Future Consciousness: The Path to Purposeful Evolution Thomas - - PDF document

Future Consciousness: The Path to Purposeful Evolution Thomas Lombardo Introductory Presentation

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Thomas Lombardo, Ph.D. - Director Center for Future Consciousness The Wisdom Page Wisdom and the Future www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com www.wisdompage.com http://www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/archived_newsletters.htm 1) Books on Psychology, Philosophy, Mind/Consciousness, Education, the Future, Wisdom, & Science Fiction (Numerous Articles on CFC Website) Lombardo, Thomas The Reciprocity of Perceiver and Environment: The Evolution of

• James J. Gibsonʼs Ecological Psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
• Associates, 1987; 2nd Ed. London: Routledge, 2017.

Lombardo, Thomas The Future of Science, Technology, and the Cosmos, Center for Future Consciousness. http://www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/ ST_Readings.htm, 2002. Lombardo, Thomas The Evolution of Future Consciousness: The Nature and Historical

• Development of the Human Capacity to Think about the Future. Bloomington, IN:
• AuthorHouse, 2006a.

Lombardo, Thomas Contemporary Futurist Thought: Science Fiction, Future Studies,

• and Theories and Visions of the Future in the Last Century. Bloomington, IN:
• AuthorHouse, 2006b.

Lombardo, Thomas Wisdom, Consciousness, and the Future: Selected Essays.

• Bloomington, Indiana: Xlibrius, 2011a.

Lombardo, Thomas MInd Flight: A Journey into the Future. Bloomington, Indiana:

• Xlibrius, 2011b.

Lombardo, Thomas Science Fiction: The Evolutionary Mythology of the Future - Volume

• One - Prometheus to the Martians. London: Changemakers Books, Fall, 2018.

2) Future Consciousness: The Path to Purposeful Evolution. London: Changemakers Books, 2017. Read Reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Future-Consciousness-Path-Purposeful- Evolution/dp/1780999852 & http://www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/ book_future_consciousness.htm Introductory Overview: Lombardo, Thomas “Future Consciousness: The Path to Purposeful Evolution - An Introduction” World Future Review, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2016. See: http://www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/pdf_files/2016%20Articles/Future %20Consciousness%20Article%20Complete%20FinalWFRCited.pdf Award Winner of the Network Book Prize for 2017 by the Scientific & Medical Network for a book written by a member that makes the most significant contribution towards a new world view.

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Theory of the Conscious Human Mind & How to Realize the Good Future Anchored to a Vision of the Evolutionary Cosmos & Our Place (Role) Within It SMN 2018 Conference: Evolving Towards a Wise and Flourishing Future https://explore.scimednet.org/index.php/events/event/smn-annual-gathering/ 3) The Question: What is a good future and how do we create it? (Chapter 1) "'What am I to do?' is the perpetual question of our existence." H. G. Wells

• Central Challenge of Human Life: Personally & Collectively
• Question Reflects Most Distinctive & Empowering Capacity of Human Mind

“The central question of our time is what to do about the future. And that question creates a deep divide.” Virginia Postrel Multiple Views of Human Reality & World Challenges Multiple Answers & Efforts toward Preferable (Good) Futures Lombardo, 2006a and 2006b (See above references) Lombardo “Video: Contemporary Trends and Theories and Paradigms of the Future”: http://www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/cont_trends_video.htm Glenn, J., Florescu, E., and the Millennium Project Team (2017) State of the Future Version 19.0, Washington, D.C.: The Millennium Project. Question: To engage & make more visibly relevant the theory of FC, what are the fundamental problems or challenges of today? Can identify personal, community, national, or global problems. How does the theory of heightened FC (Wisdom) constructively address these challenges/problems? We are all futurists working on the good future. 4) The Answer: (Chapter 1) Flourishing in the flow of purposeful evolution is the good future & wisdom or heightened future consciousness is the means to realize it. 5) The Nature of the Reality (Chapter 2) Answering the question of the nature of reality precedes answering the question of what is the good (future). The good needs to be grounded in reality. Our answer to the good future needs to be based on our best contemporary understanding of reality.

