La mente evolutiva. Conversazioni su scienza, immaginazione e spirito

by Ralph H. Abraham, Terence McKenna, Rupert Sheldrake

Mettete attorno a un tavolo un biologo controverso, un esploratore della psichedelia e un matematico del caos. Fate silenzio e registrate quello che dicono. Quello che verrà fuori sarà "La mente evolutiva", il resoconto fedele dei "trialoghi" di tre grandi amici che condividono la passione per il superamento dei paradigmi e per la scoperta delle possibilità dell'evoluzione umana. In questo libro Rupert Sheldrake, Terence McKenna e Ralph Abraham toccano in profondità temi quali i poteri psichici degli animali, le funzioni della mente, la struttura del tempo, la natura di Dio e la trasformazione della coscienza.

Genres: Science, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology, Spirituality, Evolution, Metaphysics

273 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Dr. Ralph Herman Abraham was a mathematician who specialized in the development of dynamical systems theory. He was a Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He also consulted on chaos theory and its applications in fields such as medical physiology, ecology, mathematical economics, and psychotherapy.

Abraham was also interested in alternative ways of expressing mathematics, for example visually or aurally. He has staged performances in which mathematics, visual arts and music are combined into one presentation. He also developed an interest in "Hip" activities in Santa Cruz in the 1960s and he wrote several books and one website on the topic. He credited his use of psychedelics for inspiring this interest.

Reviews

[Maico Morellini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quando e come si è sviluppato il linguaggio? È un limite alle nostre percezioni o uno strumento affilato che ci siamo procurati nella comprensione del mondo? Oppure, ancora, si tratta di un’entità che ha deciso di entrare in una simbiosi costruttiva con l’uomo per sviluppare una sua personale evoluzione?
Abraham, McKenna e Sheldrake intraprendono un percorso complesso, ambizioso e spregiudicato a ritroso nel tempo e verso un futuro tutto ancora da definire.
Senza preconcetti, con un’apertura mentale tanto provocatoria quanto brillante, mi hanno coinvolto nelle loro visioni offrendo alternative filosofiche alle sovrastrutture scientifiche e religiose intorno alle quali è costruita la modernità.
Complesso, stimolante. Chi ama la fantascienza non può restare indifferente alle infinite possibilità che i tre autori offrono invitando chi legge al tavolo del loro “trialoghi”.
Seguirli in tutto e per tutto richiede una cultura sterminata, ma se avete subito la mia stessa fascinazione per la teoria del caos, se pensate che il linguaggio si più che in insieme di suoni usati per descrivere il mondo, non lasciatevi sfuggire questo libro.

[Austin Tanney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is well worth a read. Some moments of genius, some moments of psychedelic pseudoscience. Towards the end I struggled to maintain interest as the tone tended a little much towards religion for my liking. McKenna was though, without doubt, a truly amazing mind.

[Gord Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a much needed book although I don`t believe everything they suggest in the book. They don´t either. They challenged and question each others constructs and perception. I don´t think that the authors are hoping to convert others in a dogmatic way. Its more exploring the need for humanity to open the mind to other more comprehensive concepts and possibilities of life. In general our world vision becomes encrusted at an early time in life and with that our minds are not open to seeing things in a new way. The concepts that they raise can be difficult to grasp and there is a part of our developed identity that resists seeing things differently. They raise the possibility that humans might soon become extinct if we do not open to new possibilities. And that there is so much of our potential that is limited by our fixed persona.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried. I tried because I recommended this for book club. I tried because based on the title, it's a topic in which I'm interested. I tried to finish, but just couldn't bring myself to read it. The language is, despite the title, not very conversational or at least not lay-man conversational. And while I thought some of the commentary on psychedelics quite amusing, they weren't enough to offset difficulty in following the conversation. Never tried LSD, but I fear chemicals like those are required to truly appreciate the content in this book. Not going to happen.

[kates · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read. Thought-provoking and stirring, I brought it into conversations with random people (friends old and new) multiple times while I was reading it. It's funny-- and I laughed out loud more than a few times. My eyes glazed over during some passages where it just got TOO HEADY, but admittedly, I'm a reader that likes to jump in and out of things. Prepare to find yourself on mental tangents, as well. Also: a good read if you're thinking about the end of the world.

[Ryan Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do not
read this--
unless...

[Ayu Rem · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Book is like sitting around a fire with three big minds tripping without substances(Sheldrake, Mckenna, and Ralph Abraham).
part conversation, part wild thought experiment, part collective download.

they talk about morphic resonance, psychedelics, telepathy, chaos theory, evolution, consciousness, even the end of history. and its not rigid. it flows. it spirals. no ones trying to dominate, they are thinking together. thats rare.

Sheldrake's big on the idea that memory is not stored in the brain, but in fields. Mckenna jumps in with visionary chaos and mushroom metaphysics. abraham pulls in math and fractals. and somehow, it all dances.

not every page hits. sometimes it meanders. but when it clicks? feels like being let in on a conversation the universe was already having.

you dont read this for proof.
you read it to stretch your mind, to imagine new forms of knowing. best with tea and no distractions.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read

Worth reading for some of Terrence McKenna's quotes, but most of the good material is contained in the first half of the book. I get the feeling that the other two actors are trying to probe his understanding which is truly transcendental, but he just clams up and obfuscates. I suppose we'll never really know.

[Lugra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considerazioni sparse su diversi temi, in un dialogo non sempre facile da seguire.
Non è un libro che dà risposte ma stimola il ragionamento e, soprattutto, mette in discussione assunti di base che si é sempre dati per assodati (es. ruolo del linguaggio, della statistica, della divinità)

[Sandrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I need a new impetus to explore further into what it is we are allegedly living in and through I turn to either of these three gentleman’s.

[Khashayar Gholami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three of the bests in one room writing a book,Rupert Sheldrake,one of the best imaginative biologists.
Ralph Abraham,a chaos mathematician and an amazing man with such great talent, that can take you out of your comfort zone in a very cognitive way, which you will enjoy Enormously.
And at the end
terence, the dearest of all, an ethno-botanist ,a psychedelic researcher with such amazing mind that breaks all the human boundaries in the reader's mind, and offers you this new realm of consciousness, and that is the realm of the god's, where the only rule,is the rule of the human imagination.
one of the best books i had the chance to read.
The Evolutionary mind; conversations on science, imagination & Spirit.

[Graham Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book at university . It is interesting, intriguing and very cool.

[Jenifer Jacobs]

Brought to me by client for my opinion. Definitely going to read and see why it captivated her.

[Jack Oughton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unexpectedly, I found this to be too dense, fragmented and 'fringe' - I will try to re read it in a few months