The Library

Reality Isn't

2019

What if the way our senses perceive reality is not at all representative of its true nature, but rather a highly abstracted interface? Donald Hoffman is working on a mathematical theory to find out.

Discussion
Added 4 days ago.
01:02:36 12,215 2

Prague Gnosis (Part 2)

1992

Shot on location in Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the International Transpersonal Conference in June 1992, this two-part series features Terence McKenna in dialogue with some of the foremost thinkers of the Global Consciousness movement of the time: Ram Dass, Angeles Arrien, Kenneth Ring, Rupert Sheldrake, Jill Purce, David Whyte and Alexander Shulgin.

Discussion
Added 1 week ago.
59:52 8,155 6

What is Extended Mind?

2018

Chalmers makes a compelling argument that our definition of “mind” is too constricted. Objects in our environment augment and take over certain functions for our brains, extending our cognitive processes out into the physical world beyond our bodies.

Discussion
Added 2 weeks ago.
05:39 1,030 3

No Frames, No Boundaries

1974

Delivered at the first Lindisfarne Association conference, astronaut Russell Schweikart spoke about his transformative experience in outer space when a camera malfunctioned and he had an unscheduled moment to contemplate his home planet. During his “glimpse of the big picture” he reflected on the implications of humanity looking back on itself from the perspective of space, and his consciousness began to identify with the whole planet Earth.

Lecture
Added 4 weeks ago.
56:37 7,053 8

The Vision of a Better World

2008

Discussion
Added 4 weeks ago.
43:03 6,006 4

Man in Universe

1963

The first chapter of the Inventory of World Resources, Human Trends and Needs publication.

Article
Added 6 weeks ago.
3,805 7

Christmas Sermon on Peace and Nonviolence

1967

The fifth and last lecture of the Massey Lecture series, delivered at King's home church, Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Sermon
Added 9 weeks ago.
29:02 2,998 5

On Money, Guilt, and The End

A lucid examination of money (exploring topics such as technological automation and universal basic income), the origins of guilt, as well as the question: “Are we going to make it?”

Lecture
Added 10 weeks ago.
51:47 5,998 5

The Noösphere: A Cosmic Network

Alan takes us from the very small to the very large, explaining the interrelatedness of all things in the universe. Then he takes the argument a step further to examine the implications for humanity: how is networking technology reshaping human consciousness?

Lecture
Added 10 weeks ago.
01:40:41 11,942 6

My View of the World

1951

A Nobel prize winner, a great man and a great scientist, Erwin Schrödinger has made his mark in physics, but his eye scans a far wider horizon: here are two stimulating and discursive essays which summarize his philosophical views on the nature of the world. Schrödinger's world view, derived from the Indian writings of the Vedanta, is that there is only a single consciousness of which we are all different aspects. He admits that this view is mystical and metaphysical and incapable of logical deduction. But he also insists that this is true of the belief in an external world capable of influencing the mind and of being influenced by it. Schrödinger's world view leads naturally to a philosophy of reverence for life.

Book
Added 11 weeks ago.
29,735 10

Be Here Now

1971

This book is a classic text on Hindu spirituality that bloomed open like a lotus flower in the wake of the hippie movement. The seed for this book was planted in the mind of Harvard psychiatrist turned Indian mystic, Ram Dass, and was written—with the blessings of his guru Neem Karoli Baba—for a Western audience who were, for the most part, materially rich but spiritually poor. Be Here Now offers its readers and followers a drug-free alternative for attaining higher states of consciousness, while its simple message to live in the present encourages the pursuit and cultivation of inner peace.

Book
27,972 22 52

Tao Te Ching

506 B.C.E.

Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Te Ching is one of the true classics of spiritual literature. It is a guide to cultivating a life of peace, serenity, and compassion. Through aphorisms and parable, it leads readers toward the Tao, or the “Way”: harmony with the life force of the universe.

Classic Literature
6,523 1 47

Mr. X

1969

Written under the pseudonym Mr. X to avoid the heavy social stigma associated with marijuana consumption at the time, Carl Sagan documented his personal experiences with cannabis in this essay in order to dispel common misconceptions about the drug. It was later published in the 1971 book Marihuana Reconsidered by Lester Grinspoon. Sagan enjoyed cannabis on a regular basis for the rest of his life, but never spoke of it publicly.

Essay
2,946 6 25

Trust

Alan Watts asks whether playing the game of life is worth the effort required. The answer is, as always, simple: if you’re going to play the game, commit to it, play it well, and trust yourself to play it well.

Lecture
15:04 1,915 5 24

Arcology: The City In The Image Of Man

1969

In what is considered his magnum opus, visionary architect Paolo Soleri proposed a philosophy for a new kind of urban living: the arcology, a vast city-organism designed to exist in harmony with nature. Split into two sections, the book first explains the moral and economic necessity for humanity’s transition to arcological urban landscapes, and proposes that the general purpose of life is aesthetogenesis: the universe progressively complexifying and interconnecting, consciously reshaping itself into compassionate structures. In the second section, Soleri showcases 30 potential arcologies (including one space habitat) through the use of incredibly detailed diagrams, and explains how each was carefully designed to integrate itself economically and ecologically into the world.

Book
42,122 13 23

Out Of Your Mind 03: The Web Of Life (Part 1)

Lecture
56:16 6,308 5 14

Out Of Your Mind 08: The World As Just So (Part 2)

Lecture
01:10:34 8,921 2 13

The Tao of Philosophy 2: Images of God

Alan Watts talks on the impact of various models of the ultimate reality, and the contrasts between male and female symbolism.

Lecture
25:16 2,822 5 12

The Myopic View of the World

In this lecture, Alan Watts argues that we spend most of our life in a sort of myopia; that is, only perceiving a very microscopic subsection of the reality which we occupy. By mentally “zooming out,” humans can begin to see (and enjoy) the marvelous universal dance that has been unfolding since the Big Bang and is expressing itself in and through us at this very moment.

Lecture
54:04 6,980 9 11

Out Of Your Mind 02: The Nature of Consciousness (Part 2)

Lecture
01:03:55 8,270 15 11