#11: The Science of Spirituality with David Lorimer

I'm joined by David Lorimer, the chair of the Galileo Commission and Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network. The topic of our discussion is the science of spirituality. Or the spirituality of science. Depends how you look at it.

"Science is full of metaphors of becoming and interconnectedness. If we could catch ourselves up as a culture with this view and make it primary, we would realise we’re all embedded in the same life, the same consciousness, and the same system.”

This is an encyclopedic journey that will nourish your intellectual curiosity. I recommend grabbing your notebook and pen as you listen. David's a fountain of knowledge and there's so much to explore from this hour-long conversation. If you're anything like me, your reading list will triple in size.

Science isn't one-size-fits-all. I found myself with a clearer understanding of the many fields of science, the different approaches to experimentation. Science isn't a flawless, unbiased, objective machine. David explains the historical, cultural, political and economic forces that shape the mainstream narrative around the nature of reality through the scientific lens.

Science has lost its openness to new discoveries, but this isn't a modern phenomenon. On 25 August 1609 Galileo made the worldview-shifting discovery that the Earth isn’t the centre of the universe. It rotates around the Sun. The Roman Catholic Inquisition deemed Galileo’s belief in this discovery as heresy and warned him accordingly.

In 1633 he was placed under permanent house arrest after publishing his paper Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. A number of leading astrologers, philosophers and scientists opposed Galileo’s discovery. They refused to look through the telescope. In a letter to German philosopher Johanne Kepler in 1610, Galileo bemoaned his peers: “Truly, just as the asp stops its ears, so do these philosophers shut their eyes to the light of truth.”

This is the crux of the Galileo Commission. We're at a time where many refuse to look through the telescope and see the light of truth — there's more to life than the material, physical world. Consciousness isn't a miracle of the brain, but the universal, primary source of life.

Why does the mainstream scientific view matter? This assumption trickles down into all fields — including psychology and biology — and directly shapes what I refer to as the Disenchanted Worldview (as discussed in Mindsets for Mindfulness).

I'm passionate about science and spirituality finding common ground. On an individual scale, it can completely transform the way you understand life, transforming apathy and nihilism to purpose and connection. Considering the current crises we face, a more expansive science is necessary for humanity's survival.

Follow-up material

Watch David's SAND2019 talk: Who's Not Looking Through The Telescope Now?

Download the Galileo Commission Report for a comprehensive overview of their mission.

David has a wealth of books. These include The Spirit of Science, Thinking Beyond The Brain, A New Renaissance, Science Consciousness and Ultimate Reality, and Resonant Mind. Available at all good retailers.

Just in case you want even more to read, I recommend The Science Delusion by Rupert Sheldrake.

It's always a good time for self-promotion. Here's an article I wrote that is vaguely related: The Ego Erodes When Enchanted By The Stars.

Title music: Monday Morning Wake Up Call by David Birch