WHAT IS POSTMATERIALIST SCIENCE

For the last few centuries, the dominant worldview held by conventional Western scientists is known as Materialism.  Materialism is the belief - the assumption - that what is primary in the Universe is physical matter, and therefore everything else which has evolved over time - including biological life, mind, and a sense of spirituality - are all creations (or byproducts) of,physical matter.

According to the Materialist world view, only matter exists.  Human ideas of mind being separate from brain, of life after death, of the existence of a greater spirituality, and ultimately the existence of a higher power / infinite intelligence / universal mind, are interpreted as being myths or illusions of pre-scientific thinking.

The Materialist worldview was helpful historically in enabling science to separate itself from organized religions so that it could freely pursue knowledge unhampered by the beliefs (and associated dogmas) of specific organized religions (be they Jewish, Budhist, Christrian, Muslim, or other faiths).

Though the official separation of science and religion was clearly valuable (empirically and politically) for the evolution of their respective professions,  their disconnection appears to be no longer necessary nor justified.  In fact, contemporary theory and evidence spanning physics (especially quantum physics) and the behavioral sciences (particularly parapsychology), through medicine (exemplified by advances in complimentary and alternative medicine) to astrophysics (notably involving dark matter and dark energy), are collectively not only pointing to the conclusion that energy (which does not have mass) creates matter (mass), but that information (and hence mind / consciousness) orchestrates the creation and evolution of both energy and matter.

For example, as Professor Charles Tart explains in his seminal book THE END OF MATERIALISM, contemporary research in fives areas of parapsychology clearly points to a worldview which is broader and deeper than Materialism per se. 

Just as Einstein's theory of general relativity became a more inclusive and complete theory, where Newton's physical theory became a subset or special case of relativity, the emergence of Postmaterialist Science is inspiring the discovery of a more inclusive and complete theory, where Materialism becomes a special case of Postmaterialism Theory.

As I presented in the chapter Consciousness, Spirituality, and Postmaterialist Science:  An Empirical and Experiential Approach, which I wrote for the Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality (Oxford University Press, 2011 in press), edited by Lisa Miller, PhD, exciting new scientific research is leading us toward a post-materialist view of the discipline of psychology and science in general.

The abstract of my chapter is reprinted below:

Consciousness and spirituality are inherently experiential processes.  The definition of spirituality ranges from (1) personal opinions regarding the meaning of life and being part of something greater, through (2) experiences of transcendental states and oneness, to (3) beliefs regarding the existence of spirit, life after death, reincarnation, angels and guides, and some sort of omnipresent infinite intelligence and power.  Academic psychology has typically taken a materialistic view toward consciousness and spirituality – both are interpreted as neurobiological processes shaped by genetics, developmental, and cultural factors.  However, as reviewed in this chapter, contemporary consciousness research provides emerging proof-of-concept evidence suggesting that (1) mind is separate from brain, (2) spirit and soul are comparable to energy and information that persist in the vacuum of space, (3) people can receive intuitive information which is accurate and useful in their individual and collective lives, and (4) physical and psychological health can be fostered by active loving spiritual processes.  The evidence points toward the emergence of a postmaterialist paradigm in psychology and science in general.

A reader-friendly version of this emerging vision is provided in THE SACRED PROMISE.

A historic conference on Postmaterialist Science and Education was held on November 19-20, 2010, at Columbia University, Teachers College.  Convened by Dr. Lisa Miller, an Associate Professor at Columbia, the conference brought together senior scientists, health professionals, and educators, whose life's work clearly pointed torward a post-materialistic framework and paradigm for science and society.

Is this an expression of the anticipated "paradigm shift" anticipated in 2012?  Did the Mayan's foresee the "ending" of the world as we knew it - not in a physical sense, but in a conceptual sense?  Is this a special time in human evolution, one filled with great opportunity and hope?

For the record, it was only as I was preparing for Dr. Miller's conference on Postmaterialist Science that I realized that contemporary science - including research in my own laboratory - was leading me to seriously question my core assumptions and shift my thinking from materialism to postmaterialism. 

Hopefully it is clear that just as Einstein's physics did not reject the observations and great value of Newtonian physics, Postmaterialist Science does not reject the observations and great value of Materialist Science.  What these advances do is expand the human capacity to better understand the extraordinary and wonderous nature of nature and the Universe, and in the process rediscover the importance of mind (including thinking, emotion, and intention) as being part of the core fabric of the Universe.

One can't help but appreciate matter all the more when view from the perspective of mind.  If the new science is correct, in a deep sense, Mind Matters (smile).