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| Mathematical Cosmologist | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Brian Swimme
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| Fields | evolutionary dynamics of the Universe |
| Institutions | California Institute of Integral Studies, |
| Alma mater | Ph.D.- University of Oregon 1978 |
| Known for | the Universe Story Epic of Evolution |
| Religious stance | Pantheist[1] |
Brian Swimme (born 1950) is a mathematical cosmologist and the director of the Center for the Story of the Universe at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is the author of four books on cosmology, evolution and religion. He was featured in the television series Soul of the Universe (The BBC, 1991) with such scientists as Stephen Hawking and Ilya Prigogine and The Sacred Balance produced by David Suzuki (CBC and PBS, 2003). Swimme is the producer of a twelve-part dvd series Canticle to the Cosmos which has been distributed worldwide. Other DVD programs featuring Swimme’s ideas include The Earth’s Imagination and The Powers of the Universe. He lectures worldwide and has presented at conferences sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, The World Bank, UNESCO, The United Nations Millennium Peace Summit, and the American Natural History Museum [2].
This is the greatest discovery of the scientific enterprise: You take hydrogen gas, and you leave it alone, and it turns into rosebushes, giraffes, and humans[3]. This statement by Swimme has been widely quoted.[4]. For this mathematical cosmologist "the Universe is a continuous, radiant, numinous revelation. Contemplating the wonders of the unfolding creativity of the cosmos is a mystical, ecstatic, awe-inspiring event. And if you speak with him, read his books, or watch his educational video series — it’s contagious." [5]
Contents |
Philosophy
Eric Chaisson writes that –
Brian Swimme, a mathematician by training, seeks that larger, warmer, more noble science story, stating that, not merely a collection of facts, science should be a student’s guide to a grand worldview, including, if possible, meaning, purpose and value, he sees the cosmological perspective as one to which all modern scientists can objectively subscribe, yet the meaning and purpose of it being a subjective outgrowth of an individual’s reflections upon that cosmology. [6]
In a 2007 interview with Robert Wright, Swimme says -
..if you take Buddhism and Christianity and so forth there's a kind of battle — a subtle sort of struggle taking place because they're not standing in a common ground but ... take the Earth or ecology then suddenly they can begin to explore what they have to offer. So I do think I do think absolutely that ... there will be a flourishing of religions, not a withering away. And they will flourish to the degree that they will move into the context of planet and universe. I even think that as a matter of fact that ... some of the central insights of the religions are more powerfully presented by what we know about the universe now then when they were first formulated." [7]
Excerpt from Pacific Sun Magazine -
Big Bang, Big Story - Brian Swimme at the forefront of a new movement - The Universe Story - that integrates Science and Sprituality - The Universe Story, often called the New Story (Epic of Evolution), is a cosmological narrative that begins with the big bang, which started the whole process, and works through the evolution of the Universe, which includes life on Earth. But more than a so-what summary from a science textbook, this chronology promotes deeper relationships through scientific data (…)This manner of study, which engages heart and mind together, seems to teeter on the brink of religion. But it isn't religion; it's science. However, the New Story people claim that science, absorbed holistically, can have a soul-shaking impact on people(…)Big-picture science is filled with little mysterious coincidences, upon which our entire existence rests. Small wonder that reflecting deeply upon these data would inspire awe—even humility as cosmology gently puts people in their place (…) "The current common sense understanding of the Earth is as a gravel pit or a hardware store," said Swimme, explaining that the modern period has been "organized around the theory that Earth is just stuff we can use.[8]
Major publications
- Manifesto for a Global Civilization (with Matthew Fox), Bear and Company, 1982, ISBN 093968005X
- The Universe is a Green Dragon: A Cosmic Creation Story, Bear and Company, 1984, ISBN 0939680149
- The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era: A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos, Harper, 1992 (1994, ISBN 0062508350) - a culmination of a 10-year collaboration with cultural historian Thomas Berry
- The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos, Orbis, 1996 (1999, ISBN 1570752818)
- A Walk Through Time: From Stardust to Us - The Evolution of Life on Earth (with Sidney Liebes and Elisabet Sahtouris), John Wiley & Sons, 1998, ISBN 0471317004
- Chapter 5 – Cosmological Education for Future Generations - The Thirteenth Labor: Improving Science Education[9]
Swimme's media work includes the video series, Canticle to the Cosmos and The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos. With Elisabet Sahtouris, he wrote the narrative of the book for the exhibit A Walk Through Time.
Swimme also introduced Barbara Hand Clow in her books, Heart of the Christos: Starseeding from the Pleiades (1989, ISBN 0939680599) and The Pleiadian Agenda: A New Cosmology for the Age of Light (1995, ISBN 1879181304).[10]
See also
- Cosmology
- Creation-evolution controversy
- Epic of Evolution
- Evolution
- Religious Naturalism
- Timeline of cosmology
References
- ^ "What do you get if you divide science by God?". BBC News. 24 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7955846.stm. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
- ^ Media Press Kit
- ^ Interview with Brian Swimme by Susan Bridle, Enlightenment Magazine issue 19 The Great Story
- ^ Diana deRegnier, American Chronicle,Tue Feb 17 2009
- ^ What Is Enlightenment? Magazine
- ^ Eric Chaisson, Tʻae-chʻang Kim, Tae-Chang Kim, The Thirteenth Labor: Improving Science Education, CRC Press, 1999, page 9, ISBN-9057005387 [ http://books.google.com/books?id=7MAoPSHE3mgC]
- ^ Interview with Robert Wright (2007) Full transcript online Full video online
- ^ EXCERPT FROM PACIFIC SUN MAGAZINEretrieved 3-07-09
- ^ Eric Chaisson, Tʻae-chʻang Kim, Tae-Chang Kim, The Thirteenth Labor: Improving Science Education, CRC Press, 1999, page v, ISBN-9057005387 [1]
- ^ Hand Clow 2012: Book & Video
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Brian Swimme |
- Homepage of Brian Swimme
- How do our kids get so caught up in consumerism? by Brian Swimme
- A Walk Through Time ... from stardust to us - Author's Biographies
- Comprehensive Compassion, interview with Brian Swimme by Susan Bridle
- Brian Swimme MP3 audio - from Shift in Action, sponsored by Institute of Noetic Sciences
- Interview with Robert Wright
- Epic of Evolution
- Epic of Evolution Information
- Center for the Story of the Universe
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