Provides the foundations of a genuine unified field theory. Ervin Laszlo, widely regarded as the founder of systems philosophy and general evolution theory, introduces the foundations of a genuine unified theory of the world in this pioneering treatise on the new sciences. In contrast to other unified theories that center mainly on physics, Laszlo's embraces quantum, cosmos, life, as well as consciousness. He delineates the principles of a new physics of universal connectivity and puts forth the corresponding metaphysics, discussing the implications for such philosophical issues as the nature of matter and mind, freedom and morality, and design versus evolution. This landmark book lays the ground-work for the non-materialist and non-reductionist yet rigorous paradigm that is likely to signal the next revolution in science: the "paradigm of universal connectivity."

Ervin Laszlo's tour de force, What is Reality?, is the product of a half-century of deep contemplation and cutting-edge scholarship. Addressing many of the paradoxes that have confounded modern science over the years, it offers nothing less than a new paradigm of reality, one in which the cosmos is a seamless whole, informed by a single, coherent consciousness manifest in us all. Bringing together science, philosophy, and metaphysics, Laszlo takes aim at accepted wisdom, such as the dichotomies of mind and body, spirit and matter, being and nonbeing, to show how we are all part of an infinite cycle of existence unfolding in spacetime and beyond. Augmented by insightful commentary from a dozen scholars and thinkers, along with a foreword by Deepak Chopra and an introduction by Stanislav Grof, What is Reality? offers a fresh and liberating understanding of the meaning and purpose of existence.

Originally published in 1991, The New Evolutionary Paradigm provides an innovative and cross disciplinary look at evolution. While Darwin's theory of evolution was originally restricted to the life sciences, in recent years the same principles have been applied successfully to historical, social and natural sciences. The papers included in The New Evolutionary Paradigm analyse the facts, observations, and accumulated data from the significance of a general evolution theory cannot be overemphasised; a new understanding of the cosmos and man's relationship to it could lead to the systemization of the irreversible change that takes place in society and nature. This book will appeal to scientists, sociologists and those interested in transdisciplinary evolution theories.

Originally published in 1991, The New Evolutionary Paradigm provides an innovative and cross disciplinary look at evolution. While Darwin's theory of evolution was originally restricted to the life sciences, in recent years the same principles have been applied successfully to historical, social and natural sciences. The papers included in The New Evolutionary Paradigm analyse the facts, observations, and accumulated data from the significance of a general evolution theory cannot be overemphasised; a new understanding of the cosmos and man's relationship to it could lead to the systemization of the irreversible change that takes place in society and nature. This book will appeal to scientists, sociologists and those interested in transdisciplinary evolution theories.

This revised edition of the classic text of the period provides both the student and the specialist with an informative account of post-Roman English society.

Written by a team where the father is recognized as the world's foremost evolutionary systems scientist and the son is one of the youngest members of the top management of a Fortune 500 transnational company, "The Insight Edge," in the words of James Ogilvy, comes at a crucial time and speaks to the needs of the time. It is essential reading in an age where information is the new capital, and knowledge of the basic trends that shape our world is a vital part of the required information.

Managing postindustrial enterprises in today's information-linked and globalized business environment is vastly different from managing businesses in the bygone industrial era. Being a good manager in today's world means navigating in the turbulence of a global sea of rapid-fire interaction, and coping with myriad factors that are prone to change in a seemingly unpredictable fashion. Being a good manager also means living up to one's responsibilities, not only to one's company and stockholders, but also to one's coworkers, partners, customers, and society at large--even nature.

Meeting the challenge that confronts today's managers calls for a fresh knowledge base; one that includes, in addition to the necessary technical knowledge handed down in management schools and seminars, familiarity with the dynamics that generate the seemingly unpredictable--but by no means casual and unforeseeable--patterns of change in the contemporary business environment. This book offers such a knowledge base. It brings to leading managers, and to everyone concerned with the effective and responsible management of business companies, the essential minimum of up-to-date scientific knowledge: the readily acquired foundations of evolutionary literacy.

