Why do some heterodox scientific theories attract such vehement ridicule, while others are merely contentious? From adaptive mutation to psi phenomena to water memory to UFOlogy, from plant consciousness to morphic resonance, the “excluded other” in science points to a transition in the defining mythology of civilization. Each bespeaks a universe in which intelligence, purpose, and consciousness are not the sole province of human beings, vitiating a key pillar of dualistic thinking. Because they pose such an ideological and psychological threat, these theories incite a more-than-intellectual hostility. This talk will explore the crisis of science and the emergence of a new mythology that might, not replace, but transcend and include it.
Charles Eisenstein is a speaker and writer focusing on themes of human culture and identity. He is the author of several books, most recently Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible. His background includes a degree in mathematics and philosophy from Yale, a decade in Taiwan as a translator, and stints as a college instructor, a yoga teacher, and a construction worker. He currently writes and speaks full-time.