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Reciprocity & Evolution The Circle & the Line Nisbett, Richard The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently …and Why. New York: The Free Press, 2003. Lombardo, 2002. (See above reference) 6) Evolution & the Evolution of Evolution (Chapter 2) “Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.” Bertolt Brecht

• Classical View: Eternal, Changeless (Stable), Certain, Unified, & Ordered
• Modern View: Transformative, Evolutionary (Directional/Increasing Complexity),

Quasi-Chaotic/Disruptive, Multiple Future Possibilities, & Creative

• Grand Cosmic (Hierarchy of Increasingly Complex Levels) Narrative: Past, Present,

and Future

• Accelerative Evolution - Evolution of Evolution

“Evolution isnʼt what it used to be.” Walter Truett Anderson We live in an evolving universe that is evolving how it evolves & we are active & responsible participants in the process. Chaisson, Eric Epic of Evolution: Seven Ages of the Cosmos. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. Hands, John Cosmo-Sapiens: Human Evolution form the Origin of the Universe. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2016. Kurzweil, Ray The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. New York: Viking Press, 2005. Anderson, Walter Truett Evolution Isn't What It Used To Be: The Augmented Animal and the Whole Wired World. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1996. Lombardo, Thomas "Consciousness, Cosmic Evolution, and the Technological Singularity" Journal of Futures Studies, December, 2012. Available at: http:// w w w. c e n t e r f o r f u t u r e c o n s c i o u s n e s s . c o m / p d f _ f i l e s / A r t i c l e s / ChaissonArticleFinalNov2012Website.pdf Lombardo, 2002. (See above reference) 7) Purposeful Human Evolution (Chapter 3) “We are nothing else than evolution become conscious of itself.” Julian Huxley

• Multi-Dimensional Evolutionary Nature of Humanity
• Humans Engage in Evolution of Evolution
• Anticipate & Guide the Future - Purposeful Evolution thru Future Consciousness:

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• Informed/Future Directed/Thoughtful/Purposeful/Value Driven Consciousness &

Behavior

• Natural but Unique Expression of Cosmic Evolution of Evolution
• Frankensteinʼs Blasphemy & “Playing God”
• Prometheus & Self-Determination

Our moral imperative is that we should purposefully evolve ourselves & the world around us as best as we can. Lombardo, Thomas “The Future Evolution of Consciousness” World Future Review, Vol. 6, No. 3, Fall, 2014. Available at: http://www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/ p d f _ f i l e s / 2 0 1 4 _ a r t i c l e s / E v o l u t i o n % 2 0 o f % 2 0 C o n s c i o u s n e s s %20June2014%20Wisdom%20Updates.pdf Phipps, Carter Evolutionaries: Unlocking the Spiritual and Cultural Potential of Science’s Greatest Idea. New York: Harper Perennial, 2012. Question: What are other Possible Candidates or Theories regarding the Distinctive Capacity (Capacities) of Humans? Candidates include: Language, Abstract Thought, Self-Consciousness, Spirituality/Religion, Science, Technology & Cumulative Historical

• Culture. Why is FC the best answer?

8) “It is as if man had been suddenly appointed managing director of the biggest business of all, the business of evolution—appointed without being asked if he wanted it, and without proper warning and preparation. What is more, he canʼt refuse the job. Whether he wants to or not, whether he is conscious of what he is doing or not, he is in point of fact determining the future direction of evolution on this earth. That is his inescapable destiny, and the sooner he realizes it and starts believing in it, the better for all concerned...” Julian Huxley A Question: Can humans reject, counter-act, or escape from purposeful evolution? 9) Reciprocity within Consciousness and the World (Chapter 4) Contemplate the Yin-Yang: A Coupled Complementarity of Factors in the Universe “The basic understanding that life on this planet constitutes an interconnected system must be considered to be one of the great discoveries of science, perhaps as profound as the discovery of natural selection.” Lee Smolin “For things are things because of mind, as mind is mind because of things.” Hsin Hsin Ming

• Yin-Yang/Reciprocity (Distinct & Interdependent Complements)
• Open Systems (Individuation thru Exchange)

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• Reciprocity of Life & Earth (Gaia) - Humans & Environment - Human Cultures - Self

