The Big Philosophical Picture.

February 4, 2008 by Pastor Dan.

I’m not sure I have the best term for this, since I just discovered the thoughts of Peter Russell, but perhaps “pop philosopher” will serve for now. Russell is a scientist/writer/futurist/mystic. His views and wisdom can be found on his web site, www.peterrussell.com, along with intriguing devices.

Sample his World Clock for example, that rolls through the number of counters, including the rate of abortions, deaths from cardiovascular disease, world population etc., how fast cars and bicycles are being produced, and forests denuded, all  on one screen. Or his Life Expectancy Calculator which, in a series of 34 questions, will tell you how long you will live. You may be amazed at what counts as a debit and what counts as a credit in this accounting.

Looking beyond the so-called “Information Age,” I am intrigued by his suggestion that evolution itself is speeding up like global warming, that the universe’s intelligence is expanding exponentially (intelligence being sharply distinguished from wisdom—both terms are adequately defined—which is still in its infancy), and that change itself may reach a maximum point or a leveling-off. Russell presents ideas such as “singularity”, the ingression of novelty, and how human beings see our real selves apart from our external circumstances. We are a “Half-Awake Species,” he suggests with good reason (from “A Singularity in Time“):

In addition, we are only half-awake to our deeper needs and how to attain them. Most of us would like to avoid pain and suffering, and find greater peace and happiness, but we believe that how we feel inside depends on external circumstances. This is true in some cases, for example. if we are suffering because we are cold or hungry. In the modern world, most of us can fulfill these demands very easily. The flick of a switch or a trip to the store usually suffices. But we apply the same thinking to everything else in life. We believe that if we could just get enough of the right things or experiences we would finally be happy. This is the root of human greed, our love of money, our need to control events (and other people); it is the cause of much of our fear and anxiety, we worry whether events are going to be the way we think they should be if we are to be happy. This thinking is also at the heart of the many ways we mistreat, and often abuse, our planetary home.

The global crisis we are now facing is, at its root, a crisis of consciousness—a crisis born of the fact that we have prodigious technological powers, but still remain half-awake. We need to awaken to who we are and what we really want.

Needless to say, Russell’s consciousness steps into the spiritual. I am usually cautious and skeptical about such ideas, until I begin to realize that spirituality is found widely in the Judeo-Christian heritage, and not always cloaked in or tied to specific religious or dogmatic language. If sectarian Christians are unwilling to explore this, we should at least note that the pioneers of the “emergent church” are doing it with or without our blessing.  Much more on that later.

As I have noted, I’ve just discovered this pop philosopher. But I expect to spend some time reading what he has written and, at least, exploring his prodigious web site.

— Pastor Dan Hooper, Los Angeles

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