Philosophy and Life
Recent writing and occasional thoughts on assorted matters.
- In Praise of Praise. A conversation with Rupert Sheldrake Mar 28, 2023- An audio version of this talk is at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. Why do people offer praise and gain from it? Does God require, even demand praise? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert and Mark discuss what can be wrongly implied by praise and what it might mean as an immensely rich practice.… …
- Synchronicity and Carl Jung’s metaphysics Mar 28, 2023- An audio version of this talk is online at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. A review and discussion of Decoding Jung’s Metaphysics by Bernardo Kastrup, considering what’s conscious and unconscious, personal and collective, caused and evoked, and also asking about the tradition of German Idealism, within which Bernardo persuasively situates Jung. …
- Dante and Eternal Damnation Mar 6, 2023- And audio version of this talk is at my podcast, Dante's Divine Comedy, available via podcast feeds. Dante would seem to be a key candidate for infernalism, the doctrine of endless punishment in hell for sinners who failed to turn to Christ. He’s said to be medieval and isn't that what they believed then? And doesn’t his Divine Comedy clearly,… …
- Carlo Rovelli is interestingly, importantly wrong about Anaximander Feb 24, 2023- An audio version of this review is at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. There is a myth that science and religion are locked in conflicted. And it's a battle that science must win. The physicist, Carlo Rovelli, is an eloquent purveyor of the myth and uses the Ancient Greek philosopher, Anaximander, to perpetuate the confrontation. However,… …
- Freeing Perception. 10 Ways of Living Iain McGilchrist’s Work Jan 28, 2023- An audio version of this talk is at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. So you've bought into the great insights of Iain McGilchrist, as explored in The Master and His Emissary, and also, The Matter with Things. You understand that the key ability is “presencing the world” - comprehending, not merely calculating - experiencing, not merely… …
- What is objectivity? A conversation with Rupert Sheldrake & Mark Vernon Jan 14, 2023- An audio version of this dialogue is available at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, found on podcast feeds. Objectivity has come to be regarded as a prime ingredient of reliable knowledge. But what is objectivity, how has it arisen, and is the notion in need of reform? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert and Mark consider the recent… …
- Harry & Psychotherapy. British & American traditions. Reflecting on differences, conflicts, tensions Jan 7, 2023- An audio version of this talk can be found at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. Prince Harry is caught in a media storm. But within the mix of sympathy and loathing lie transatlantic differences in psychological and psychotherapeutic traditions. What is sometimes called Self Psychology plays a bigger role in the US, focusing on the healing… …
- Angels, Dreams & Myths. Dante on times of transition Dec 23, 2022- An audio version of this talk is at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. The Divine Comedy is all about guides - finding guides, following guides, conversing with guides. Virgil and Beatrice are the best known, but there are other modes of guidance that Dante seeks and explores. Angels, dreams and myths accompanying Dante, even in the… …
- A New Axial Age? Conversation with Beth Macy & Mark Vernon Dec 22, 2022- An audio version of this conversation is at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. To celebrate the release of his new book, Spiritual Intelligence in Seven Steps, the Pari Center invited Mark Vernon, to talk about his new work with Beth Macy. They discuss the notions of spiritual intelligence, the spiritual commons, the Axial revolutions, the presence… …
- Spiritual Intelligence in Seven Steps. Seven Steps in 7 short films Dec 13, 2022- Audio versions of these talks can be found at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. …