& Society - Humans & Tech (Cyborgs) - Whole & Parts - Order & Chaos - Stability & Change

• Reciprocity of Self-Conscious Mind & Physical World (Embodied Ecological Minds &

Interpreted/Manipulated Worlds) Reality is a Yin-Yang: Necessarily distinct and interdependent entities and factors. Lombardo, Thomas “The Ecological Cosmology of Consciousness” Journal of Cosmology, Special Issue: “Consciousness and the Universe”, Vol. 14, April-May,

• 2011. Available at: http://www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/pdf_files/

Readings/Ecological%20Cosmology%20Consciousness%20.pdf Lombardo, 1987, 2011b (See references above) 10) What is Reality? (Chapter 4) “We are moving!” Teilhard de Chardin Reality is reciprocal (ecological) evolution. 11) Well Being & the Good: Flourishing in the Flow of Purposeful (Reciprocal) Evolution (Chapter 5)

• Many Theories of the Good/Preferable Future Grounded in Theories of Reality &

Humanity

• Need Theory that Aligns with Evolutionary-Reciprocal Reality of Humans & Nature -

Otherwise Unrealistic Good

• Good (Future) is Excellence in Purposeful Reciprocal Evolution
• Flourish: Thrive & Prosper - Productive - Grow Well - Positive Direction & Vitality -

Dynamic Concept of the Good that Aligns with Evolution

• Good = Grow & Evolve - Contra Survival/Stability/Sustainability/Stagnation/Rigidity
• Flourishing Applies to Individuals, Societies, & Nature
• Reciprocity Implies Interdependent Flourishing of Individuals & Wholes - Contra

Absolute Individualism or Collectivism

• Utopia: An Evolving Interdependent Pluralism
• Flourishing Possesses Inspirational Quality (Emotional/Motivational/Aesthetic

Quality) & Association with Life/Vitality Flourishing is excellence in purposeful (reciprocal) evolution. 12) Qualities of Flourishing: Ideals of Well-Being & the Good for Self & Others (Chapter 6) Qualities of Self 1.Purposeful Self-Creation, Self-Determination, & Self-Evolution

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Qualities of Emotion 2.Evolving Positive Emotional Experience 3.Love: Care, Appreciation/Gratitude, & Compassion Qualities of Motivation 4.Hope, Optimism, & Enthusiasm 5.Deep Purpose & Life Meaning Qualities of Body and Senses 6.Experience of Beauty; Rapture, Sensory Elevation, & Sensual Appreciation 7.Mental/Physical Vitality Qualities of Cognition

• 8. Evolving Understanding & Cognitive Capacity & Expanding Consciousness (Awe &

Wonder/Enlightenment/Wisdom)

• 9. Self-Evolving Understanding & Capacity for Improved Flourishing

Qualities of Connection

• 10. Transcendence
• 11. Engagement, Empowerment, & Contribution vis-a-vis World
• 12. Mutual Beneficial (Social/Natural) Relationships (Environment that Affords

Flourishing) Holistic Qualities

• 13. Adventure & Evolving Creativity/Invention
• 14. Balance, Centeredness, & Tranquility
• 15. Belief in & Pursuit of the Good

Authentic Happiness is Experience of Flourishing Flourishing is Holistic, Ecological, Evolutionary, Elevating, & Inspirational. Converse Defines the Unethical & Impoverished Seligman, Martin Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-

• being. New York: Free Press, 2011.

13) What Facilitates Flourishing & Excellence in Purposeful Evolution? (Chapter 6)

• Purposeful Evolution -> Future Consciousness
• Excellence in Purposeful Evolution -> Excellence in Future Consciousness
• Character Virtues of Heightened Future Consciousness - Holistic Standards for

Excellence in Future Consciousness

• Virtue: Actively Accomplished Realization of Human Excellence - Can be

Strengthened/Enhanced

• Means to the Good Future is Self-Created Self-Capacity Versus Materialistic/ “Other”

Center of Gravity Flourishing (and the good) occurs due to self-accomplished excellence in future consciousness.

