We understand life through the stories we tell. Contemporary society is experiencing a ‘soul crisis’, because we have fallen under the spell of a particularly bleak story. The great religious myths that gave life meaning in the past have crumbled under sceptical scrutiny, so we’ve put our faith in science, which proclaims that we are living meaningless lives, in a universe that has evolved by chance, waiting for the finality of death. In this presentation, based on his groundbreaking book Soul Story, philosopher Tim Freke offers an alternative to this pessimistic worldview. He will explore a new philosophy he calls ‘Emergent Spirituality’, which reconciles modern scientific knowledge and perennial spiritual wisdom, by suggesting that everything is emerging into existence through the evolutionary process, including those qualities of life considered ‘spiritual’.
The evolution of the universe first saw the emergence of the material world, then the diversity of organic life, and finally the emergence of the imagination. Mainstream science asserts that this world of images, which we call the psyche or ‘soul’, is no more than a side-effect of the brain, but Tim will argue that it is actually a non-physical dimension of reality, which has evolved from the material and biological levels of reality.
Tim suggests that the evolution of the imagination is accompanied by the emergence of utterly new aspects of reality, such as meaning, volition, magic and immortality. None of these phenomena exist on the physical and biological levels of reality, but they come into existence through the evolutionary process with the emergence of the soul-dimension.
Tim claims that the philosophy of ‘Emergent Spirituality’ can heal our modern ‘soul crisis’, because it offers a life-enhancing understanding of the deep purpose of existence, which is both rational and inspirational, giving us a beautiful vision of the nature of reality and reasserting the significance of the soul.
TIM FREKE is a pioneering philosopher and the author of 35 books that have been translated into 20 languages, including a Sunday Times ‘top 10 bestseller’ and Daily Telegraph ‘Book of the Year’. He speaks and runs ‘Deep Awakening’ retreats internationally and online. www.TimFreke.com
