The Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic Prof. Slavoj Žižek answers this question in this short ‘big think’ clip: “Do you think science has replaced philosophy in discovering the bigger questions of life?” Typically forthright, Žižek answers in the negative, claiming that philosophy is not dying, rather we need it more now than ever. And he is of course right. Why? Well for starters philosophy provides the grounding suppositions on which all scientific endeavour is constructed. Not only that, scientific understanding is informed by philosophy and vice versa. Consider the case of quantum physics – a proper understanding of the myriad implications of quantum theory requires a philosophical input.
Philosophy at its best is much more than futile navel gazing; it can open up new frontiers in thinking and force us to look outside the box and into a wider vista of possibilities. There needs to be more widespread teaching of philosophy at all levels if we are to make best use of technological and scientific opportunities. That’s why I’m with Žižek on this, and many other issues!
The American Novelist and Essayist Kurt Vonnegut is an intriguing figure that held a nuanced, and somewhat unconventional view on religion and faith. While he explicitly rejected the divinity of Jesus, he was nevertheless an ardent follower of his moral teachings and example. Often identifying himself as an agnostic or atheist, he also frequently spoke and wrote of God. His overarching philosophy centred on free-thought which lead him down some interesting philosophical avenues and informed his writing.
Take for example Vonnegut’s brilliant collection of essays entitled God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian.The premise of the book is that Vonnegut employs Dr. Jack Kevorkian (the infamous euthanasia activist) to give him a series of near-death experiences. In so doing, Kevorkian facilitates Vonnegut’s brief conversations with St. Peter and access to heaven and those interesting characters in it. And so in the afterlife, Vonnegut interviews an eclectic mix of people that includes such notaries as Adolf Hitler, William Shakespeare and Isaac Asimov. What results is a fascinating and humerous look at the after-life in which Vonnegut once again displays a more nuanced understanding of the divine than his purportedly humanistic moniker would seemingly allow.
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkianis well worth a read, whatever your stance on faith and religion.
At first glance, it would seem that quantum physics and plant biology are worlds apart, both empirically and theoretically. However, this assumption has been questioned by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the Notre Dame Radiation Laboratory.
In an article posted on the Science Daily website, the findings of the research are explained as follows:
The quantum effects observed in the course of the experiment hint that the natural light-harvesting processes involved in photosynthesis may be more efficient than previously indicated by classical biophysics, said chemist Gary Wiederrecht of Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials. “It leaves us wondering: how did Mother Nature create this incredibly elegant solution?” he said.
It seems then that this research may point to something more profound and intrinsic to the natural world, although more research is clearly required in order to elucidate what is going on, and the wider implications thereof. Nevertheless, it could be of great significance.
In this fascinating article, psychiatrist Dr. Darold Treffert talks about his 40 plus years of research into savant syndrome. More specifically, he reflects on acquired savant syndrome and how this points to the presence of dormant potential within each one of us. Treffert also touches on the nature of the work currently under way that will help us to access that “little Rain Man within us all” in non-intrusive ways.
The late Jungian Psychotherapist John Weir Perry posited that the psychiatric community often errs in treating visionary experiences as a form of mental illness.
Perry was the author of many influential books including ‘The Heart of History‘ and ‘The Far Side of Madness‘. He contends that that psychiatric labelling and the use of anti-psychotic drugs serve to stifle the valuable integration of life’s mythic dimensions into a wider world-view.
Is Perry correct? To a degree I suspect that he is. But what about those psychotic episodes that are debilitating and distressing? Should they go untreated? I suspect not. Interestingly, what Perry proposes is a new approach to the management and understanding of psychosis. And it’s here that he really might be on to something.
You can watch a short interview with Dr. Perry for the ‘Thinking Allowed’ series here:
There are a multitude of unsolved mysteries when it comes to consciousness research. Consider the oft reported phenomenon of end of life lucidity in dementia patients. If dementia causes a neurological breakdown, what can explain this sudden final restoration of lucidity? Could it be the remaining neurons tapping in to the ‘collective unconscious’, or is this hypothesis a step too far?
In this short clip from an interview, Rudolph Tanzo, Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Child Neurology and Mental Retardation at Massachusetts General Hospital talks about this very issue:
The recurrent and seemingly never-ending furore surrounding the Catholic Church’s treatment of the victims of clerical abuse raises so many questions. Issues of leadership, accountability, transparency and criminality abound no matter where in the world the abuse has taken place. Take Ireland for example where the Primate, Cardinal Sean Brady, is currently reeling from a sustained media investigation into his handling of a church investigation into the activities of the prolific abuser Brendan Smyth.
In all of this, there is the perennial danger that the victims of clerical abuse become lost in the entire process; their heart-rending stories cry out for justice…..their stories need to be told and their pain acknowledged. But instead, victims are often ignored and marginalized by an institution that appears to care more about protecting itself than doing the right thing and caring for those who have been betrayed.
It is against this backdrop that I recently watched Amy Berg’s documentary film ‘Deliver Us From Evil‘. Berg’s film is difficult to watch as it recounts a harrowing story of child abuse and how a serial child molester evaded justice for the better part of two decades.
