affair . . . " "It is in full career wherever one of the Abrahamic religions is established or is the majority faith." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 1, 1st para)
3. Gross asks, "Why . . . do the debates rage on, even in deadly serious politics, when we have so many serious problems to solve?" What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 1, 3rd para)
4. He says there are three new books which provide insights we will need if we are to understand the conflict. First he cites Arthur McCallas's The Creationist's Debate, who argues, "It is the surviving assurance . . . for all who fear that to dispute any plain sense of the Bible is to deny the whole. What, however, of the new evidence ignored? Is it really strong enough to justify taking any passage of Scripture as mere metaphor?" Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p.3, 3rd para)
5. The second book is Creatures of Accident by Wallace Arthur who insists upon conclusions based solely on evidence from testing. He cannot therefore consider Scripture a useful source on the history and mechanisms of life . . . but that leads him away from any rejection of a role for a Creator and toward what he thinks is agnosticism . . . [which] represents a lack of belief in either direction." What are your feelings and thoughts about his view? (Ref: p. 4, 2nd para)
6. The third is Francis S. Collins. He is a resolute born again Christian who is opposed to intelligent design and authored The Language of God. He tells us that conflict between religion and science is not about science, but about [acceptance of] the historicity of Scripture. As to the problem of 'evil', he thinks if his God were to reveal himself too clearly, humanity would become uniformly believing, and that wouldn't be 'interesting'." Your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 5, 4th para)
7. In his last paragraph author Paul Gross says, "We are, sometimes unfortunately, a social species. The only question is whether the comforts of the selectable sacred, of ignoring those mammoths buried in the garden, are on balance good or bad for human life. The jury is still out." What are your feelings and thoughts?
ARTICLE: The Strange Case of Homeopathy by Michael Castleman, April 2004 issue of Psychology Today.
Introduction: Is homeopathy a miracle cure, placebo or nothing at all? Natural health writer Michael Castleman writes, "Homeopathy is one of many alternative therapies gaining momentum to combat conditions and diseases such as stress, high cholesterol and osteoporosis." He includes descriptions of a few well-used remedies.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you have you ever had homeopathic treatments? If so, are you comfortable sharing one of them with us?
2. Author Michael Castleman quotes Michael Carlston, M.D. who says, "Critics of homeopathy say that because its mechanism of action can't be explained, it can't possibly work . . ." Do you agree with the critics? Yes? No? Why? (Ref: 1st page, 2nd col, 3rd para)
3. "This is the fundamental principle of homeopathy, the Law of Similars. It's the idea that illness can be cured by substances -- plant, animal or mineral -- that evoke the same symptoms in those who are well."
What are your feelings and thoughts about the Law of Similars? (Ref: first page, 2nd col, last para and following page, 1st col, 4th para)
4. Castleman says, "Homeopathy was controversial from the outset because of [Dr.] Hahnemann's other postulate, the Law of Potentization, which holds that homeopathic medicines grow stronger as they became more dilute." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: 2nd page, 1st col, last para)
5. The author writes, "Critics dismissed homeopathic treatment as placebo . . . Placebos have no direct impact on the body. But when given to treat almost any illness -- from colds to serious conditions --about one-third of recipients report benefits. 'Placebos work as well as they do because of the mind's ablity to affect the body.'" What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: second page, 2nd col, 5th and 6th paras)
6. "Ambiguous as the evidence is, in recent years homeopathy has enjoyed renewed popularity in the U.S., coinciding with Americans' ambivalence about mainstream medicine . . . Americans have not lost confidence in physicians -- they've just expanded their view of what's medically helpful, believing that the combination of mainstream and alternative medicine will provide the best results." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: last page, 1st col, 2nd and 3rd paras)
7. In the last paragraph the author relates, "Max's experience led Lansky to quit her job and study homeopathy full-time. Last fall, she hung out a shingle. 'As a scientist,' she explains, ' I recognize that homeopathy is implausible. But I've seen it cure my son." What are your feelings and thoughts?
