Rationalist Spirituality: An Exploration of the Meaning of Life and Existence Informed by Logic and Science

Voorkant
John Hunt Publishing, 2011 - 116 pagina's
Why does the universe exist and what are you supposed to do in it? This question has been addressed by religions since time immemorial, but popular answers often fail to account for obvious aspects of reality. Indeed, if God knows everything, why do we need to learn through pain and suffering? If God is omnipotent, why are we needed to do good? If the universe is fundamentally good, why are wars, crime, and injustice all around us? In modern society, orthodox science takes the rational high-ground and tackles these contradictions by denying the very need for, and the existence of, meaning. Indeed, many of us implicitly accept the notion that rationality somehow contradicts spirituality. That is a modern human tragedy, not only for its insidiousness, but for the fact that it is simply not true. In this book, the author constructs a coherent and logical argument for the meaning of existence, informed by science itself. A framework is laid out wherein all aspects of human existence have a logical, coh
 

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Inhoudsopgave

The hypothesis of meaning 137
1
A search for ultimate purpose
3
A process of universal enrichment
7
The unrealized potential of consciousness
10
The brain as a consciousness transceiver
22
Science does not claim to explain it all
33
The role of intelligence
41
The beginnings of a theory of purpose
58
A return to boundless consciousness
76
God
82
A natural tendency towards insight
84
A universal memory of qualia
90
Interpretation and guidelines for purposeful living
96
Related concepts
106
Endnotes
110
Copyright

Recapping our journey thus far
74

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Over de auteur (2011)

Bernardo Kastrup has a Ph.D. in philosophy and another in computer engineering. He has been a scientist in some of the world's foremost scientific laboratories. His main interests are metaphysics and philosophy of mind.

Bibliografische gegevens