The individual is so interwoven with the universe that he and it are one body.
1962
What is the nature of the “self” you believe you are protecting, pursuing, or expressing? If you were to strip away every label, role, memory, and belief you've ever held—what remains? And if nothing remains, why do you cling so fiercely to the idea of “you”? The answer lies in unmasking identity as a constellation drawn in shifting sand: a pattern perceived, not inherent. We mistake the self for a monument, but it is more akin to a shadow cast by the flickering light of circumstance, biology, and cultural script. Remove the props of story and status, and what persists is not emptiness but the primal hum of consciousness itself—awareness without an anchor, like a mirror reflecting nothing but its own capacity to reflect.
Both ancient wisdom and modern science converge here: Buddhism’s anattā reveals the self as a convening of aggregates, while neuroscience frames identity as a predictive algorithm stitching coherence from chaos. Yet we grasp at this mirage, conflating the dance with the dancer, because to release the illusion feels like surrendering to an abyss. Herein lies the paradox: the “you” that fears dissolution is already fluid, a verb masquerading as a noun. Identity isn’t a fortress to defend but a current to ride—an ever-reconfiguring interplay of perception, action, and possibility. Clinging to the static self is like cupping moonlight in your palms; flowing with its impermanence is how you become boundless.
I Seem To Be a Verb
Buckminster Fuller's explorations as an architect, engineer, philosopher and futurist are here extended into experimental book form. Packed with utopian plans, clever insights and light-hearted musings, all aimed at reminding us that we are verbs, not nouns, and that we are never, ever, stuck with life as it is as we can create things.
Neurosphere
The Convergence of Evolution, Group Mind, and the Internet
According to Donald Dulchinos, the real action on the Internet isn’t in the realm of commerce. It is, plain and simple, in the realm of religion. But not exactly that old-time religion. This book is about the spiritual impact of our increasing ability to communicate quickly and with enhanced evolution. It's about our search for meaning, our hunger for a glimpse at humanity's future development in which, frighteningly or excitingly, the trend is clearly toward increasing integration of telecommunications and information technology with the body itself. Electronic prosthetics, direct neural implants, and the brain's control of electronic and mechanical limbs move the boundary that used to exist between human and machine to some undefined frontier inside our bodies, our brains, and, perhaps, our minds.
Self and Other
Alan coaxes the listener’s mind to simultaneously zoom in and zoom out in an effort to demonstrate that identity is merely an intellectual hallucination. Instead, personal identity is fluid, ranging from one’s constituent atoms and molecules all the way out to the farthest bounds of cosmic existence. Overcoming this mental myopia leads to greater harmony, contentment, and a desire to playfully dance with this universal energy system.
Myth of Myself
The Tao of Philosophy 5
The ferryboat philosopher riffs on how we're not skin bags with an “I” inside, but the whole cosmos peeking out! Says we feel separate because we ignore our cosmic “floodlight” consciousness. But we're waves in the ocean, apples on the tree. Realizing this brings real joy.
The Theory of the Organism-Environment System
In any functional sense, organism and environment are inseparable and form only one unitary system. The organism cannot exist without the environment, and the environment has descriptive properties only if it is connected to the organism. Separation of organism and environment cannot be the basis of any scientific explanation of human behavior. The theory leads to a reinterpretation of basic problems in many fields of inquiry and makes possible the definition of mental phenomena without their reduction either to neural or biological activity or to separate mental functions. According to the theory, mental activity is activity of the whole organism-environment system, and the traditional psychological concepts describe only different aspects of organization of this system.
Theory of Collective Mind
The human mind harbors wondrous capacities. Beyond understanding individual minds, we can represent unified awareness across souls, feeling strands of consciousness intertwine. As one, we comprehend realities; as one, we hold intentions. Synchronous experiences spin these mental webs, binding our fates and etching shared worlds upon our hearts. Though fragile, such unions nurture cooperation's tender bloom. Let us marvel at this collective mind—a tapestry of perspectives, stronger than its threads. In this oneness we find hope, for it whispers: even in darkness, we need not walk alone.
