Radical Nature: The Soul of Matter Paperback - 2010

From the rear cover

PSYCHOLOGY / SELF-TRANSFORMATION "One of the most important books on consciousness and cosmology to appear in decades. Anyone interested in questions about soul and nature, about the relationship between consciousness and the world of matter, about meaning in the universe, needs to read it." --Brian Swimme, Ph.D., cosmologist, coauthor of The Universe Story, and author of The Universe Is a Green Dragon "Christian de Quincey is a thoughtful and well-informed writer whose articles in the Noetic Sciences Review and elsewhere represent some of the best writing in this field. Radical Nature provides a comprehensive overview to modern debates about the nature of consciousness. It will appeal to thoughtful readers." --Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D., author of Morphic Resonance Are rocks conscious? Do animals or plants have souls? Can trees feel pleasure or pain? Where in the great unfolding of life did consciousness first appear? How we answer such questions can dramatically affect the way we live our lives, how we treat the world of nature, and even how we relate to our own bodies. In this new edition of the award-winning Radical Nature, Christian de Quincey explores the "hard problem" of philosophy--how mind and matter are related--and proposes a radical and surprising answer: that matter itself tingles with consciousness at the deepest level. It's there in the cells of every living creature, even in molecules and atoms. Tracing the lineage of this idea through Western philosophy and science, he shows that it has a very noble history--from before Plato to Alfred North Whitehead. He reveals that the way to God is through nature and that understanding how body and soul fit together has surprising consequences for our relationships with our environment, with other people, and even with ourselves. CHRISTIAN DE QUINCEY, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy and consciousness studies at John F. Kennedy University, dean of consciousness studies at the University of Philosophical Research, founder of The Wisdom Academy, and an international speaker on consciousness, cosmology, and spirituality. He is the author of Radical Knowing, Consciousness from Zombies to Angels, and a novel, Deep Spirit. He lives in California.