Involution-An Odyssey Reconciling Science to God
Description
<p>“<em>We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”(</em>Teilhard de Chardin<em>)</em></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;"><em>Involution-An Odyssey Reconciling Science to God </em> is as layered as a French cassoulet, as diverting, satisfying and as rich. Each reader will spoon this book differently. On the surface it seems to be a simple and light-hearted poetic journey through the history of Western thought, dominantly scientific, but enriched with painting and music. Beneath that surface is the sauce of a new evolutionary idea, involution; the informing of all matter by consciousness, encoded and communicating throughout the natural world. A book about the cathedral of consciousness could have used any language to paint it, but science is perhaps most in need of new vision, and its chronology is already familiar.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">The author offers a bold alternative vision of both science and creation: she suggests that science has been incrementally the recovery of memory, the memory of evolution/involution</span><em style="line-height:1.6em;">.</em></p><p>“<em> Involution proposes that humans carry within them the history of the universe, which is (re)discovered by the individual genius when the time is ripe. All is stored within our DNA and awaits revelation. Such piecemeal revelations set our finite lives in an eternal chain of co-creation and these new leaps of discovery are compared to mystical experience</em>” (From a reviewer)</p><p>Each unique contributor served the collective and universal return to holism and unity. Thus the geniuses of the scientific journey, like the spiritual visionaries alongside, have threaded the rosary of science with the beads of inspiration, and through them returned Man to his spiritual nature and origin.</p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">The separation between experience and the rational intellect of science has, by modelling memory as theory, separated its understanding from the consciousness of all, and perceives mind and matter as separate, God and Man as distinct. This work is a dance towards their re-unification: Saints and scientists break the same bread.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">All of time and all the disciplines of science are needed for the evidence. Through swift (and sometimes sparring) Cantos of dialogue between Reason and Soul, Philippa Rees takes the reader on a monumental journey through the history of everything – with the evolution of man as one side of the coin and involution the other. The poetic narrative is augmented by learned and extensive footnotes offering background knowledge which in themselves are fascinating. In effect there are two books, offering a right and left brain approach. The twin spirals of a DNA shaped book intertwine external and internal and find, between them, one journey, Man’s recovery of Himself., and (hopefully) the Creation’s recovery of a nobler Man.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">From the same review “</span><em style="line-height:1.6em;">The reader who finishes the book will not be the same as the one who began it. New ideas will expand the mind but more profoundly, the deep, moving power of the verse will affect the heart.</em></p><p><em>(Marianne Rankin: Director of Communications, Alister Hardy Trust)</em></p><p> </p>
Story Behind The Book
I was standing in front of a school on a hot summer day as my son was appearing for a national level engineering examination. The examination was to continue throughout the day in two separate three hours sitting, with a two hours lunch break in between. There was a huge field outside the school where scores of parents were sitting and talking to each other. I was amazed to see the knowledge level of some guardians regarding the examinations. Parents whose second child was appearing in the examinations seemed to know better as they had gathered enough experience in their previous forays. There were also first time parents who thought they had done enough in guiding their wards but their confidence had now taken a beating and were revising their opinion. The discussions continued for three hours until lunch break when the students came out with question papers. The papers were tough as all types of questions having single answers as well as more than one answers etc were asked. The break period was spent with the students having lunch and very soon the school bell rang and students went for the second sitting of examination. As most parents had nothing much to do for the next three hours, so questions from the first paper were discussed and some parents were found to have some idea of solving the questions with their knowledge. They had also the idea of the method of study, course curriculum, books and study material to be followed and most important what not do during preparation of such exams. However, majority of parents were feeling that they were lacking in their efforts compared to vigilant parents. Some of them were ruing the fact that had they also kept up to date, then it would have been an additional advantage to students, apart from what the students have learned on their own through self study and teachings of school/coaching institutes.
This book is written for parents of science students studying in class 11 and 12 and preparing for engineering or medical entrance examinations with an aim to give practical suggestions regarding how they can contribute in the studies of their wards. The student’s youthful energy and the parent’s experience if mixed properly can achieve good results in studies.