ARTICLE: The God Experiments by John Horgan. Discover magazine, December 2006
Introduction: Suppose scientists found a way to give us permanent, blissful, mystical self-transcendence. Would you want that power? Researchers - an anthropologist, some neuroscientists and a geneticist -are taking science where it's never gone before, says author of this article John Horgan. One study revealed some overlap between the neural activity of self-transcendence and of sexual pleasure.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you had a mystical experience? If so, would you care to share it with us your feelings/thoughts/ sensations/intuitions as you experienced it?
2. Author John Horgan tells how "Neuroscientist Michael Persinger claimed he had induced religious experiences in subjects by stimulating specific regions of their brains with electromagnetic pulses." Persinger explains religious experiences with a pathological slant, i.e. "When the brain is mildly disrupted -- by a head injury, psychological trauma, stroke, drugs, or epileptic seizure -- our left-brain may interpret activity within the right hemisphere as another self, or what Persinger calls a 'sensed presence'." What are your feelings and thoughts about his approach? (Ref: 52, 1st and 2nd cols; following page and p. 55, 1st col)
3. Horgan cites the work of anthropologist Stewart Guthrie at Fordham University who says, ". . . the belief in supernatural beings is a result of an illusion that arises from our tendency to project human qualities onto the world. Religion 'may be best understood as systematic anthropomorphism.'" Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 54, 1st col, 3rd para)
4. The focus of neuroscientist Andrew Newberg at the University of Pennsylvania has been ". . . on the tendency of people from different religious traditions to report similar mystical experiences, which typically involve sensations of self-transcendence and 'oneness'. . . . an 'evolutionary perspective suggests that the neurobiology of mystical experience arose, at least in part, from the mechanism of the sexual response.'" What do you see to be the strengths and weaknesses of Newberg's conclusion? (Ref: 54, 1st col, last para and following col)
5. Head of gene structure and regulation at the National Cancer Institute Dean Hamer is endeavoring to link religion to a specific gene, i.e. "The God Gene". What are your feelings and thoughts about his approach? (Ref: p. 55, 2nd col bottom right and p. 56, 1st col)
6. Psychiatrist Strassman traces spirituality to a single compound, di-methyl-trypta-mine (DMT) which he hypothesizes triggers mystical visions, psychotic hallucinations, alien-abduction experiences, near-death experiences, and other exotic cognitive phenomena.What are your feelings and thoughts about his finding? (Ref: p. 56, 1st col bottom para and 2nd col to p. 57)
7. In the final paragraph the author asks, "Suppose scientists found a way to give us permanent, blissful, mystical self-transcendence. Would we want that power?" Would you?
ARTICLE: Reason and Reverance by William R. Murry. UU WORLD, Winter 2006
Introduction: In this article The Rev. Dr. William R.Murry, former president of the Unitarian Universalist Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago writes, "A new religious humanism is emerging that offers depth, meaning, and purpose without sacrificing intellectual honesty or the spiritual dimension."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Are you a humanist and didn't know it until you read this article? Yes? No? If yes, what beliefs and values do you share with humanists?
2. William Murry says, ". . . integrating religious humanism with religious naturalism results in a greater spiritual depth and a language of reverence, both of which many find missing in traditional religious humanism. This emergent form of humanism also provides a meaningful story, the epic of evolution." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 19, 2nd col, 3rd para)
3. Murry says, "[Nature]. . . is not a sufficient source of religious meaning because nature is morally neutral or simply amoral. Its only value would seem to be creativity." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 19, 2nd col, last para)
4. The author asserts, "Nature knows nothing of justice, love, kindness, or generosity. Humanism, with its conviction of the dignity and value of all humans and all that follows from the principle, provides the values that naturalism lacks. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 20, 1st col, 1st para)
5. Murry writes, "Although humanistic religious naturalism belongs to the logos type of religion, it does have stories that serve the same function as mysths in providing a narrative understanding of the origin and meaning of the universe and os human life. One of these is the story of cosmic and biological evolution." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 21, 2nd col, 1st para)
6. William Murry says he believes a viable religion of the twenty-first century must include five characteristics . . . starting near the middle of page 22, middle of the second column, let's read and discuss their pros and cons together.