First Published in 1972, Introduction to Systems Philosophy presents Ervin Laszlo's first comprehensive volume on the subject. It argues for a systematic and constructive inquiry into natural phenomenon on the assumption of general order in nature. Laszlo says systems philosophy reintegrates the concept of enduring universals with transient processes within a non-bifurcated, hierarchically differentiated realm of invariant systems, as the ultimate actualities of self-structuring nature. He brings themes like the promise of systems philosophy; theory of natural systems; empirical interpretations of physical, biological, and social systems; frameworks for philosophy of mind, philosophy of nature, ontology, epistemology, metaphysics and normative ethics, to showcase the timeliness and necessity of a return from analytic to synthetic philosophy. This book is an essential read for any scholar and researcher of philosophy, philosophy of science and systems theory.

Originally published in 1971 Evolution – Revolution is an interdisciplinary volume examining inquiry around the central topic of evolution and revolution. Containing contributions from a number of eminent academics of the time, the book addresses the meaning and application of evolution and revolution in the context, not of what things are, or even how they behave, but how they become. The broad interdisciplinary range of essays explores this concept through the idea of development and change and argues that both change, and development must be measured against concepts of flux and that which endures. The editors of the book suggest that these are the ‘invariants’ which contemporary thinkers are beginning to accept as the process-counterparts of Platonic ‘immutables’. Thus this volume examines the two ‘immutables’ of evolution and revolution. The book covers the concept through essays in science, philosophic concepts of rationalism and existentialism, art and religion.

First Published in 1971, Human Values and the Mind of Man examines how value questions have been treated in traditional theories of human nature. It discusses the following topics: theory of mind as seen through the rules of the generation of languages; the implications for human value of automata theory; the nervous system, higher mental processes and human values; value consequences of various positions on the mind-body problem; the implications of self-actualization theory for human value; and specific value problems in the philosophy of mind. The book presents an interdisciplinary dialogue centred around thoughts about man and their implications for human action, decision, and nature of what we call the 'human mind'. This book is an essential read for philosophers, psychologists, scientists, and humanists.

The four authors of this book recognize that no one on the common human journey to the 21st century can pick the best route without consulting a map--that is to say, an interconnected set of understandings about what in a given situation is important, what demands action and attention, and what does not. The problem, they contend, is that the picture of the world we each carry in our mind may not be a true mapping of the reality that surrounds us. This picture, the cognitive map, could always be sharper. The authors prompt us to become more conscious of our own cognitive map, and explain how it can be adapted to the exigencies of our changing world so that it can be better-used to guide our steps toward the 21st century.

We all carry a picture of the world in our mind, but is that map an assuredly true layout of the reality that surrounds us? If not, how can we use it to guide our steps toward the 21st century and beyond without creating shocks and surprises that impair our well-being and threaten our survival?

We shall not survive, either as individuals or as a species, if our maps fail to reflect accurately the nature of the world that surrounds us. The authors attempt, through reviewing the origins, development, and current changes in individual and social cognitive maps, to prompt readers to become more conscious of their own map, and hence be better able to adapt it to the exigencies of our changing world. The book ends with a vision of the global bio- and socio-sphere: the unified cognitive map which is emerging in laboratories and workshops of the new physics, the new biology, the new ecology, and the avant-garde branches of the social and historical sciences. But "Changing Visions" recognizes that these sciences alone cannot promote the formation of faithful maps of lived reality, and that religion, common sense, and even art can fill in and sharpen one's world-picture.

Originally published in 1971 Evolution - Revolution is an interdisciplinary volume examining inquiry around the central topic of evolution and revolution. Containing contributions from a number of eminent academics of the time, the book addresses the meaning and application of evolution and revolution in the context, not of what things are, or even how they behave, but how they become. The broad interdisciplinary range of essays explores this concept through the idea of development and change and argues that both change, and development must be measured against concepts of flux and that which endures. The editors of the book suggest that these are the 'invariants' which contemporary thinkers are beginning to accept as the process-counterparts of Platonic 'immutables'. Thus this volume examines the two 'immutables' of evolution and revolution. The book covers the concept through essays in science, philosophic concepts of rationalism and existentialism, art and religion.