The abuser, Oliver O’Grady, was a Catholic priest who served in a number of parishes in Southern California during the 1970s and ’80s. He was also an habitual child molester who abused numerous children entrusted to his care.
Scandalously, O’Grady’s superiors were aware of his crimes as early as 1973, and instead of dealing with his criminal behaviour in the correct manner, they opted to simply move him from one congregation to another. The end result was a trail of ruined lives and emotional devastation that is painful to even contemplate from a distance.
In Deliver Us From Evil, a number of O’Grady’s victims and their families discuss his crimes and the repercussions they feel to this day; their dignity is inspirational and their pain and sense of betrayal is palpable throughout the film.
O’Grady himself appears, speaking candidly about his career as an abuser, often recounting his abhorrent misdeeds in detail. Although he acknowledges his actions, he never actually accepts the gravity of the emotional pain he has caused. At one point for example, he quite outrageously decides to write to some of his victims inviting them to a ‘reunion’ (no I haven’t made this up….) so they can discuss what happened to them. Their response – to be outraged and contemptuous of this disgracefully ill-conceived initiative – is lost on O’Grady; he seems unable to empathize and to understand the results of his actions.
After finally being convicted of child sexual abuse, O’Grady served a number of years in prison, before being deported to Ireland. And that is where the film ends. Unfortunately that deportation did not curtail O’Grady’s activities – he spent time working with children in the Netherlands (under a false name) and was convicted of possessing child pornography by an Irish court and was sentenced to prison.
As well as painting a detailed profile of O’Grady, Berg also offers an insight into the workings of the Catholic Church and how its leadership has often protected wayward priests at the expense of ordinary worshipers.
Deliver Us From Evil was named Best Documentary Feature at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival, and quite rightly so.
Werner Herzog is, in my opinion, one of the best documentary film-makers alive; his films are superbly made and have an uncanny knack of capturing the human spirit, whether this is expressed in adversity or in triumph. Life lived in extremis is the stock-in-trade of Herzog.
Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life, is an exquisitely made Herzog film which fits the aforementioned descriptor to a tee. It features two men convicted of a bizarre triple homicide which occurred in Texas. The two baby-faced protagonists, Michael Perry and Jason Burkett, were jailed for their crimes; the former received the death penalty and the latter a life sentence.
The murders that Perry and Burkett committed were utterly senseless and were the result of a botched car robbery. Herzog spends some time explaining the details of the crimes, which although extremely unpleasant, acts as a counterbalance to the personal interviews he conducted with Perry and Burkett. And this is important. Why? Simply because it is hard to connect the smiling and articulate Perry, and indeed the articulate and intelligent Burkett, to their atrocious crimes.
The interview with Perry was especially poignant given that it was recorded just eight days prior to his execution by lethal injection. But so to was the encounter with the daughter and sister of two of the murder victims, and the brother of the third victim; their pain was palpable and difficult to watch. Thanks to Herzog’s interviewing skills, the relatives were able to tell their stories, often without words, but unmistakeable in intent – their emotions were raw and unhealed.
Equally poignant was the opening scene where Herzog interviews a pastor who has accompanied many prisoners to their deaths. The moment he breaks down as he countenances yet another execution provides a glimpse of a tortured soul. As does the interview with a former death-row captain, a man who has taken some one hundred and twenty-five people to the death chamber and witnessed their executions. His breakdown and subsequent inability to continue with his job provides an insight into the mind of a man who had gone full circle – once an avid proponent of the death penalty, and now a staunch opponent.
Bizarrely, Burkett’s wife makes an appearance in the film. She met and married Burkett post-conviction and claims to be pregnant with his child which ostensibly is the result of artificial insemination using a sperm sample smuggled out of the prison. One is left wondering exactly what compels an intelligent woman to get involved with a murderer who has little chance of ever being released.
Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Lifeis a difficult film to watch. But nonetheless it is a film that offers so much; each one of the individuals Herzog focuses in on is staring into an abyss, whether that be the abyss of grief or burden, or impending death at the hands of the state. This he does with a powerful intensity that will leave you exhausted at the end of the film. It leaves many questions unanswered. But then again that is what it’s all about – to provoke thought and inner reflection.
Watch this film – you won’t regret it. The trailer below will give you a taster:
Reuben Margolin is an incredibly talented kinetic sculptor, crafting beautiful pieces that move in various patterns, including raindrops falling and waves combining. Margolin’s installations are as dramatic as they are mesmeric, reflecting an art-form that is meditative and almost spiritual, inspired as it is by maths and nature. Amazing.
You can see Margolin talk about his work in a recent Ted talk:
It was Thomas a Kempis who said: ‘It is only the pilgrims who in the travails of their earthly voyage do not lose their way ………whether our planet be frozen or scorched; they are guided by the same prayers, and suffering, and fervour, and woe.’
Pilgrimage is a stunning 2001 short documentary film by renowned Germany director Werner Herzog; it is essentially an extended meditation on the words of a Kempis. Accompanied only by music, the film alternates between shots of pilgrims near the tomb of Saint Sergei in Sergiyev Posad, Russia and pilgrims at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico. The score is really something special and was composed by John Tavener and performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra with vocal accompaniment by Parvin Cox and the Westminster Cathedral Choir.
