Webcast May 31st-Ken Wilber, Deepak Chopra, & Much More
Brian
WOW! EnlightenNext is producing an amazing 6 hour continuous webcast on May 31st ....see below from Jeff Carreira for more details! I can't wait!
"The Lineup has been Finalized!
We are thrilled to announce that the complete line-up of guests for our May 31 broadcast is set. Last week we announced that Ken Wilber and Deepak Chopra would both be joining Andrew Cohen as part of a six hour long internet audio broadcast from EnlightenNext called “Changing the World From the Inside Out.”
Now, with only 10 days until the Saturday May 31 audio broadcast, our guest list for the event has been finalized. If you haven't registered yet, make sure to visit the link below and sign up as an Evolutionary:
http://www.enlightennext.org/universeproject/
We have added a number of exciting live Q & A segments with:
- What Is Enlightement? magazine senior editors, Carter Phipps and Elizabeth Debold
- Gaia Online Community Director, Siona Van Dijk
- Linus Roache, AKA Agent Cutter, lead actor in NBC's popular television drama, Law & Order
- A fascinating discussion with Robb Smith, CEO of Integral Life and Calvin Phipps, CEO of EnlightenNext
In addition, our provocative six hour broadcast will feature shorter interviews with:
- Evolutionary pioneer, Barbara Marx Hubbard
- Innovative business consultant, Brian Robertson
- Authors Michael Wombacher and Mick Quinn
Please remember that the only way to participate in this special broadcast is to register as an Evolutionary, which you can do at the link below:
http://www.enlightennext.org/universeproject/
I hope to hear you on the calls!"
Warm regards,
Access: PublicWhat is Virtue?
Brian
Joi Ito's blog....had this very interesting piece on wisdom of virtue...
Joi went to a workshop done by Lou Marinoff, author of "The Middle Way; Finding Happiness in a World of Extremes", 2007
Here is what Joi wrote about it....
Here is the outline of the workshop:
- The ABSs of Virtue: Aristotle, Budha and Confucius
- The cardinal virtues: Courage, Temperance, Justice, Wisdom
- The pace of virtue in the global village
- Linkage with Richard Olivier's and Miha Pogacnik's workshops
- Courage is implicated in leadership
- Temperance is implicated in creativity
- Focus on Justice and Wisdom
- Justice: doing the right thing at the right time
- Wisdom: understanding what is right
- Eleven ways of being right
- Main strengths and weaknesses of contending ethical systems
He started out the session by telling us that Plato thought a lot about the definition of what is Good and couldn't answer it. The idea was that if you could figure out what was Good you could determine what was Right. After you could judge what was Right, Justice could be rendered.
Aristotle said that Virtue is the Golden Mean between two extremes. It was all about balance. "Rational" comes from "ratio". The idea was to triangulate from two extremes of vice. For example, Courage is the mean between cowardice and rashness.Then came the Eleven Way of Being Right.Buddha said that Virtue is the practice of the Middle Way. Temperance means neither Abstention nor over-indulgence but rather, moderation.
Confucius said that Virtue is the application of the Tao (the Way), striving for balance and harmony.
Hegel talked about transcendence which means to simultaneously negate and preserve. For instance, someone who is courageous becomes independent of his/her nationality, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc. while at the same time allowing the person not to renounce his/her nationality, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc. This is true of all virtues.
The main philosophical task confronting inhabitants of the global village in the 21st century is to transcend their most lethal, destructive and counter-productive differences. The inculcation of virtues conducive to this end requires global education reform. Such reform is much less costly, and much more longer-lasting than every form of coercion. Neither sovereign governments, nor organized religions, nor academic institutions, are able to bear sufficient responsibility for supporting or implementing global educational reform. this responsibility falls to global business interests, to the WEF, and to the philosophical practitioners on the ground.
- deontology - rules tell us what is right and wrong
- teleology - The end justifies (or sanctifies) the means
- virtue ethics - goodness comes from virtues, which are like habits
- humanistic existentialism - what we choose to do determines what we value
- nihilistic existentialism - "God is dead." And we killed him. So all moral bets are off.
