For millennia mystics and poets have told us that “All is one” and yet we feel ourselves surrounded by separation, antagonism, and isolation! With help from some intrepid dung beetles, science ambassador JD Stillwater takes us on a tour of findings from mainstream science that reveal an underlying wholism in everything, from human bodies to ecosystems to the very fabric of space-time. In short, science agrees: “All is one." 

Zoom access at https://tinyurl.com/NAUAService

"From bestselling authors and journalistic titans Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Abundance is a once-in-a-generation, paradigm-shifting call to renew a politics of plenty, face up to the failures of liberal governance, and abandon the chosen scarcities that have deformed American life."

October's Academy session features a presentation by guest speaker Mark Reimers.

How do the billions of neurons in your head, looking like tangled rice noodles, give rise to consciousness? Can we even define consciousness?

We don’t have a precise definition, but scientists can now measure brain activity during experiences that we think of as “conscious”: deliberation, remembering, noticing, reasoning, inner conflict, and coming awake. Mark Reimers will talk about how scientists measure brain activity, and the limitations of current theories and technology. Then we will discuss whether this effort can really lead us to a scientific understanding of consciousness.

We’ll consider, in discussion groups, questions like: Are we uniquely conscious, but not other animals? Could an A.I. be conscious?

Finally we’ll consider what a science of consciousness could mean for how we live. Will a science of consciousness lead us toward an enlightened society or will it enable precise Machiavellian manipulation? 

Please join, and bring a friend!