2009 conference
International Society for Jean Gebser
@ Hofstra University, NY
Identity, Civilization and Consciousness
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Atemporal Creativity: Concresence and Mutation in the Evolution of Consciousness
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Abstract:
In the work of many contemporary authors evolution has been aligned with a linear developmental view of consciousness. The work of Jean Gebser suggests consciousness unfolds in leaps or mutations, what he terms spiritual evolution. He adds to this that the coming mutation will be atemporal and acausal rather than linear or cyclical. For this deep intuition to be applied in any real way it requires a clearer elucidation of the process of spiritual evolution whereby novelty ingresses in actuality. This paper illustrates how Alfred North Whitehead's consideration of propositional feelings, intellectual feelings, and rational knowing we can find a coherent description of an originating impulse that he terms Creativity. Creativity is the process whereby leaps of novelty can occur. By combining the work of these two authors we can grow a deep and penetrating understanding of evolution and consciousness.
Author:
Zayin Neumann, M.A. is a PhD student at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where he is working at the intersection of various contemporary wisdom traditions, a process-oriented philosophy of science, and a deep intuition into the gifts offered by an evolutionary theory of consciousness. Zayin organizes and facilitates workshops on Integral Cosmology, Holistic Integration/Sexuality, various forms of shamanism, and leads contemporary rites of passage. He has a private practice in the Bay Area and can be contacted at 2735 Elmwood Ave., Berkeley, CA, 94705. Zayin (at) Freedomtoinhabit.com, 415.793.9683.