7. In the final paragraph, the author quotes Carl Sagan "A religion that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge." Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
ARTICLE: Heaven -- Where Is It? How Do You Get There? Barbara Walters Special, ABC News, December 20, 2005
Introduction: Nearly nine out of 10 people in the United States say they believe in heaven, according to a recent ABC News poll. But what exactly do people think of when they think of an afterlife and what do they believe is required to get there? This article describes how Barbara Walters traveled to India, Israel and throughout the United States, interviewing religious leaders, scientists, believers and non-believers alike to get a range of perspectives on heaven and the afterlife. Bob Johnston will facilitate our discussion.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before reading this article what did you think of when thinking of an afterlife?
2. Barbara Walters says, "Every culture has wrestled with the question of an afterlife, and most have come to a similar conclusion: The bad end up in Hell, the good go to Heaven." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 1, 3rd para)
3. Actor Richard Gere, a longtime follower of Buddhism, told Walters, "I don't think necessarily heaven and hell happen in some other life. I think it's right now." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 2, 6th para)
4. Geneticist Dr. Dean Hamer told Barbara, "Whether a person is spiritual or not is not necessarily a matter of their will. It may be something innate about their personality [determined by their DNA]." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 3, 1st para)
5. "A U.S. News & World Report from the late 1990s says as many as 18 million Americans believe they have had near-death experiences that gave them a glimpse of the afterlife." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 3, last para)
6. Walters talked with Maria Shriver who said, "My daughter, who was about 6 or 7 at the time, started asking me a lot of the same questions I had had as a child, really basic questions: 'Why do you put somebody in a coffin? Where does she go now? Is she scared in the box? Can she breathe in the box?"And what was interesting was that she started answering the questions for herself." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 4, 3rd and 4th paras)
7. When author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom was asked to give his personal take on the afterlife he said, "There's one thing I would say about heaven. If you believe that there's a heaven, your life here on Earth is different." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: last page, last para)
ARTICLE: Nature's Champions, Psychology Today, November-December 2006
This article reports that Americans consult alternative health practitioners some 600 million times a year -- more often than they visit family doctors in that spirit, PT sought out seven natural health pioneers: holistic innovators who specialize in everything from plant power to prayer -- Natalia Rose, Loren Cordain, Ph.D., Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., Effie Poy Yew Chow, Larry Dossey, M.D., Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before reading this article, how would you have described your claim to health and full functioning?
2. Author of The Raw Food Detox Diet, Natalia Rose claims "A careful transition to a diet high in raw foods will detoxify your body, increase your energy levels, and help you lose weight." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 78, upper left side)
3. Promoting the plan of the caveman, Loren Cordain claims "Eating as your ancestors did will keep you lean, healthy, and young." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 78, lower left and 3rd col)
4. Holding to the belief that food is medicine, Tieraona Low Dog claims "The use of plants and herbs -- as both food and medicine -- can enhance our health and well-being. What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 81, upper left corner)
5. Presenting the Qigong show, Effie Poy Yew Chow claims "The practice of Chow Medical Qigong -- a system of slow, meditative movements and regulated breathing to facilitate the flow of Qi, or vital energy, through the body -- can restore health and movement to even the sickest of people." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 81, parts of 1st, 2nd and 3rd cols)
6. Dubbed the "Guru of Grace", Larry Dossey claims "Prayer can have a profound effect on improving health, as can other intangible factors such as optimism, music and plants. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 81, starts in lower right hand corner)
7. Holding that vitamins cure, Andrew W. Saul claims "High doses of vitamins alone can prevent and cure serious illness." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: last page, right side)
8. Now that you have had the benefit (I guess) of discussing the claims of Nature's Champions, how would describe the changes, if any, you are going to make in your integral health practice?
ARTICLE: What Torture Has Taught Me by William F. Schulz. UU WORLD, Winter 2006
Introduction: ". . . nothing has had a deeper impact on me during the past twelve years than my exposure to torture -- meeting both victims and perpetrators of torture, and understanding the profound impact it ha on all of us. Torture has influenced how I understand God, human beings, ministry, and the world." Former Unitarian Universalist president William F. Schulz wrote those words after twelve years at the helm of Amnesty International.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before reading this article had you given any thought to the use of torture? If so, did you come up with any particular position as to its use? If so, would you care to briefly describe it?