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Additional Questions: Can we necessarily connect ethics & the good with future consciousness? Is future consciousness a necessary condition of being ethical? Can there be ethics without the reality & capacity for choice of preferable future, which implies future consciousness? Can we have an emotional based ethics, bases simply on attraction and aversion? Can we have an intuitive based ethics? Can we necessarily connect flourishing with future consciousness? Can we flourish without future consciousness? 14) Future Consciousness (Chapter 7) Total holistic & integrative set of psychological processes & modes of experience & behavior involved in our consciousness of the future: includes hopes, fears & desires; planning & goals; futurist visions, theories, & stories (of self & world) & purposeful

• behaviors. Gestalt of our awareness, feelings, understanding, & engagement with the

future. Future consciousness engages all major dimensions of mind, consciousness, and behavior from perception to creative imagination. 15) The Centrality & Value of Future Consciousness (Chapter 7) “... the ultimate gift of consciousness is to navigate the future in the seas of our imagination...” Antonio Damasio

• Consciousness Future Directional Flow (Experiential Arrow of Time)
• Consciousness Contextualized/Guided thru Memory, Anticipation, & Purpose (No

Pure Present)

• FC Essential to Normal Human Functioning
• Drove Purposeful Evolution of Human Civilization/Collective History - Key Distinctive

Power

• FC Guides Purposeful Evolution of Individual Streams of Consciousness

Consciousness temporally flows and evolves in the direction of the future. 16) Virtue Theory of Heightened Future Consciousness (Wisdom) (Chapter 7) Ideal Human Capacities Need to be Psychologically Holistic & have an Ethical Dimension The virtues of heightened future consciousness are empowering holistic qualities

• f character that generate flourishing.

Virtues of Self 1.Self-Awareness, Self-Control, Self-Efficacy, & Self-Responsibility (Supports 1, 11, All) 2.Self-Evolution (Supports 1, 9)

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Virtues of Emotion & Motivation 3.Hope, Courage, Enthusiasm, & Optimism (Supports 2, 4, 7) 4.Love; Care, Appreciation/Gratitude,Compassion, & Rapture (Supports 2, 3, 6, 7) 5.Discipline, Tenacity, Deep Purpose, and Transcendence (Supports 5, 7, 10) Virtues of Cognition 6.Skill & Love of Learning/Knowledge Acquisition (Wonder) (Supports 8, 9) 7.Skill & Love of Thinking/Understanding (Supports 8, 9) 8.Cosmic (Ecological-Global) Consciousness (Awe) (Supports 8, 9,10, 11, 12) 9.Expansive Temporal Consciousness (Supports 8, 9, 10, 11) Virtues of Behavior 10.Ethical Pragmatism (Practical Wisdom) (Supports All) Holistic Virtues 11.Realistic Idealism (Belief/Commitment in Good) - Possibly Holistic Virtue (Supports All) 12.Creativity & Adventuresome Spirit (Supports 6, 13) 13.Balance, Integration, & Temperance (Supports 14 and All) 14.Wisdom (Supports 9, All) 17) Self-Creation: Self-Awareness, Self-Control, Self-Efficacy, & Self- Responsibility for the Future (Chapter 8)

• Humans are Self-Creative: Regarding their Present & Future (Self)
• Self-Responsibility is Accepting/Cultivating Self-Creativity & Determination of the

Future - Issue of Perceived Self-Control - Internal vs. External Locus of Control

• Self is Participatory & Responsible to a Degree for Ecology (Reciprocity of Mind &

World) - Perceived Self-Efficacy

• Self-Responsibility is Cardinal Virtue - All Virtues are Self-Responsible

Accomplishments

• SR/SE: Psychologically Empowering/Elevating vs. Disempowering/Depressing - For

Self & Engagement with World

• Will Power (Self-Control) Grows through Self-Awareness, Guided Thought, &

Practice I need to accept and practice that I am the architect of my future. Baumeister, Roy and Tierney, John Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human

• Strength. New York: The Penguin Press, 2011.

