The Fullness of Life: Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogue 88

Rupert Sheldrake
June 7, 2024
The Fullness of Life: Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogue 88
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eptwgN2jXU
The Fullness of Life: Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogue 88

At school, we learn that being alive is to possess certain functions, from respiration to reproduction. But what is life and why can the word “life” be used more widely than referring only to biological life? In the latest episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon consider the meaning of saying that stars have a lifecycle, and that rocks and atoms can be ascribed a biography, in that they undergo processes of becoming. They discuss A.N. Whitehead’s argument that so-called inanimate objects need to be considered as organisms and that life must also include the experience of being alive, which is to say consciousness and mentality. The powers of nature and the connection of all life, not least in terms of the idea of Gaia, lead them to ask how God can be said to be the origin and sustainer of life. Asking what life is dramatically expands the notion of life and the awesome nature of being alive.

00:00 Introduction
00:26 Criteria of Life
01:19 Life Beyond Biology
02:26 Life Cycle of Stars
03:03 Theological Perspectives on Life
04:08 Greek Concepts of Life: Zoe and Bios
06:18 Life in the Universe
08:18 Gaia Hypothesis
10:10 Atoms and Molecules as Life
12:19 Panpsychism
14:30 Life and Consciousness
17:42 God and Life
19:10 Creative Process and Life
20:28 Diversity and Unity of Life
26:42 Modern Mechanistic Materialism vs. Expanded View of Life
32:57 Conclusion

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Dr Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, is a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. At Cambridge University, as a Fellow of Clare College, he was Director of Studies in biochemistry and cell biology. As the Rosenheim Research Fellow of the Royal Society, he carried out research on the development of plants and the ageing of cells, and together with Philip Rubery discovered the mechanism of polar auxin transport. In India, he was Principal Plant Physiologist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, where he helped develop new cropping systems now widely used by farmers. He is the author of more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and his research contributions have been widely recognized by the academic community, earning him a notable h-index for numerous citations. On ResearchGate his Research Interest Score puts him among the top 4% of scientists.

https://www.sheldrake.org/about-ruper...

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Dr Mark Vernon is a psychotherapist and writer with a rich academic background in physics, theology, and philosophy. He contributes to programmes on the radio, writes and reviews for newspapers and magazines, gives talks and podcasts. His books have covered themes including friendship and God, ancient Greek philosophy and wellbeing. His new book, out August 2019, is "A Secret History of Christianity: Jesus, the Last Inkling and the Evolution of Consciousness". He has a PhD in ancient Greek philosophy, and other degrees in physics and in theology, and works as a psychotherapist in private practice. He used to be an Anglican priest.

Mark's latest book is...
A Secret History of Christianity: Jesus, the Last Inkling, and the Evolution of Consciousness
http://www.markvernon.com/books/a-sec...