2. William Schulz states, "For about 150 years [after 1954] torture went out of vogue as an official instrument of government policy. But in the twentieth century it raised its ugly head again, with an important difference: Torture became an instrument of pleasure, a means of intimidating political opponents, a way to inflict pain on another person the sheer sadistic joy of it." What are your feelings and thoughts about that turn of events? (Ref: p. 1, 7th para)
3. Schulz quotes liberal Christian theologian Sallie McFague, "There is no place where God is not." but adds, "But I would submit tht no God worthy of the name is present in a torture chamber. I have talked to dozens of survivors of torture, read hundreds of others' accounts. I have rarely, with the exception of some Muslim prisoners in U.S. custody, come across testimony that it was faith in God that saw them through the night." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 3, 1st para)
4. He says, ". . . our doctrines about human nature, such as the . . . affirmation of 'the inherent worth and dignity of every person,' rest uneasily in a world full of torturers. In what sense can we defend the notion that a torturer is a person of inherent worth and dignity?" What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 3, 3rd para)
5. Bill Schulz writes, ". . . I suspect that we base our belief in the inherent worth of human beings on some far vaguer notion that aliveness itself is good and that because human beings represent the pinnacle of aliveness, we inherently possess some kind of merit . . . I don't buy that anymore . . ." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 4, 8th and 9th paras)
6. He asks, ". . . who does the assigning of worth? How do we decide that something is a sin? How do we know that torture is wrong? What is the basis for human rights? What are your answers to his questions? Why? (Ref: p. 5, 3rd para)
7. In his final paragraph on page 6 he says, "What torture has taught me, what all those brave souls and even a few of their tormentors have taught me, is to never give up on the glimmers of grace. If even survivors of torture can reclaim a sense of life's bounty, then surely you and I can, too. If the torturer cannot fully break the human spirit, nobody can." What are your feelings and thoughts?
ARTICLE: On the Proposed Department of Peace by James O'Dea. Shiftinaction.com Share page 2007
Introduction: A recent statement [pre-2007] by the House Republican Majority Whip suggests that support for a Department of Peace runs counter to the War on Terror," IONS president James O'Dea writes, "Let me suggest, partisan politics aside, why I think this is a completely false notion . . . and how a clear examination of the root causes of violence calls for a new conjunction of Reason, Science and Spirituality."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Before reading this article had you heard that Congressman Dennis Kucinich is proposing a Department of Peace equal in stature to the Department of Defense? If so what was your reaction? Why?
2. James O'Dea wrote, "To defeat violence itself is an evolutionary imperative for humankind." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 1, 1st para)
3. James says, "I hold that the emergence of peaceful planetary civilization is a task that will require massive collaboration . . . of a new conjunction of Reason, Science and Spirituality." Beginning with Reason, "Although human beings pride themselves on the fact that the ability to reason is one of their defining characteristics, we get a collective failing grade on utilizing it as a guiding principle for sustaining life on Earth." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 1, 2nd para))
4. As to Science, he says, "Once science provides us with a new basis for belief, we move on." "The deeper we search the inner life and physiological structure of human beings, the more we see a picture that suggests that we are peace seeking, loving and relational creatures who draw our greatest meaning from contexts which allow us to fully express both our uniqueness and our connectedness to others." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 3, 1st para)
5. O'Dea writes, "Spirituality is the essence of the religious impulse freed of dogmatic belief. It reflects capacities which can embrace both suffering and joy, and orient us towards compassion for others. The spiritual is consciousness recognizing unifying principles and experiencing a profound sense of oneness with others." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 4. 1st para)
6. He says, "Spirituality gives us the practice of peace without which our scientific and rational frameworks remain concepts not lived experience. It is in the practice of peace that peace will be attained." Do you agree? Disagree? Why (Ref: p. 4, 2nd para)
7. James O'Dea ends his article with "What we give our attention to grows: if we look for enemies we will find more of them than we ever imagined possible, and if we look for friends and allies with skillful means and real sincerity, they will bloom where once there was a desert called war without end. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
ARTICLE: The Winning Edge by Peter Doskoch. Psychology Today, November-December 2005
Introduction: Whether working as a volunteer or in one's vocation, we're primed to think that talent is the key to success. But, according to recent research evidence, what counts even more, says author Peter Doskoch, is a fusion of passion and perseverance. In a world of instant gratification, grit may yield the biggest payoff of all. What's your view?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Assuming all of us in this group are winners, to what do you attribute your winning edge? Innate talent? Your own passion and self-determination? Encouragement from significant authority figures? Other factors?