18) The Ecology of Future Consciousness (Chapter 9) Nature/Cosmos is Not a Static, Balanced Harmony but an Interactive Evolutionary Ecology & We are Part of It

• Purposeful Self-Evolution Involves Understanding & Orchestrating (Future) Ecology

(Reciprocity of Mind & World)

• Ecology: Nature, Other Persons & Society, Technology, & Cosmos

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• Technology: Humans are Cyborgs in Techno-Ecology - Wise Cyborg
• Participation/Informed Ethical Guidance in Evolving Nature & Universe - Reciprocity
• f Purposeful Self & Nature/Cosmos - Canʼt Leave Nature Alone
• Mutually Beneficial Purposeful Reciprocal Evolution
• Multiple Virtues: Love of Learning & Thinking - Expansive Temporal & Cosmic

(Global-Ecological) Consciousness "Human knowledge & human power meet in one; for where the cause is not known the effect cannot be produced. Nature to be commanded must be obeyed...” Francis Bacon “Video: Contemporary Trends and Theories and Paradigms of the Future”: http:// www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/cont_trends_video.htm I need to understand the world & its future possibilities for I am participating in its evolution & its evolution provides the context in which I evolve. Yin-Yang Paradox: I am always responsible and I can never do it alone. 19) Guiding Future Emotional Evolution (Chapter 10) “Since man is above all future-making, he is, above all, a swarm of hopes and fears.” Ortega y Gasset

• Emotion is Core Feeling, Ambience, & Energy of Consciousness (Canʼt Cage/

Transcend/Ignore)

• Key Anticipatory Emotions: Hope & Fear/Despair (Reading)
• Broaden & Build Theory (Fredrickson)
• Responsibility for (Evolution of) Emotional Consciousness (Rubin) - Multiple Paths/

Practices

• Hope, Love, Wonder, & Happiness - Virtues/Skills & Empowering Evolution-

Generating Emotions - Love the Future You Pursue

• Necessity & Value of Problems & Negative Emotions for (the Yin-Yang of) Emotional

Evolution “What does not kill me, makes me stronger.” Nietzsche I need to heighten awareness & evolve how I emotionally feel about the future. Fredrickson, Barbara Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive. New York: Crown, 2009. Fromm, Erich The Art of Loving. New York: Bantam Books, 1956. Reading, Anthony Hope and Despair: How Perceptions of the Future Shape Human

• Behavior. Baltimore, Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press, 2004.

Rubin, Gretchen The Happiness Project. New York: Harper, 2009.

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Seligman, Martin Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: The Free Press, 2002. 20) Motivation: (Chapter 11) Hope/Optimism/Approach/Evolution vs Fear/Pessimism/Avoidance/Stagnation “We fight not for ourselves but for growth, growth that goes on for ever. To-morrow, whether we live or die, growth will conquer through us.” H. G. Wells “…there are two kinds of people in the world: the vulnerable and the dead.” Edwin Locke

• Motivation is the Energized Purpose of FC/Behavior
• Fundamental Motivational Polarities: Change/Growth & Stasis/Stability - Hope &

Fear - Approach & Avoidance

• Necessity & Value of Stability - But Stability (Security/Discipline/Sustainability)

Should Serve Evolution - Stability Can be Motivated by Fear of Change (Risk)

• Virtue of Self-Growth (Self-Evolution) -> Progressive Personal Narrative -> Centering
• n Purposeful Self-Evolution rather than Stability
• Virtues Hope, Courage, & Optimism Support Self-Growth
• Hope/Optimism & Fear/Pessimism: Self-Fulfilling Prophesy Effects & Multiple

Differential Effects

• Hope/Optimism/Self-Growth Amplifies Capacities & Expanse of FC
• Yin-Yang Rhythm of Motivation & Life
• Evolutionary Optimism (Yin-Yang of Evolution)

I should thoughtfully and tenaciously pursue hope, optimism, & self-evolution rather than fear, pessimism, and stasis. Wells, H. G. The Food of the Gods (1905). In Wells, H. G. Seven Science Fiction Novels

• f H. G. Wells. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1895-1934.

