Nonprofits from Texas and California are partnering with local media to present Frontiers of Knowledge on Saturday, Sept. 13. The symposium will bring together 10 experts from the fields of physics, cosmology, natural and social sciences, and psychedelics research for four educational lectures.
This ambitious event aims to explore topics from physics and astronomical understandings of the universe to theories of consciousness, creativity and social connection. The lectures will take place at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen. The California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS) and Austin, Texas-based Center for MINDS are partnering with Aspen Public Radio to host the symposium with support from the Mays Family Foundation.
Breeze Richardson, executive director of Aspen Public Radio, said the station is “thrilled at the opportunity to partner with these remarkable individuals and organizations to bring this contemporary exploration of the Aspen Idea to our community,” referencing Walter Paepcke’s notion of collectively nurturing mind, body and spirit in a naturally beautiful setting. “Convening people to learn together, encouraging curiosity and exploring how these new discoveries in cosmology, neuroscience, physics and altered states of consciousness are changing how we see the universe is going to make for an amazing day.”
Frontiers of Knowledge is the brainchild of Candice Olson, a former television executive and current CEO of community and education companies iVillage and Fullbridge. Olson is also an advisory board member for Center of MINDS and pursuing doctoral studies at CIIS in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness.
The first lecture — “The Journey of the Universe” — will feature mathematician Brian Swimme and writer Mary Evelyn Tucker in conversation with Oxford physicist Jude Currivan about their book of the same name. The presentation will cover everything from atoms to galaxies to animals through the lens of quantum physics. In the authors’ view, “mind and matter cannot be understood as separate.”
Next, scientist Bruce Damer and philosopher Matthew David Segall will discuss The Origin of Life. Their hypothesis integrates biological evidence with social theories around community dynamics and emergent complexity. They are interested in the how and why of biological life origins, and where concepts like consciousness and agency come into those equations.
After lunch, the presentations will move inside the human head, though from cultural and philosophical perspectives. Author Richard Tarnas and psychiatrist and philosopher Iain McGilchrist will present “Mind, Brain, and the Unfinished Journey of the Western Mind.” They will explore Western intellectual and cultural history and successes and failures of civilization as well as specific functions of each hemisphere of the human brain. McGilchrist sees the different brain processes of interacting with the world as complementary and a means to valuable insights on problem-solving and connection.
The final lecture of the day, “Consciousness and the New Worldview,” will take a step into contemplation of awareness beyond humans. Philosophers Jeff Kripal and Jake Sherman will speak with author David Abram about theories of consciousness that go beyond awareness housed exclusively in the gray matter of the brain. There are over 100 theories of consciousness currently in academia, and these thinkers posit that the time is ripe for a paradigm shift. Some theories suggest that consciousness is not a phenomena that occurs within individuals, but is a participatory state that connects humans with each other and other beings.
Passes for the symposium are being sold online at aspenshowtix.com for $100 per person. Interested attendees under the age of 40 can use a code to access tickets for just $75 per person. The organizers are also offering a $350 ticket that includes all four lectures and a private speakers dinner for more personal conversation. The dinner at Sant Ambroeus is scheduled to begin shortly after closing comments at the Wheeler Opera House.
CIIS, based in San Francisco, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs in social sciences, psychology, philosophy and spirituality. The university examines both Eastern and Western intellectual and spiritual traditions for a holistic view of human potential. The Center for MINDS promotes creativity and outside-the-box approaches to science, social issues and leadership. The organization’s hypothesis is that altered states of consciousness can prove essential to social transformation and technological breakthroughs.
More information about Frontiers of Knowledge is available at www.frontiersofknowledge.org