2. What do you feel-think of author Peter Doskoch's statement, ". . . experts often speak of the "10-year rule" -- that it takes at least a decade of hard work or practice to become highly successful in most endeavors, from managing hardware store to writing sitcoms -- and the ability to persist in the face of obstacles is almost always an essential ingredient in major achievement?" (Ref: p. 44, 3rd col, 3rd para)
3. Doskoch says researchers Duckworth and Seligman have found that "for the 95% of humanity that isn't recognized as gifted grit has value for people at all levels of ability . . . In fact, their initial studies shows that grit and intelligence are completely independent traits." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 46, 2nd col, 3rd para)
4. On page 47 in the inset titled "How to Nurture a Gritty Nature" lists seven possible ways to foster grit. What do you see to be the strengths and weaknesses of the list? Why?
5. On page 48 in the inset titled "Why Prodigies Fail" Doskoch says< "Betting on a prodigy . . . is anything but a sure thing. The majority of childhood prodigies never fulfill their early promise." Do you know of any such instances? What are your feelings and thoughts?
6. Did you take the quiz contained in the inset on page 50 titled "How Much Grit Have You Got?" Did you come out as "gritty"? Assuming you did, do you feel-think you are gritty in all situations? Or just some? If a difference what made the difference? Throughout the article there are some case examples of gritty people. Which stands out as exceptionally gritty? Why?
7. Doskoch closes his article with ". . . the idea that perseverance pays off big-time is slowly gathering steam. It augurs a far more democratic vision than a culture of achievement that recognizes only talent. No wonder grit is on its way to becoming The Next Big Thing." Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
ARTICLE: Mastering Your Own Mind by Kathleen Ellison. Psychology Today. September-October 2006
Introduction: Distracted? Angry? Envious? Blaming your cellphone and e-mail for shrinking your attention span? This article recounts how for 2,500 years Buddhists have been showing how that concentration, along with emotion regulation, love and happiness, are skills you can acquire and improve. Perhaps it's time for us, if we aren't already, to become high-performance users of our own minds and brains.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What skills have you developed or are working on developing for mastering your own mind?
2. Author Katherine Ellison says, "[The Buddhist's] example holds the possibility that we can all choose to modulate our moods, regulate our emotions and increase cognitive capacity -- that we can all become high-performance users of our own brains." Do you agree? Agree? Why? (Ref: p. 72, 3rd para)
3. Ellison says, "Buddhism asserts that lasting happiness is your birthright. But it doesn't come from having; it comes from freeing ourselves of mental blindness and afflictive emotions. Once we have it, says meditator Ricard, we can see the world without veils or distortions. It is the joy of moving toward inner freedom and of the loving kindness that radiates towards others." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 77, bottom of first column and top of second)
4. In her discussion of "The Nod From Neuroscience" and the plasticity of the brain Katherine writes, "One Tibetan lama told Wallace that before training, his mind was like a stag with great antlers trying to make its way through a think forest; the animal got snagged on branches time after time. But after many years of practice, his mind was more like a monkey in a jungle, swinging freely from vine to vine." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: bottom of 1st col on p. 74)
5. In the section on "Equanimity:Recognizing the Spark Before the Flame," the author, with reference to managing pain and suffering, "Buddhist meditation addresses the same issue a bit differently (than does neuroscientist Sapolsky and psychologist Albert Ellis). It allows yoou to see mood fluctuations moment to moment so that you can navigate around them. 'You become more more like the sky than the storm,' says Kabat-Zinn. You can avoid the mental 'grasping' of judgmentalism or an impulsive need to act." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: 76, 1st col, paras 2-4)
6. The author goes on to observe, "The tricky part: One of those veils is the very idea of an unchanging core self, or a soul. 'We generate our own suffering by complex processes of self-identification,' says Kabat-Zinn. 'The ego contracts around things. Someone in traffic bumps my car. I tell him he has ruined 'my day'" What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 77, 2nd col, 2nd para)
7. In her closing sentence, Ellison quotes Kabat-Zinn, "Awareness gives you your life back. You can then decide what to do with it." Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
ARTICLE: THE GOD THEORY by Bernard Haisch, New Scientist magazine, June 3, 2006
