Unfolding Consciousness : Exploring the Living Universe and Intelligent Powers in Nature and Humans Volume I

Description

Volume I provides an overall survey and appreciation of the field of enquiry. Whilst fully valuing the worth of science, at the same time its limitations, concerning the deeper questions of life and consciousness, are laid bare. This then defines the legitimate boundaries of science and so establishes the need for invoking the Perennial Philosophy to provide the deficit that mainstream science, constrained by its philosophy of materialism, is unable to accomplish.

This entirely new way of looking at the world, and human beings, through the lens of the Perennial Philosophy, embracing diverse world cultures and epochs, creates a hunger to probe further into the nature of the human being and his consciousness beyond (but not excluding) the dictates of scientific materialism.

The overriding purpose of Volume I is to explain the scientific position on consciousness and the nature of the human mind; and then reveal the added insights to be gained from the Perennial Philosophy. This Volume will answer the pressing question ‘whom to vote for’, so to speak, on questions of life, mind, and consciousness: should it be for mainstream science, the Perennial Philosophy, or possibly both? It will soon become apparent that in making the case for embracing the Perennial Philosophy, what is needed is a true union, not an ‘either–or’ dichotomy between the two. Science and the Perennial Philosophy move in different orbits in their respective search for truth, but they also have areas of overlap and it is important to recognize this. To this end, their respective paradigms are summarized, along with their attendant strengths and limitations, in the framework of their respective disciplines.

Volume I is therefore written in two major sections. The first section, covering Chapters 1 to 6, constitutes the scientific portion with the principal objective of exposing the shortcomings of science when faced with problems lying outside its legitimate bounds of expertise. The second major section, comprising Chapters 7 to 9, explains the Mystery Teachings of the East and the West, ancient and modern, and the insights that they provide concerning the human being at all levels, from the spiritual to the physical. The final Chapter is a recapitulation that provides the link with Volume II.

This Volume closes with two appendices showing a timeline of advances from the late nineteenth century to the present: the first in physics and cosmology; and the second in life science (molecular and developmental biology, and psychology). Both appendices trace parallel developments in the mainstream and more enlightened viewpoints of these scientific disciplines.

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Author

Edi Bilimoria (DPhil, FIMechE, FEI, FRSA) was born in India and educated at the universities of London, Sussex and Oxford, he presents an unusual blend of experience in the fields of science, arts and philosophy.

Professionally, Edi is an award-winning engineer and consultant to the petrochemical, oil and gas, transport, and construction industries. He has been Project Manager and Head of Design for major innovative projects such as the Channel Tunnel, London Underground systems, petrochemical plants and offshore installations. He also worked in safety and environmental engineering for several Royal Navy projects, including the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier and the fleet of Offshore Patrol Vessels.

A student of the perennial philosophy for over half a century, Edi has given courses and lectured extensively in the UK, and internationally in California, The Netherlands, India and Australia. He has organized and chaired conferences with the object of encouraging discourse on the different, but overlapping, roles of science, religion and practical philosophy. He worked as Education Manager for the Theosophical Society in Australia developing courses and study papers, researching, lecturing and organizing international conferences; as well as supervising the Research Library, National Media Library, National Members Lending Library and the development of the website.

Edi has published extensively in the fields of science, engineering and the esoteric philosophy. His book The Snake and the Rope was awarded a prize by the Scientific and Medical Network on which he now serves as a Board Director.

An enthusiastic glider pilot for many years, Edi is a choral singer and a dedicated pianist of concert standard.

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Reviews

“I know of no other work of such scope and depth relating to the ultimate questions raised by human existence both in terms of our origins and destiny.”
David Lorimer is Chair of the Galileo Commission and International Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network, Editor of Paradigm Explorer.

“Unfolding Consciousness is a remarkable tour de force through spiritual meanders of esoteric traditions, from East and West, and their dialogue with modern science. It is as fascinatingly provocative, as it is informative – and it will equally challenge the scientist, the philosopher, and the artist. In contemporary, unpretentious language, it takes the reader from the spiritual mission of humanity to the principles of the universe (and back), with careful consideration of both scientific evidence and metaphysical subtleties; and underneath it all, it seeks the traces of consciousness, in all its forms. Just like its main theme — ourselves, and our rapport to the universe – this is not an easy book; nor should it be. It is an important work, which is worth taking time to engage with.”
Dr Ana-Maria Pascal, MBA, PhD, SFHEA, Director, Liberal Arts Programmes, Associate Professor in Philosophy and Public Ethics, Provost’s Group, Regent’s University London