Exploring how information is more fundamental than energy, matter, space, or time, Jude Currivan, Ph.D., examines the latest research across many fields of study and many scales of existence to show how our Universe is in-formed and holographically manifested. She explains how the fractal in-formational patterns that guide behavior at the atomic level also guide the structure of galactic clusters in space. She demonstrates how the in-formational relationships that underlie earthquakes are the same as those that play out during human conflicts. She shows how cities grow in the same in-formational ways that galaxies evolve and how the dynamic in-formational forms that pervade ecosystems are identical to the informational structures of the Internet and our social behaviors. Demonstrating how information is physically real, the author explores how consciousness connects us to the many interconnected layers of universal in-formation, making us both manifestations and co-creators of the cosmic hologram of reality. She explains how Quantum Mechanics and Einstein's Theory of Relativity can at last be reconciled if we consider energy-matter and space-time as complementary expressions of information, and she explores how the cosmic hologram underlies the true origin of species and our own evolution.

This book offers an original hypothesis capable of unifying evolution in the physical universe with evolution in biology; herewith it lays the conceptual foundations of "transdisciplinary unified theory". The rationale for the hypothesis is presented first; then the theoretical framework is outlined, and thereafter it is explored in regard to quantum physics, physical cosmology, micro- and macro-biology, and the cognitive sciences (neurophysiology, psychology, with attention to anomalous phenomena as well). The book closes with a variety of studies, both by the author and his collaborators, sketching out the implications of the hypothesis in regard to brain dynamics, cosmology, the concept of space, phenomena of creativity, and the prospects for the elaboration of a mature transdisciplinary unified theory. The Foreword is written by philosopher of science Arne Naess, and the Afterword is contributed by neuroscientist Karl Pribram.

The vision of the year 2020 Laszlo sketches is not a science fiction account of a technological utopia, nor is it the doomsday world pictured by pessimists. Laszlo argues for a holistic approach to education, the environment, and political economic systems and shows what is involved in reaching it, and how people today can take an active and positive part in growing toward it.
In this imaginative and visionary book, Ervin Laszlo, one of the world's foremost systems thinkers, takes the readers on a trip to the future. As it approaches, will the dangers we have initiated on our world reach a threshold which will end humanity and perhaps other life?

Festschriften, when they are haphazard collections of pieces written by colleagues and well-wishers on the occasion of a major anniversary in the life of a distinguished man, tend to be tedious. One can more profitably go directly to the writings of the celebrant, as well as other, more voluntary publications of his well-wishers. However, the editors wish to claim that this Festschrift is different. This is so first of all because of the almost unique combination of interests and competence of Henry Margenau. He is at once a distinguished physicist, an equally distinguished educator, and a prominent philosopher. These broad areas of his extraordinarily active and fruitful career are each represented in this volume in his honor, and this constitutes the particular interest of the collection. Without limiting themselves to paraphrases or empty compliments, the contributors to this book range over the scope of interest of Margenau's work, and, acknowledging its influence and significance, present their own viewpoints and conclusions. Since they include some of the most distinguished men in science and philosophy today, the privilege of having them speak to some broadly defined common concerns in a single volume is a rare one, for which our thanks must go to Henry Margenau, who inspired the papers.

"This important work unifies the realms of science and consciousness in a truly integral 'theory of everything.'" --Ralph Abraham, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, University of California, and coauthor of Chaos, Creativity, and Cosmic Consciousness "A seminal book from one of the best thinkers of our time. Ervin Laszlo charts the -frontiers to which science is inexorably headed. In years to come people will look back at the amazing foresight of this work." --Peter Russell, fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences and the Findhorn Foundation and author of From Science to God "With extraordinary intellectual clarity, Laszlo provides a vision that links the best of modern science to the wisdom of the great spiritual traditions." --Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., president and founder of the International Transpersonal Association and author of The Holotropic Mind Mystics and sages have long maintained that there exists an interconnecting cosmic field at the roots of reality that conserves and conveys information, a field known as the Akashic record. Recent discoveries in vacuum physics show that this Akashic Field is real and has its equivalent in science's zero-point field that underlies space itself. This field consists of a subtle sea of fluctuating energies from which all things arise: atoms and galaxies, stars and planets, living beings, and even consciousness. This zero-point Akashic Field is the constant and enduring memory of the universe. It holds the record of all that has happened on Earth and in the cosmos and relates it to all that is yet to happen. In Science and the Akashic Field, philosopher and scientist Ervin Laszlo conveys the essential element of this information fieldin language that is accessible and clear. From the world of science he confirms our deepest intuitions of the oneness of creation in the Integral Theory of Everything. We discover that, as philosopher William James stated, "We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep." ERVIN LASZLO, holder of the highest degree of the Sorbonne (the State Doctorate), is recipient of four Honorary Ph.D.s and numerous awards and distinctions, including the 2001 Goi Award (the Japan Peace Prize) and nominations for the 2004 and 2005 Nobel Peace Prizes. He is a former professor of philosophy, systems theory, and futures studies in the U.S., Europe, and the Far East and founder and president of the international think-tank the Club of Budapest as well as of the General Evolution Research Group. The author of 75 books, translated into 20 languages, he lives in Italy.