Seligman, Martin Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. New York: Pocket Books, 1998. Ridley, M. (2010) The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Kurzweil, R. (2005) The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, New York: Viking Press. Brockman, John (Ed.) What are You Optimistic About? New York: Harper, 2007. 21) Long-Term Motivational Virtues of FC: (Chapter 12) Discipline, Tenacity, Deep Purpose & Transcendence “What you do everyday matters more than what you do once in a while.” Gretchen Rubin "The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet." Lao Tzu

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• Tenacity : Passionate Persistence in the Face of Adversity - Drives Discipline
• Tenacity - Critical Variable in Success
• Deep Purpose (Hope/Love) Drives Tenacity
• DP: Overarching Direction in Life - Motivational Expansive Temporal/Cosmic

Consciousness

• Transcendence in DP - Connecting Personal (Self) & Grand Narratives

I should cultivate deep purpose, which is an expansive & empowering state of motivational future consciousness. 22) Learning & Memory (Chapter 13) "Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness...when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it...this is the condition of children and barbarians, in whom instinct has learned nothing from experience." George Santayana

• Why Do We Learn & Remember (Historical Consciousness)?
• Cognitive Basis/Serves FC (Past->Future) vs. Primitive Presentism
• Rote Memory/Surface Learning - Necessary but Functionally Incomplete/Deficient
• Normal Permanent Memory - Interpretive/Selective/Creative with Understanding
• Deep Leaning (Memory with Understanding & Application) is a Love/Skill - Involves

Development/Practice of Virtues (Love, Passionate Tenacity, Thinking) - Learning to Learn -> Knowledge Basis of Personal Growth/HFC/Wisdom

• Outsourcing Memory Bypasses DL - Undermines Knowledge Foundation/Cognitive

Capacities of FC/Creativity I need to deeply learn to creatively serve the future. Lombardo, Thomas “The Pursuit of Wisdom & the Future of Education” Creating Global Strategies for Humanity's Future. Mack, Timothy C. (Ed.) World Future Society, Bethesda, MD, 2006. Available at: http://www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/ pdf_files/Readings/Pursuit_Wisdom-Short.pdf 23) Consciousness & Understanding (Chapter 14) “Every principle is open to question, including this principle.” William Bartley III

• Selective, Perspectival, Fallible, Subjective, & Interpretive Knowledge - Supports

Thoughtful Humility & Open-Ended Evolution contra Dogmatism

• Ongoing Evolution of (Ideals of) Knowledge/Understanding & Consciousness in

History

• Journey of Reflective & Critical Thinking: Beyond Dogmatism & Relativism
• Evolving Ideals of Wisdom/Enlightenment - Preferable Visions to Aspire toward in

Evolution of Consciousness & Understanding

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• Ethical Responsibility (Part of Moral Imperative) for Assessing/Evolving Beliefs &

Epistemic Ideals for Self & Others - Love & Skill of Learning & Thinking (Contra “Right to Opinion”)

• Chaos/Lack of Control in Consciousness - Responsibility (and Numerous Practices)

for Evolving Consciousness for Self & Others “The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.” Charles Darwin It is my ethical responsibility to assess & evolve my understanding & consciousness and to pursue wisdom & enlightenment. 24) Thinking & Imagination (Chapter 15) “Critical thinking: The art of thinking about your thinking while you are thinking in order to make your thinking better…” Foundation for Critical Thinking

• Relative Transcendent Capacity of the Mind: Reflects Upon/Coordinates/Evaluates -

Includes “Thinking about Thinking” - Abstract Hypothetical Possibility Space of Consciousness (Transcends & Informs Me/Here/Now/World of Particulars)

• Thinking is a Passionate Skill - Critical Thinking Philosophy: Normative Holistic

Character Virtues

• Futurist Thinking: Practices/Skills - Trends & Predictions - Probabilities &

Possibilities (Alternative Scenarios) - Preferable Futures - Plans & Strategies

• Science Fiction: Holistic/Integrative/Thoughtful Narratives of Imagination & Future

Through thinking & imagination I transcend, inform, & enirch upon the me/here/ now & the world of particulars. The Foundation for Critical Thinking: http://www.criticalthinking.org/ Millennium Project: http://www.millennium-project.org/ World Futures Studies Federation: https://www.wfsf.org/ Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/ Gidley, Jennifer The Future: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. Clute, John Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. London: Doarling Kindersley, 1995. 25) Consciousness, imagination, understanding, & thinking evolve through time. Although all are perspectival, fallible, relatively chaotic, habitual, & ostensibly only partially under self-control, through the conscientious application of a set of virtues, all are self-reflective, self-evaluative, & self-evolving without any determinable upper limit

• f competence, achievement, & insight.