- analytic ethics - "Goodness" cannot be defined or analyzed
- correlative ethics - every right entails an obligation, and vice-versa
- sociobiology - ideas of "right" and "wrong" are motivated by our genes
- feminist ethics - women have different moral priorities: e.g. ethics of caring
- legal moralism - if it's legal, it's ethical
- meta-ethical relativism - each situation has its own unique ethical dimension
Response by Stewart Butterfield
"I think that something really important about Aristotle got lost there. While being the mean is a characteristic of virtue, that is not what virtue is -- and actions are not virtuous because they are the mean between two extremes (this is articulated in Book II of the Nichomachean Ethics). It is definitely not "all about" balance.
Virtue (aretê) meant the same thing for Aristotle as it did for all Greeks: that which causes a thing to be excellent, or to perform its function well (the cannonical example is a knife: sharpness is its virtue and an excellent knife is one that cuts well). So, the virtue(s) of human beings are those behaviours/actions/habits which causes them to perform their function well, or to be excellent. Inquiries into virtue become inquiries into the 'function' or purpose of human beings. (Aristotle's inquiry here is the Politics.)
This makes a difference because it suggests a specific action as the 'main philosophical task' (other than 'transcend differences'): enter into a shared inquiry towards the purposes, desires, goals, aims, etc. of the new global community. If we all aim towards different fundamental ends, transcendance is an empty hope: everyone needs a bedrock and it is unrealistic to expect people to give up their most fundamental beliefs.
But it is not unrealistic to expect them to talk about those things, and perhaps even agree that the purposes we have in common, whatever they are (health? prosperity? sustainability? freedom?), should be given priority."
I agree with Lou, that the power to transform the world comes through education to create a new world culture. I also love Stewart's response and explanation that for the Greek philophers, Virtue is truly be excellent and perform a function well. Brian Johnson who started Zaadz, even has a site and daily email called "think Arete" ...according to Brian, Arete "has a deeper meaningsomething closer to “constantly striving to reach your highest potential.”
Stewart is on the money when he says, "it suggests a specific action as the 'main philosophical task' (other than 'transcend differences'): enter into a shared inquiry towards the purposes, desires, goals, aims, etc. of the new global community. More than transendence...we need to look into what is the highest purpose of human beings. To look into how we can engage in the world, performing at the highest level...to become the sword of Manjrushi, using wisdom to cut through the ignorance and see things as they really are, then to make those Virtuous distinctions...taking specific action to create a new culture and a new world.
New Cosmic Story
Brian
100 Great Inspirational Quotes
Brian
The Evolution of Relationship and Consciousness
Brian
The Evolution of the Intersubjective Field
The human mind develops only through relationship. If you leave a little baby to grow up with the wolves, he or she is not going to develop in the ways other children do. The evolution of our own consciousness is entirely dependent upon how profound is our capacity for relatedness, for creative relationship with other individuals. So in an evolved spiritual context, the nature and purpose of human relationship would be a creative engagement at the highest level that would mutually ensure evolution and development. The quality and content of our relationships is really the ground in which the evolution of consciousness can occur. Consciousness is One, not two. It's an infinite singular field that we are all sharing—a field that has no beginning and no end. So the evolution of consciousness is the evolution of that field itself. And it is only through the conscious cultivation of this intersubjective field, which occurs in the creative friction of intentional, awakened, focused human engagement, that consciousness evolves at the leading edge.
Andrew CohenChicago Zaangha on Global Zaangha Day, Sept 15th
Brian
It was clear early on...we were all very excited to be there and it was fascinating to meet others who have a foundation of high values and a sincere interest in connecting with others who are also interested in making a difference, being the change we want to see in the world, in taking the necessary steps to bring concious business and spiritual activism into being!
We acknowledged the real need for action, that a lot of the spiritual talk is in the clouds and rarely leads to real action in the world. We agreed this needs to happen! We talked about what community means to us, and how we can facilitate meaningful cooperation right here right now in Chicago.
We are going to create some topics on the Chicago Pod, which we want to encourage Zaadzsters in Chicago to join...to help faciliate ways of working together.
And we definitely want to plan some more get togethers of Zaadsters here in Chicago in the near future!