A professor of religious studies meticulously documents his insights from 73 high-dose LSD sessions conducted over the course of 20 years * Chronicles, with unprecedented rigor, the author's systematic journey into a unified field of consciousness that underlies all physical existence * Makes a powerful case for the value of psychedelically induced spiritual experience and discusses the challenge of integrating these experiences into everyday life * Shows how psychedelic experience can take you beyond self-transformation into collective transformation and help birth the future of humanity On November 24, 1979, Christopher M. Bache took the first step on what would become a life-changing journey. Drawing from his training as a philosopher of religion, Bache set out to explore his mind and the mind of the universe as deeply and systematically as possible--with the help of the psychedelic drug LSD. Following protocols established by Stanislav Grof, Bache's 73 high-dose LSD sessions over the course of 20 years drew him into a deepening communion with cosmic consciousness. Journey alongside professor Bache as he touches the living intelligence of our universe--an intelligence that both embraced and crushed him--and demonstrates how direct experience of the divine can change your perspective on core issues in philosophy and religion. Chronicling his 73 sessions, the author reveals the spiral of death and rebirth that took him through the collective unconscious into the creative intelligence of the universe. Making a powerful case for the value of psychedelically induced spiritual experience, Bache shares his immersion in the fierce love and creative intent of the unified field of consciousness that underlies all physical existence. He describes the incalculable value of embracing the pain and suffering he encountered in his sessions and the challenges he faced integrating his experiences into his everyday life. His journey documents a shift from individual consciousness to collective consciousness, from archetypal reality to Divine Oneness and the Diamond Luminosity that lies outside cyclic existence. Pushing the boundaries of theory and practice, the author shows how psychedelic experience can take you beyond self-transformation into collective transformation, beyond the present into the future, revealing spirit and matter in perfect balance.

When asked for the definition of mental health and fulfilment, Sigmund Freud had two words: lieben und arbeiten, love and work. In this book we will find how 16 business leaders brought together their compassion, their caring for others and the world, with their work. True, only on rare occasions are we able to meet the person behind initiatives that made a positive impact on the world, even less have an in-depth view into their feelings, concerns, hesitations, doubts and most intimate thoughts. What is seen publicly is the initiative, the impact on the bottom line and the community, or sometimes on the environment. Yet it is their _personal_ stories that can be most inspirational, since they draw our attention to the fact that amazing achievements start in simple ways, with just the thinking of one individual. And when we find out that the "exemplary individuals" have many very "human" aspects that we identify with and find in ourselves, it brings us closer; and, particularly, it may even trigger in us the question: If she could do it... I wonder what could _I_ do? The interviews, however, were only the beginning of the journey. The lessons of the interviews made it possible to identify how we can all develop a sustainability mindset: in other words, the thinking and the being that can take us from breakdown to breakthrough on this planet. Each one of us can play a part in leading the change; in fact, we are already playing a part aEURO" we are just not necessarily aware if that is the part we would like to play, or aware that we choose the change we are contributing to unfold. Part I presents the 16 leaders, including a summary of their story and their initiatives. Part II goes a little deeper, as you will find two dimensions that were not obvious but which underlie the way these business leaders championed the initiatives: the Thinking and the Being. Part III explores why sustainability change is so slow, and addresses the "elephant in the room": the values and beliefs that anchor our Western Weltanschauung, or worldview. Part IV addresses the alternatives that we have to convert the unsustainable values into opportunities that will permit humanity to thrive and to break through the obstructions that prevent us from stasis. Finally, Part V takes us beyond the tipping point, and presents us with an opportunity to evolve as humans developing a new way of thinking and being on this planet. This transformation is so radical and significant, that the author calls it the Big Bang Being.

