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Restoring the Soul of the World: Our Living Bond with Nature's Intelligence
Humanity’s creative role within the living pattern of nature
• Explores important scientific discoveries that reveal the self-organizing intelligence at the heart of nature
• Examines the idea of a living cosmos from its roots in the earliest cultures, to its eclipse during the Scientific Revolution, to its return today
• Reveals ways to reengage our creative partnership with nature and collaborate with nature’s intelligence
For millennia the world was seen as a creative, interconnected web of life, constantly growing, developing, and restoring itself. But with the arrival of the Scientific Revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries, the world was viewed as a lifeless, clocklike mechanism, bound by the laws of classical physics. Intelligence was a trait ascribed solely to human beings, and thus humanity was viewed as superior to and separate from nature. Today new scientific discoveries are reviving the ancient philosophy of a living, interconnected cosmos, and humanity is learning from and collaborating with nature’s intelligence in new, life-enhancing ways, from ecological design to biomimicry.
Drawing upon the most important scientific discoveries of recent times, David Fideler explores the self-organizing intelligence at the heart of nature and humanity’s place in the cosmic pattern. He examines the ancient vision of the living cosmos from its roots in the “world soul” of the Greeks and the alchemical tradition, to its eclipse during the Scientific Revolution, to its return today. He explains how the mechanistic worldview led to humanity’s profound sense of alienation, for if the universe only functioned as a machine, there was no longer any room for genuine creativity or spontaneity. He shows how this isn’t the case and how, even at the molecular level, natural systems engage in self-organization, self-preservation, and creative problem solving, mirroring the ancient idea of a creative intelligence that exists deep within the heart of nature.
Revealing new connections between science, religion, and culture, Fideler explores how to reengage our creative partnership with nature and new ways to collaborate with nature’s intelligence.
• Explores important scientific discoveries that reveal the self-organizing intelligence at the heart of nature
• Examines the idea of a living cosmos from its roots in the earliest cultures, to its eclipse during the Scientific Revolution, to its return today
• Reveals ways to reengage our creative partnership with nature and collaborate with nature’s intelligence
For millennia the world was seen as a creative, interconnected web of life, constantly growing, developing, and restoring itself. But with the arrival of the Scientific Revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries, the world was viewed as a lifeless, clocklike mechanism, bound by the laws of classical physics. Intelligence was a trait ascribed solely to human beings, and thus humanity was viewed as superior to and separate from nature. Today new scientific discoveries are reviving the ancient philosophy of a living, interconnected cosmos, and humanity is learning from and collaborating with nature’s intelligence in new, life-enhancing ways, from ecological design to biomimicry.
Drawing upon the most important scientific discoveries of recent times, David Fideler explores the self-organizing intelligence at the heart of nature and humanity’s place in the cosmic pattern. He examines the ancient vision of the living cosmos from its roots in the “world soul” of the Greeks and the alchemical tradition, to its eclipse during the Scientific Revolution, to its return today. He explains how the mechanistic worldview led to humanity’s profound sense of alienation, for if the universe only functioned as a machine, there was no longer any room for genuine creativity or spontaneity. He shows how this isn’t the case and how, even at the molecular level, natural systems engage in self-organization, self-preservation, and creative problem solving, mirroring the ancient idea of a creative intelligence that exists deep within the heart of nature.
Revealing new connections between science, religion, and culture, Fideler explores how to reengage our creative partnership with nature and new ways to collaborate with nature’s intelligence.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 20, 2014
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278 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 4, 2015
This is a mind bending book; David Fideler manages to provide an avenue for a new way of thinking. Here he combines ancient history, classic philosophy, science, mathematics and theology to expand our thought process about the state of our world today. He asks us to re-examine the teachings of some of the greatest thinkers and theorists throughout history. We step outside our conditional thinking and instead begin to view life on earth from a state of removed humility, one in which we consider our absolute insignificance as individuals and instead see our existence and humanity tied to the whole. We examine the vastness of life, open ourselves to a more considerate way of existence and place our tiny selves into a collective, living universe. We contemplate how we exist as a part of a world that was created, functions and continues only through our acceptance of the laws of interconnectedness. Fideler’s book is definitely one to encounter not just once but over and over again. It takes away the everyday cynical, selfish world and replaces it with something that gives our breath a purpose.
February 28, 2016
If not the best, one of the best books I have read in the last years.
April 20, 2020
This is just mind-changing!
August 17, 2024
Intriguing.
This book brings a deep intellectual insight into spirituality.
Recommended to all who ponder upon metaphysical philosophy.
This book brings a deep intellectual insight into spirituality.
Recommended to all who ponder upon metaphysical philosophy.
September 9, 2016
Restoring the Soul of the World is a beautifully worded, well-researched book that resonated within this reader. Starting with Part II and accelerating to a magnificent finish, I found myself nodding, knowing that I was indeed part of the collective consciousness that recognizes this paradigm deeply within.
Why, then, if on some level I have known this all along did I rate the book a '3.5/rounded up to a 4 star' read? Because I almost never got to the sections that so affected me. It started out a very slow read. I read some. I set it aside. I slogged through another section . . . set it aside. Yes, in Part I, the author establishes a strong history which he weaves throughout the chapters and revisits at the end of the book, but I just wasn’t interested in ancient history and philosophy–literally, ancient history and philosophy. . . Medieval, yeah a little; Renaissance, maybe more so. Cosmology? YES! Our relationship with the nature world? Absolutely! And do I want communities in every town to develop and maintain Eco-Machines? Of course! Now!
My recommendation is to read the book, uneven as I found my interest to be. There are so many valuable messages in it. If the first several chapters don’t entice you, soldier on, for we are the Walking Wounded of our planet, and we must effect the change.
Why, then, if on some level I have known this all along did I rate the book a '3.5/rounded up to a 4 star' read? Because I almost never got to the sections that so affected me. It started out a very slow read. I read some. I set it aside. I slogged through another section . . . set it aside. Yes, in Part I, the author establishes a strong history which he weaves throughout the chapters and revisits at the end of the book, but I just wasn’t interested in ancient history and philosophy–literally, ancient history and philosophy. . . Medieval, yeah a little; Renaissance, maybe more so. Cosmology? YES! Our relationship with the nature world? Absolutely! And do I want communities in every town to develop and maintain Eco-Machines? Of course! Now!
My recommendation is to read the book, uneven as I found my interest to be. There are so many valuable messages in it. If the first several chapters don’t entice you, soldier on, for we are the Walking Wounded of our planet, and we must effect the change.
April 17, 2015
This book really resonated with me. David Fideler states "Nature itself is a dynamic unfolding power, yet it is also a power manifest in the human psyche. Deep within our being, our innermost nature is nature itself." Fideler's knowledge and extensive research on this topic is what really made this book so interesting to me. "Biomimicry" was a new topic for me and hopefully this practice will be more widespread. Nature is truly our mentor. I truly believe we can make a difference on this planet and it's never to late to begin harmonizing with Gaia. Thank you Gwen Faasen for gifting this book to me - it is one I will surely read again.
July 12, 2015
Great read!
It's a great read, in that it restores our soul to the world but also restores hope for a better future.
It's a great read, in that it restores our soul to the world but also restores hope for a better future.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews