Events

The main reason we are divided in politics is not only polarization between parties, or fragmentation within the parties, but because of how we think. We tend to think in partial fragments, not in contextual wholes. David Bohm was keenly aware of this. Bohm was also aware that this lack of coherency was not necessarily the case in Indigenous cultures that have a history of shared meaning and participatory consciousness. In the USA, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy had a profound effect on the very idea to unite the states and also on the foundational values of liberty, equality, and natural rights enshrined in the US Constitution—and then on the unwritten rules of engagement that govern political protocols.

David Bohm is known primarily for his work in physics and cosmology, but his contributions to the field of psychology were equally profound and significant. His understanding of the nature and dynamic structure of consciousness, and their relevance to the ordinary affairs of daily life, had several sources. His views were shaped in part by his experience with members of the scientific community and his disillusionment with their independence of mind and objectivity. He also drew upon the work of Hegel and Piaget, among others. The greatest influence upon his outlook on psychology, however, was the philosophy of J. Krishnamurti, and the quarter-century of dialogue and collaboration between the two men.

His main research areas are philosophy of mind, philosophy of physics and their intersection. The central problem in philosophy of mind is how to understand the place of mind—and especially conscious experience—in the physical world. Pylkkänen has explored whether this problem can be approached in a new way in the framework of the new holistic and dynamic worldview that is emerging from quantum theory and relativity. He has in particular been inspired by the physicists David Bohm and Basil Hiley’s interpretation of quantum theory and has collaborated with both of them.

How is it that one of the world’s most gifted and innovative theoretical physicists would stray from his primary calling of uncovering the secrets of the universe?  What so captivated his interest that, with that same intense creativity brought to his science, he would divert his exploration to uncovering the basis of human thought and the roots of social discord?  Using David Bohm’s own words and those of his associates, we will plumb these queries by tracing the stories of his experience that called him to this deep practice of dialogue.

Over the years that David Bohm presented his vision of dialogue, he pointed to three aspects of the human being—the individual, the collective, and the cosmic. While the individual and collective aspects have been much studied and practiced, the cosmic aspect has received little attention. In this presentation we will open up what this cosmic aspect might mean, and, of equal importance, what is involved in conducting such an investigation. The first hour will consist of laying out the terrain involved. The second hour will be discussion and question and answer. There will be no attempt to conduct a dialogue.

David Bohm spoke of an implicate order, a subtle, hidden order that lies within mind and matter. While we will consider both the physical and mental dimensions of this order, our focus will be greatly on our inner human dimension.

In our time together, we will challenge ourselves to open an exploration into these inner depths and to uncover the implicate within ourselves. We will go into the question of what sort of inner observation will bring us into a deep participation of our own in this subtle realm and, thus, to first-hand appreciation and understanding of this hidden order. This is a journey of exploration together that begins with our surface consciousness and that offers an opening to that which lies beyond the known dimension.

His scientific publications cover the fields of biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics. His recent work concerns the foundations of quantum mechanics and applications to living systems of concepts such as quantum coherence, emergent dynamics, and the flow of information, a long-standing interest that he summarized as an edited volume for Cambridge University Press titled ‘Self-organized Biological Dynamics and Nonlinear Control.’ In 2019, he co-edited the book titled Emergent Quantum Mechanics—David Bohm Centennial Perspectives for MDPI Press. In addition to metascience and advanced methodology, his professional interests include the philosophy and foundations of science.