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It is our ethical responsibility & integral to our purposeful evolution to pursue cognitive excellence & the development & understanding of consciousness. We should purposefully pursue the potentially infinite journey of consciousness, the acquisition of knowledge, & the cognitive capacities of the mind. 26) Creativity (Chapter 16) “…every work of art comes into being in the same way as the cosmos – by means of catastrophes, which ultimately create out of the cacophony of the various instruments that symphony we call the music of the spheres.” Wassily Kandinsky

• Future is the Ongoing Act of Creation & We are All Participating in it
• Creativity Arises in Nature - Evolution is Creative - Humans Build Upon & Enhance

Process

• Balanced Set of Virtues/Qualities Facilitates Creativity - Discipline & Play; Logic &

Intuition; Autonomy & Engagement

• Creativity: Making of Order Out of Chaos, which often Includes as a Prelude the

Making of Chaos Out of Order

• HFC (Wisdom) is the Enhanced Desire & Capacity to Create the Good Future

(Means of Positive Creation) We are architects in the act of creation and we should get better (wiser) at it. Lombardo, T. (2011) “Creativity, wisdom, and our evolutionary future”, Journal of Futures S t u d i e s , v o l . 1 6 , n o . 1 , p p . 1 9 - 4 6 . A v a i l a b l e a t : h t t p : / / w w w. c e n t e r f o r f u t u r e c o n s c i o u s n e s s . c o m / p d f _ fi l e s / A r t i c l e s / CreativityWisdomEvolFutureMay2011.pdf 27) The Self-Evolving Self (Chapter 17) “People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something that one finds. It is something that one creates.” Thomas Szazz

• Human Self is Self-Creative & Self-Evolving (Bootstrap Effect)
• Ongoing Efforts at Purposeful Self-Evolution in Collective/Individual History
• The Self Reflects & Evolves thru the Personal Narrative - Human Resonance with

Narrative (Identity/Coherence/Meaning/Purpose)

• PN Connected with Grand Narrative (Reciprocity & Cosmic Consciousness)
• Rewriting/Living Ideal Future Personal & Grand Narratives as Wisdom Narratives -

Pathway to Wisdom & Evolving Self (Central Exercise) I am a reflection now and into the future of the story I tell myself about myself (my personal narrative) in the context of the story I tell myself about the world (my grand narrative) and I can change the stories.

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Damasio, Antonio The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of

• Consciousness. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1999.

Wilson, Timothy Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2011. 28) Wisdom: The Synthesis of Character Virtues of Heightened Future Consciousness (Chapter 18) Self-Awareness, Self-Responsibility, & Purposeful Self-Evolution; Belief/Commitment in the Good; Hope & Love; Tenacity & Deep Purpose; Skill & Love of Learning & Thinking; Cosmic & Expansive Temporal Consciousness; Creativity & Practical Capacity; and Balance & Temperance Building on the Wisdom Heritage & Wisdom Renaissance “Wisdom is the personally internalized, continually evolving understanding of & fascination with the big picture & personal dimensions of life & their connection, & what is true & good, & the desire & creative capacity to apply this understanding to enhance (evolve) the well-being of life, both for oneself & others.” Future-Focused Holistic Evolutionary Wisdom

• Internalized & Psychologically Holistic
• Open/Self-Evolving Capacity & Ideal
• Cosmic Consciousness/Knowledge (Reciprocity of Self & Universe)
• Ethical Dimension - Character Virtues
• Motivational/Pragmatic
• Creation of Preferable Futures
• Highest Expression & Ideal of FC - Most Empowering Capacity for Facilitating

Purposeful Evolution Wisdom is the desire & capacity to create the best possible future. Macdonald, Copthorne Toward Wisdom: Finding Our Way Toward Inner Peace, Love, and Happiness. Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 1996. Macdonald, Copthorne Matters of Consequence: Creating a Meaningful Life and a World that Works. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: Big Ideas Press, 2004. Maxwell, Nicholas From Knowledge to Wisdom: A Revolution for Science and the

• Humanities. Second Edition. London: Pentire Press, 2007.