Introduction: This new theory developed by Bernard Haisch, an astrophysicist and former theology student whose work has been reported in New Scientist magazine, is his attempt to reconcile his scientific knowledge with the idea of a purposeful universe. He imagines a god who, having devised the laws of physics, creates the universe in order to experience the rich consequences of those laws. Our own Edgar Mitchell calls the article "... a thoughtful scientist's approach to the reconciliation of science and religion. Whether one will agree or disagree, powerful arguments are presented for one to consider."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before reading this article did you have your own personal 'God Theory'? If so, please share a brief summary with us.
2. What do you understand to be astrophysicist Bernard Haisch's God Theory? Do you agree with his view? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 2, 1st para)
3. What are your feelings and thoughts about Haisch's answer to the question, "Why do most scientists reject the idea of a supreme intelligence?" (Ref: p. 2, last para)
4. When asked, "Is there a purpose for my life?" Dr. Haisch responded, "Definitely. Our purpose in life is to create God's experience of [his/her] own infnite potential . . . God comes into this world through each of us." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 3, 4th para)
5. In response to the question, "How can you be so sure of The God Theory?" he said, "I cannot be certain of it, but it is a sophisticated and, perhaps, elegant explanation of otherwise intractable paradoxes and dilemmas. It does not in any way contradict science. It takes seriously the mystical and prayerful and sometimes just extraordinary spontaneous experiences that people have reported throughout the ages." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 3, 4th para)
6. Asked "Can science and spirituality be bridged?" Haisch responded, "Not only can they, they must if science is to evolve . . . I see science moving into the spiritual realm not to debunk it or explain it away, as tends to be the case today, but to open a new vista that extends much further into new territory than most scientists even imagine nowadays." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: bottom para p. 3 and top para p. 4)
7. In response to the question, "What is the zero-point field in physics?" he said, "Metaphorically this field may be described as an invisible, uniform sea of light underlying the Universe . . . Unfortunately . . . I have heard people proclaim "God is the zero-point field." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 4, last para)
ARTICLE: NAVIGATING THE FUTURE; A GUIDE FOR CONSCIOUS ACTIVISM by Andrew Beath, Shift, September-November 2006
Introduction: From nonviolence and introspection to Eros and joy, environmentalist Andrew Beath in this article from Shift magazine weaves inner work with outer engagement for personal and social transformation.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What experiences in conscious activism have you had? What did you use as your guide?
2. In his consciousness research author Andrew Beath he says he has identified seven attributes that characterize "conscious activism." He writes, "They shine across centuries and cultural boundaries." Let's consider the first, Nonviolence -- Kindness in the Midst of Passion, as a viable aid for navigating the future. What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: Shift, Sept-Nov 2006, p. 11, 2nd col, 2nd para)
3. His second attribute characterizing conscious activism is "Not Knowing Allows Spontaneity in the Moment." He writes, ". . . presence is an empty vessel that provides spaciousness for infinite intelligence." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 14, 1st col, 3rd para)
4. "Introspection for Self-Discovery" is the third attribute. Beath observes, "We each have a personal identity but often fool ourselves into thinking this is all we are. The ego is a harsh taskmaster . . ." What healthful insights can you draw from the story of Julie Levine? (Ref: inset starting on p. 14, 2nd col and continuing thru p. 14)
5. Andrew Beath writes, "Eros, the Art of Loving-Kindness . . . acts as an omnipresent connector of all things, large and small . . . this is inner grace . . . Conscious activism is activism from the heart. It is composed of loving-kindness and requires nothing in return."." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 14, 1st col, 2nd para, 2nd col )
6. His fifth attribute is "No Enemy, Co-Creating a Healthier World." "To continually struggle against enemies traps us in their drama . . . Change born of compassion is more likely to endure than that of opposition." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref; p. 14, 2nd col, 3rd para)
7. "Vision, Free of Reaction" is his sixth attribute. "To continually struggle against enemies traps us in their drama," Beath says ". . . Holding the vision for a successful future reduces the likelihood of getting caught up in today's dysfunction." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 14, 2nd col, last para and p. 15, 1st col, 1st two paras.)