“It is refreshing to read a masterly study of consciousness written by an author who roots their arguments in a profound grasp of esoteric wisdom. It is not simply that such wisdom conveys profound insights for understanding the essence of consciousness. Of far greater importance is the skill that Edi Bilimoria brings in clarifying our place in the vast panorama of which we are a part. There is nothing more pressing in our day than this challenge for us to act in synergy with the planet (and, in more esoteric terms, the macrocosm). Bilimoria shows that the ancient axiom that “man is the measure of all things” can be revitalised in the context of contemporary science. And he brings an encyclopaedic grasp of modern physics, neuroscience, and psychology to support his supremely optimistic view that consciousness is fundamental to reality. This is an insight whose time has come, and Bilimoria shows himself to be a diligent and creative guide to what a post-materialist understanding of consciousness will mean for us all.”
B Les Lancaster, Professor Emeritus of Transpersonal Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University and Director, the Alef Trust

“This work presents a comprehensive, lucid and well-written overview, with careful attention to detail and yet full of far-ranging and potentially transformative ideas.”
Rupert Sheldrake PhD, biologist and author of The Science Delusion

“When you consider the scope, width and erudition of this book, it is not surprising that it took its author over 20 years to complete. Most philosophical books take a single view of the problem of consciousness, either scientific or philosophical, but Edi Bilimoria takes a much wider, more inclusive view. Who am I? is the underlying question of Volume I: A Panoramic Survey – Science Contrasted with the Perennial Philosophy on Consciousness and Man, which provides an overview of the field, highlighting both the value of science and its limitations as a tool for examining the deeper problems of life and consciousness, and makes the case for the perennial philosophy as a bridge to reach a greater understanding of these areas. In Volume II: Peering Down the Microscope – Man’s Internal Landscapes, Bilimoria manages the seemingly impossible task of finding common ground in the mass of beliefs and practices, old and new, from diverse, cultures, religions and philosophies, to demonstrate an overlap and unifying doctrine even on such issues as post-mortem existence and re-birth and the complexities of the human mind. Volume III: Gazing Through the Telescope – Man is the Measure of All Things is even more ambitious in its aim to show how the human being fits into the grand scheme of the universe, to examine the question of emergence from the spiritual to the material, from the implicate order to its explicit expression. It draws on the insights of symbolism and mysticism, and the deepest teachings of occultism to explain the nature of consciousness. In this 21st Century, an era in which science is our dominant paradigm and is playing an ever increasing part in our technology and our lives, this book helps to adjust the balance and resolve the conflicts between science and religion on issues like evolution and purpose, the nature of consciousness, and what it truly means to be a human being as opposed to an animated robot or a biological mechanism.

This is a complex work, but each chapter opens with a synopsis and closes with a summary of the principle themes which are extremely helpful and means that despite their complexity, the three volumes are always easy to understand and follow. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who wants a broad overview of the various traditions which have led to the current Western understanding of man’s place in the Universe.”
Dr Peter Fenwick is Emeritus Consultant Neuropsychiatrist and Neuropsychologist at both the Maudsley and John Radcliffe hospitals. He was a senior lecturer at King’s College, London, where he worked as a consultant at the Institute of Psychiatry. He worked with the Mental Health Group at the University of Southampton, and held a visiting professorship at the Riken Neurosciences Institute in Japan. He is President Emeritus of the Scientific and Medical Network.

“As we enter the age of post-materialist science, in which consciousness is seen as a fundamental rather than incidental feature of the Universe, there is an urgent need to extend science to accommodate the mental and spiritual domains. However, this is not a new endeavour, since it also characterises various esoteric traditions which go back a thousand years and embrace a variety of cultures. The unique and remarkable achievement of this work is to put this endeavour in a proper conceptual and historical context and only someone with the extraordinary breadth of vision of the author could have achieved this.”
Bernard Carr, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, and President of the Scientific and Medical Network

“This is a historic work in historic times. The trilogy at hand will prove a most useful textbook for every student of esoteric wisdom and modern science. It reveals the ontological unity of the Eastern and Western branches of our perennial wisdom and shows how science that seeks truth will inevitably transform itself, once again, towards a great synthesis of both traditions. It will be proven a seminal work since its readers will discover the seeds of future growth for themselves as seekers and for scientific research at large. It heralds the new science of consciousness and offers us the roadmap and the necessary tools and impetus to achieve it.”
Vasileios Basios (BSc,MSc,PhD in Physics of Complex Systems, University of Brussels (ULB))