Sternberg, Robert (Ed.) Wisdom: Its Nature, Origins, and Development. NYC: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Sternberg, Robert and Jordan, Jennifer (Ed.) A Handbook of Wisdom: Psychological

• Perspectives. NYC: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Hall, Stephen S. Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience. NYC: Alfred Knopf, 2010. C a s s i d y, C h a r l e s E v i d e n c e - B a s e d W i s d o m Av a i l a b l e a t : h t t p s : / / evidencebasedwisdom.com/

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Beaumont, Lee Wisdom Curriculum - Wikiversity. Available at: https://en.wikiversity.org/ wiki/Wisdom/Curriculum Center for Practical Wisdom - University of Chicago. Available at: http:// wisdomresearch.org/ 29) Wisdom: The Guiding Light (Chapter 18) “It is easier for us to imagine ourselves living among better appliances than among better human beings.” Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi

• Happiness, Good Life, Flourishing, & Purposeful (Self) Evolution is Best Achieved

thru Wisdom (Wisdom Narrative): Key is Within Us

• Central Goal of Education (Holistic/Ethical/Future Focused Education)
• Preferable Future Evolution of the Human Mind - Wise Cyborg - An Age of Wisdom

(Inclusive of Society, Nature, the Earth, and Beyond) The self & humanity as a whole should purposefully educate and evolve toward greater wisdom. Lombardo, 2011a (See reference above) 30) The World Beyond the Hill: Olaf Stapledon (Chapter 18) The Time Beyond the Present Cosmic Evolutionary Narratives Heightening Future Consciousness through Science Fiction "Probably the most powerful work of imagination every written." Arthur C. Clarke

• Vast Cosmic/Temporal Consciousness - Inform & Inspire the Present
• Purposeful Mental-Social-Ethical Evolution
• Preferable Futures - Inspirational Wisdom Narratives
• Wisdom Exemplar - Futurists Should Be Wise People & Vice Versa
• Multiple SF (Wisdom) Narratives - Mythic/Holistic FC - Wells as Second Paradigm

Example

• Connect Future Personal Narrative With the Future of Humanity Narrative
• Connect the Future of Humanity Narrative Within Cosmic Grand Narrative
• Ground the Good Future in Evolutionary-Ecological Reality of the Cosmos
• Good Future is the Purposeful Evolutionary Transcendence of Humanity and Nature

We need to look and journey beyond the hill. The future informs the present; the cosmos informs the self. How does one define the cosmos? An open question. Can bring in contemporary science fiction, such as Egan & Liu, as wisdom narratives of human evolution in an

• pen-ended, indeterminate cosmos/multiverse.

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Crossley, Robert Olaf Stapledon: Speaking for the Future. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1994. Stapledon, Olaf Last and First Men and Star Maker. New York: Dover Publications, 1931, 1937. Wells, H. G. The Shape of Things to Come. London: Penguin Books, 1933. Sherborne, M. (2010) H. G. Wells: Another Kind of Life. London: Peter Owen. Wagar, W. Warren H. G. Wells: Traversing Time. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2004. Lombardo, 2018. (See reference above) V i d e o : “ S c i e n c e F i c t i o n : T h e M y t h o l o g y o f t h e F u t u r e ” h t t p : / / www.centerforfutureconsciousness.com/science_fiction_video.htm 31) Summary: Answering the Question of the Good Future

• Evolution
• Evolution in Evolution
• Purposeful Human Evolution
• Reciprocity/Reciprocal Evolution
• Flourishing and the Good Future
• Future Consciousness
• Virtues of Heightened Future Consciousness
• Psychology of Heightened Future Consciousness
• The Self & Personal/Wisdom Narrative
• Wisdom/Wise Cyborg/Age of Wisdom
• Exemplars of Wisdom
• Cosmic Evolutionary Narrative

We need to understand & continually develop our capacities for our purposeful evolutionary journey into the cosmic future.

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