Lets get something rockin and rolling Chicago!!!!
Brian
Women's Liberation in the 21st Century @ Transitions Bookplace
Brian
Elizabeth Debold, who I interviewed in an earlier podcast post on my blog...will be speaking Friday, August 24th, at 7:30 pm at Transitions Bookplace.
Elizabeth will be looking into what women's liberation in the 21st Century looks like. This is the main theme of the latest Issue of What is Enlightenment? Magazine...for which she is senior editor and largely responsible for this current issue.
I hope if you are in the Chicago area you can join us for this outstanding event!
Brian
Enlightened Communication Podcast
Brian
Enlightened Communication, an Interview with Chris Parish
Download this episode (28 min)
What would it be like to meet others beyond the ego boundaries that usually keep us separate? To inquire into life's biggest questions from a place deeper than the mind, beyond the normal flow of time, in the liberating space of enlightened consciousness?
For almost two decades, Chris Parish has been studying and introducing people to the Evolutionary Enlightenment teachings of spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen. In association with Cohen (who is also the founder and editor in chief of What Is Enlightenment? magazine), he has been developing an accessible, intersubjective process by which people can explore—and literally co-create—the leading edge of consciousness itself.
Parish has been leading these “Enlightened Communication” forums, ranging in size from six to sixty people, in the U.S., the U.K., and across western Europe. Participants have the opportunity to directly experience and explore the revelatory depths and ecstatic intimacy of the enlightened perspective. The groups have become a living laboratory for Parish's exploration of our collective human potential and for the potential of Andrew Cohen's unique, 21st-century spiritual path.
For more on Enlightened Communication visit;
http://www.andrewcohen.org/ec/
For more on Chris Parish visit;
http://www.wie.org/bios/chris-parish.asp
and
http://chrisparish.zaadz.com/
Universe Project Podcast #1
Brian
Interview with Elizabeth Debold
Download this episode (20 min)
Elizabeth Debold, Ed.D., Senior Editor, brings her experience as a pioneering researcher in human development and gender conditioning to her work for What Is Enlightenment? magazine. In this episode I talk to Elizabeth about her articles entitled "Where Are the Women?" in the magazine which combine twenty years of research in the field of women's development with her personal passion for evolutionary spiritual transformation, in a bold call for a new women's liberation.
Which lead up to the upcoming issue of What Is Enlightenment? magazine entitled, "Woman, A Cultural, Philosophical, and Spiritual Exploration."
check out the following link for more info on this upcoming issue
http://www.wie.org/magazine/?ifr=hp-nav
and click here for more info on Elizabeth Debold and the articles she has written for the magazine
http://www.wie.org/bios/elizabeth-debold.asp
Back in Chicago
Brian
I went to the Berkshires in Massachusetts for an intensive with Andrew Cohen. I referenced in an earlier blog, there were accounts of the retreat being delivered daily by some of Andrew's students. The intesity was like stepping into a raging forest fire! Meditating 5-6 hours a day, spending every day in silence, attending teachings by Andrew... WOW! It is hard to put into words...what an experience of this magnitude is like. I am still processing the whole thing. This was my third 8 Day Intensive with Andrew Cohen, and it was completely different each time. It is evident as I engage daily with the teachings that I am developing and the level of my engagement with Andrew, and others interested in the teachings is evolving as well. I imagine a person would have to spend time with me to see for themselves and verify this...but speaking from my own experience...this is what is happening.
This past weekend of April 1st, a month after the retreat, we hosted Andrew Cohen here in Chicago. It was a Fantastic weekend and the people that attended seemed genuinely engaged with Andrew and the Teachings of Evolutionary Enlightenment. Saturday evening was an introductory talk about Evolutionary Enlightenment. Then Sunday we spent an entire day with Andrew and he took questions from the audience.
I won't go into the actual content of the days...as my time is limited to post. We are hoping to bring Andrew back in the fall so stay tuned.
I will be at Green Fest here in Chicago on April 21st-22nd, representing Transitions Bookplace if anyone wants to come say hello. It should be a great event!
Enlightenment
May 2008 