Many scientists today think of the universe as essentially purposeless. Likewise, modern and postmodern philosophers have often been suspicious of any religious claims that the natural world embodies and eternal meaning or teleology. Not all scientific thinkers subscribe to this cosmic pessimism, however, and some would even argue that contemporary knowledge is consistent with a religious sense of cosmic purpose. This stimulating book offers candid reflections on the question of cosmic purpose written both by prominent scientists and by scholars representing the world's religious traditions. Examining the issue from a wide variety of perspectives, this is the only current book to deal with cosmic purpose from an interreligious and interdisciplinary perspective. Here scientists such as physicist Andrei Linde and biologist Francisco Ayala come face to face with Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Hindu philosopher Anindita Niyogi Balslev, and others. They examine such perplexing issues as the possible existence of multiple universes and the implications of seemingly purposive features in life. The contributions address the question of whether a religiously-based notion of a purposeful cosmos is consistent with the latest scientific understanding of nature, and whether theology can affirm the presence of divine action without contradicting science. These essays will challenge readers to ponder their own place in the cosmos as they seek to interpret the visions of the world's great spiritual traditions in the light of natural science.

Communicating his ideas in the form of a classical dialogue between a youth and a wise elder, cosmologist Brian Swimme crafts a fascinating exploration into the creativity suffusing the universe. His explication of the fundamental powers of the cosmos is mystical and ecstatic and points directly to the need to activate one's own creative powers.

From the big bang to the present and into the next millenium, The Universe Story unites science and the humanities in a dramatic exploration of the unfolding of the universe, humanity's evolving place in the cosmos, and the boundless possibilities for our future.

An exploration into consciousness, the universe, and the nature of reality * Draws on transdimensional physics and biology, reincarnation and past-life memories, animal consciousness, multiple identities, thoughtforms, soul pictures, and paranormal phenomena like crop circles and poltergeists * Explores the riddle of personal identity and how it differs from consciousness * Reveals that consciousness is more than encompassing all that exists--it also speaks to what has yet to manifest Scientific orthodoxy views the universe as conceived of matter--protons, neutrons, electrons, down to the smallest particle, quarks. But, when you keep digging, what is "beneath" quarks? The scientific worldview does not take into account consciousness or life itself. How did consciousness become part of the material universe? Is it a by-product of brain chemistry or a constituent of reality? Or, to dig deeper, which is more fundamental: the existence of an objective physical universe or our subjective experience of it? In this investigation into consciousness, the universe, and the nature of reality, Richard Grossinger offers a wide-ranging foundation for reimagining the universe as based in consciousness rather than matter. He presents in-depth analysis of the standard scientific description of the universe, revealing the holes in its theories. Exploring the interpenetration of matter and all reality by consciousness, the author looks at reincarnation and past-life memories, examining famous and lesser-known but verifiable accounts. He then explores the nature and origin of consciousness, with accompanying explorations of animal consciousness, the brain as a computer, multiple identities, thoughtforms, soul pictures, and paranormal phenomena like UFOs, faeries, and poltergeists. He also examines concepts from physics that combine elements of both consciousness and matter, such as collapsing waveforms and the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics. Examining nonlocal and transpersonal modes of consciousness, Grossinger looks at the difference between consciousness and personal identity. He expands this discussion with reflections on Sethian cosmology, using Seth's own words and Jane Roberts's and John Friedlander's interpretations. He reveals that consciousness also encompasses what has yet to manifest and explains why the universe exists at all: why there is "something" rather than "nothing." Skewering the materialist paradigm and placing consciousness alongside mass, gravity, and heat as an essential component of the universe, Grossinger proposes that reality is a thoughtform where sentient beings collaborate to bring about a concrete realm vibrating at their own frequency.