Poised at the Edge
Issue 4 August 2014
Beyond the Stalemate
In our contemporary neurobiology and much of the philosophy of mind post Descartes we are classical physics machines and either mindless, or mind is at best epiphenomenal and can have no consequences for the physical world. In this article, renowned scientist and thinker, Stuart Kauffman, discuss a large, interwoven set of topics. Much of what he says is highly speculative, some is testable, some is, at present, surely not. It is, he hopes, useful, to set these ideas forth for our consideration.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
A photographer with a fast growing reputation, Ed Norton’s images evoke a strong sense of place – identifying oneself in relation to a particular piece of land on the surface of planet Earth. As Wendell Berry famously said, ‘If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are’.
Complexity and Theological Perspectives
Does self-organisation pose a threat to theology? Or is God the facilitator of a complex world? And is there a role for thought experiments in religion? Niels Henrik Gregerson, Professor of Systematic Theology at University of Copenhagen, discusses religion’s place in a scientific world and how both science and religion could benefit from a combined approach.
In between matter and energy
The first woman artist to work with kinetic text, exploring both light and text as early as 1962, and internationally recognised for pioneering the interaction of art, science, technology, eastern philosophy and female mythology, Liliane Lijn’s interests cover a wide area. Her work transmutes traditional materials into new and vibrant elements by juxtaposing them with new technologies. In this exclusive interview she discusses her ideas, her work and artistic processes
The Computational Universe
Does nature process quantum information whenever a physical system evolves? In this article, Seth Lloyd uses the concept of quantum information science as the basis for an entire world view, declaring that the universe as a whole is a gigantic quantum computer.
Information and Communication in Living Matter
Biological information is not only instructional but also has to do with ‘valued’ and ‘significant’ information, which puts the receiver in the centre of interest. Bernd-Olaf Küppers, Professor of Natural Sciences, offers a distinct naturalistic view about how crucial semantic levels of information might emerge via evolutionary processes.
The Reenchantment of the Tree
The Reenchantment of the the Tree concentrates on images of trees found predominantly in the arid zone of far western NSW. Louise Fowler Smith layers or glazes light onto specially chosen trees, that may otherwise have been disregarded and ignored; concentrating on its individual qualities or personality. This process draws out the tree, making it special, individualistic, even sacred.
on Contemplative Science
B. Alan Wallace, lecturer, scholar, writer, translator and the president and founder of The Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, discusses how the contemplative methods of Buddhism and the scientific methods of enquiry need to come together in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the mind and consciousness.
Poised
Between stillness and movement, absorption and play; between being utterly ’in the moment’ and on the brink of imminent, inescapable change, Dryden Goodwin’s film ‘Poised’ provides multiple meanings.