8. Beath's seventh attribute for conscious activism is "Being Joyful Without Attachment to Goals." He says, ". . . a need to save the world or attachment to other goals can lead to despair." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 15, 1st col, 2nd para)
ARTICLE: WHY THERE ALMOST CERTAINLY IS NO GOD
Blog copied from the Huffington Post (Write to Bob at omnimind@admin.umass.edu for a copy)
Introduction: The author of this article is Richard Dawkins who is the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. A Fellow of the Royal Society and author of nine books, his most recent is The God Delusion is a New York Times bestseller, and his Foundation for Reason and Science launched at the same time. Whether or not you agree with Dawkins, he makes an interesting argument.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Before you read this article how would you summarize your belief about the existence of a Judeo-Christian God? Any other version of God? Why?
2. Richard Dawkins states, "The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes [the world is about to end and that its ending would be glorious, purely on the basis of religious dogma] should be considered a moral and 'intellectual emergency." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 1, 2nd para)
3. Dawkins says, "Natural Selection is so stunningly powerful and elegant, it not only explains the whole of life, it raises our consciousness and boosts our confidence in science's future ability to explain everything else. . . Natural selection is not just an alternative to chance. It is the only ultimate alternative ever suggested . . . Natural selection is an anti-chance process, which gradually builds up complexity, step by tiny step . . . The end product is an eye, or a heart, or a brain - a device whose complexity is utterly baffling until you spot the gentle ramp that leads up to it. . . ." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 4, 5th para)
4. He goes on to state, "Natural selection cannot work its wonders until certain minimal conditions are in place, of which the most important is an accurate system of replication -- DNA, or something that works like DNA. The origin of life on this planet -- which means the origin of the first self-replicating molecule -- is hard to study, because it (probably) only happened once, 4 billion years ago and under very different conditions from those with which we are familiar. We may never know how it happened." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 4 bottom of page, p.5, 1st para )
5. Dawkins writes, "Contrary to what is sometimes alleged, evolution is a predictive science. If you pick any hitherto unstudied species and subject it to minute scrutiny, any evolutionist will confidently predict that each individual will be observed to do everything in its power, in the particular way of the species - plant, herbivore, carnivore, nectivore or whatever it is - to survive and propagate the DNA that rides inside it . . . Such a general observation requires an entirely different explanatory principle from the anthropic principle that explain one-off events like the origin of life, or the origin of the universe, by luck. That entirely different principle is natural selection." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 6, 3rd para)
6. In his final paragraph Dawkins asserts, ". . . we need no God to explain the universe and life. God stands out in the universe as the most glaring of all superfluous sore thumbs. We cannot, of course, disprove God, just as we can't disprove . . . other fantasies . . . we can say that God is very very improbable." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 4, 3rd para)
7. Let's take a few minutes to scan the Reader's Comments at the end of this article (blog). Are there any that jump out at you as especially interesting? Why?
ARTICLE: AWE-BASED LEARNING
Shift, Sept-Nov 2005
Introduction: Psychologist and author Kirk Schneider discusses in this Shift article his view that moving from an emphasis on technical competence to values, meaning, inquiry, and discovery will transform our experience of learning, work, and life. Will it, or will it take an integration of both?