From the cutting edge of science and living spirituality: a guide to understanding our identity and purpose in the world * Explains how we can evolve consciously, become connected with each other, and flourish on this planet * "From the time when the conscious universe was a preposterous notion to today, when it's a cutting-edge idea full of promise for your future, Ervin Laszlo has been its staunch champion." - Deepak Chopra, author of You Are the Universe. For the outdated mainstream paradigm the world is a giant mechanism functioning in accordance with known and knowable laws and regularities. The new paradigm emerging in science offers a different concept: The world is an interconnected, coherent whole, and it is informed by a cosmic intelligence. We are conscious beings who emerge and co-evolve as complex, cosmic-intelligence in-formed vibrations in the Akashic Field of the universe. Ervin Laszlo and his collaborators from the forefront of science, cosmology, and spirituality show how the re-discovery of who we are and why we are here integrates seamlessly with the new emerging worldview in the sciences, revealing a way forward for humanity on this planet. Offering a guidepost to orient this evolution, Laszlo examines the nature of consciousness in the universe, showing how our bodies and minds act as transmitters of consciousness from the intelligence of the cosmos and how understanding science's new concept of the world enables us to re-discover our identity and our purpose in our world. With bold vision and forward thinking, Laszlo and his contributors Maria Sagi, Kingsley L. Dennis, Emanuel Kuntzelman, Dawna Jones, Shamik Desai, Garry Jacobs, and John R. Audette outline the new idea of the world and of ourselves in the world. They help us discover how we can overcome these divisive times and blossom into a new era of peace, coherence, connection, and global wellbeing.

In this stimulating dialogue, three of today's most respected intellectuals analyze the roles that art, science, education, spirituality, and consciousness play in society. Many thought-provoking questions are explored, such as "How is the map of reality changing?" "How do humans participate in the planet's global transformations?" "How do these changes affect human lives?" and "How is peace to be fought for?" "En este dialogo estimulante, tres de los intelectuales mas respetados de la epoca analizan los papeles que jugan el arte, la ciencia, la educacion, la espiritualidad y la conciencia en la sociedad. Se exploran muchas cuestiones estimulantes como" Como esta cambiando el mapa de la realidad? Como participar en las transformaciones globales del planeta? Como afectan estos cambios a las vidas humanas? "y "Como luchar por la paz?

An exploration of the current revolution in scientific thought and the newest scientific findings in support of the Akashic field
- Explains how the new Akasha paradigm recognizes the interconnection of all things in space and time through the quantum resonance of the Akashic field
- Reveals the cosmos to be a self-actualizing, self-organizing whole, bringing forth life and consciousness in countless universes
- Explores the latest discoveries in the sciences of life, mind, and cosmos
Science evolves through alternating phases of "normal science" and radical shifts that create scientific revolutions. We saw this at the turn of the 20th century, when science shifted from a Newtonian worldview to Einstein's relativity paradigm, and again with the shift to the quantum paradigm. Now, as we recognize the nonlocal interconnection of all things in space and time, we find our scientific worldview shifting once again.
With contributions by physicists Paul A. LaViolette and Peter Jakubowski, pioneering systems scientist Ervin Laszlo explores the genesis of the current revolution in scientific thought and the latest findings in support of the Akashic field. He explains how the burgeoning Akasha paradigm returns our way of thinking to an integral consciousness, a nonlinear mode of understanding that enables us to accept the reality of nonlocal interconnection throughout the world. This new inclusive way of understanding reaffirms the age-old instinctive comprehension of deep connections among people, societies, and nature, and it integrates and transcends classical religious and scientific paradigms.
Providing examples from cutting-edge science of quantum-resonance-based interactions among all living systems, Laszlo shows the cosmos of the Akasha to be a self-actualizing, self-organizing whole, where each part is in coherence with all others and all parts together create the conditions for the emergence of life and consciousness. The advent of the Akasha paradigm marks a new stage in science's understanding of the fundamental nature of the world and offers unique guidance for contemporary efforts to create a peaceful and sustainable world.