1. Before reading this article had you ever thought about the starting point of consciousness as being awe? If so, please share those thoughts with us. What was it like to come to that insight? What impact did it have on your conscious awareness about life?
2. Dr. Schneider says with awe-based learning ". . . there would still be necessity for 'nuts and bolts' education . . . but the whole thinking about education would need to transform . . . from an emphasis on technical competence to an accent on values, personal meaning, and inquiry, and hands-on discovery." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 16, cols 1&2)
3. He says, "The net effect of this curriculum would be to challenge students to prioritize not in empty or mechanized routines, but to prioritize richly, roundly, and energetically -- with intentionality." What are your feeling s and thoughts? (Ref: p. 18, 1st col, 2nd para)
4. Kirk writes, "If a science curriculum were to begin with the marvels, if films, books, and inspiring stories were used as stimuli, think how much more exuberance students would bring to their lives!" Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 18, 2nd col, 3rd para)
5. In considering further what awe would bring to the careers of geneticists and mental health providers, the author says "These new [awe-based] providers would be more like doctors of souls than doctors of isolated minds." What are your feelings and thoughts? What about other professions?
6. Kirk closes his article with the observation, "At a time when educators are being pressed to 'teach to the test,' and students are being harangued to 'learn for the grade' (or the corporation or the military), an awe-based educational curriculum would seem timely. It is only through contact with the bigger picture that individuals -- as well as societies -- will open to the adventure of life." Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
ARTICLE: WELCOME TO THE ECOZOIC ERA
UU WORLD (write to Bob for a copy of the article at omnimind@admin.umass.edu)
Introduction: Biologist Connie Barlow and liberal theologian Michael Dowd are Unitarian Universalist evangelists proposing the idea that evolution is holy. Thomas Berry, one of the developers of the Great Story concept that Barlow and Dowd promote, says, "We are in trouble just now because we do not have a good story. We are in between stories." In this article Barlow and Dowd discuss why the old story about how the world came to be and how we fit into it is no longer effective, and how the Great Story can possibly fill our need.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Prior to reading this article what was your understanding of how the world came into being?
2. Michael Dowd is quoted as saying, "Our Western culture, he was saying, has historically thought of the universe as a mechanical thing, a clock created and set into motion by a clockmaker, who stood apart from it. But . . . there is no clockmaker hovering anxiously over his creation or, worse, having abandoned it. And there is no clock." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 27, 1st col, 1st para)
3. "If we are to deepen our understanding of the universe or of God, if we are to change our collective behavior and our destiny," Dowd and Barlow say, "we need a new story, a story based in scientific discovery, but also reverent of the awesomeness of the universe. A better metaphor for the universe is a set of Russian nesting dolls, made up of levels of what they call nested creativity . . ." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 28, 1st col, 3rd para)
4. Writer Amy Hassinger relates, "In the late 20th century, influenced by earlier scientist, Passionist priest Father Thomas Berry and mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme originated the Great Story concept -- merging scientific understanding with a reverence for the universe . . . we must begin where everything begins in human affairs -- with the basic story, our narrative of how things came to be, how they came to be as they are, and how the future can be given some satisfying direction." Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (Ref: p. 29, 2nd col, 3rd and 4th para)
5. Amy says Thomas Berry, who now calls himself a geologian rather than theologian, believes we are in the midst of a shift to what he calls the Ecozoic Era . . . In his view, the ecological disasters happening all around us, including the sixth major mass extinction, are signs that this deep-time shift is happening again, that a new era is about to begin -- or, in fact, has already begun. What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 30, 2nd col, 2nd and 3rd para)
6. Hassinger reports Dowd as saying, ". . . the Great Story finds meaning in the universe by making science the basis of its religious worldview, rather than be moding the science to fit a preconceived religious perspective. In the Great Story, science is theology; it is our newest revelation, our modern scripture." What are your feelings and thoughts? (Ref: p. 32, 1st col, 4th para)
7. The article closes with a quote from Michael Dowd, "The Ecozoic Era is a mythic mindset. It begins for each person when they choose to have the Ecozoic vision guide their actions in the world." It is a utopian vision, but we can make it happen if we choose. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
