Evolution is universal in this masterful survey by Phipps of the diverse ideas that make up the emerging field of Integral thought. By presenting “culture, consciousness, and the cosmos” as dynamic and interrelated areas of expansion, mind and matter alike are viewed as part of “a vast process of becoming.” The aim is to incorporate science and faith by broadening the definition and scope of what evolution is understood to be. While concepts like transhumanism, complexity science, spiral dynamics, and the noosphere will be new to many readers, Phipps, EnlightenNext editor, explains them thoroughly and makes a strong case for their legitimacy. In the process, the lives of several theorists—from 20th century sages such as Teilhard de Chardin and Sri Aurobindo to contemporary intellectuals like Ken Wilber and Andrew Cohen—are examined. These “evolutionaries” are shown to possess a worldview that is optimistic yet realistic, both rational and spiritual. The author, too, appears to share this mindset. His writing projects a palpable sense of positivity and excitement for what is to come. Agent: Natasha Kern. (July)
This beautifully written book is not only a splendid survey of evolutionary thought and its spiritual implications. It is also a significant contribution to the increasingly important conversation between the natural sciences and our spiritual traditions. Enthusiastically recommended.” — JOHN F. HAUGHT, Senior Fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center and Former Chair and Professor of the Department of Theology at Georgetown University
“No one has their head and heart around the full range of evolutionary worldviews like Carter Phipps.” — Reverend MICHAEL DOWD, author of Thank God for Evolution
“A profound and profoundly important new work. With clarity and deep understanding, Carter Phipps walks us through the great evolutionary pioneers and their ideas in this extraordinary philosophy, making the book absolutely indispensable for lay and professional alike. The very highest recommendation!” — KEN WILBER, author of A Brief History of Everything and The Integral Vision
“We live in one of those rare historical moments when the deepest metaphysical questions are being turned over and examined as we search for a new orientation for the next millennium. It would be hard to find a better guide into this fascinating conversation than Carter Phipps’s Evolutionaries.” — BRIAN SWIMME, Ph.D, Director of the Center for the Story of the Universe and Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies
“Brilliantly expands our understanding of evolution. Evolutionaries is going to help create a worldview that will influence our understanding of the future direction of evolution and also our role in consciously participating in it.” — DEEPAK CHOPRA
“Phipps offers a challenging reexamination of the connection between the ‘evolutionary dynamics of the universe and the very being of the divine.’ ... Thoughtful and provocative.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A masterful survey. ... Incorporates science and faith by broadening the definition and scope of what evolution is understood to be. ... Phipps’s writing projects a palpable sense of positivity and excitement for what is to come.” — Publishers Weekly
“Essential reading for anyone who cares about humanity’s future and our role in creating a better one. Evolutionaries, is a brilliant, accessibly written, and eye-opening book” — BARBARA MARX HUBBARD
“Evolutionaries is a tour-de-force where science, poetic prose, philosophical thinking, and authentic spiritual depth come together to deliver a powerful message of hope, optimism, and inspiration.” — ANDREW COHEN, Author of Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening
“A rare book, equally delightful and deep, Phipps explores how our growing knowledge about the evolutionary process catalyzes nothing less than a revolutionary understanding of our selves.” — ELIZABETH DEBOLD, Author of Mother Daughter Revolution: From Good Girls to Great Women
Brilliantly expands our understanding of evolution. Evolutionaries is going to help create a worldview that will influence our understanding of the future direction of evolution and also our role in consciously participating in it.
Evolutionaries is a tour-de-force where science, poetic prose, philosophical thinking, and authentic spiritual depth come together to deliver a powerful message of hope, optimism, and inspiration.
We live in one of those rare historical moments when the deepest metaphysical questions are being turned over and examined as we search for a new orientation for the next millennium. It would be hard to find a better guide into this fascinating conversation than Carter Phipps’s Evolutionaries.
No one has their head and heart around the full range of evolutionary worldviews like Carter Phipps.
A rare book, equally delightful and deep, Phipps explores how our growing knowledge about the evolutionary process catalyzes nothing less than a revolutionary understanding of our selves.
Essential reading for anyone who cares about humanity’s future and our role in creating a better one. Evolutionaries, is a brilliant, accessibly written, and eye-opening book
A profound and profoundly important new work. With clarity and deep understanding, Carter Phipps walks us through the great evolutionary pioneers and their ideas in this extraordinary philosophy, making the book absolutely indispensable for lay and professional alike. The very highest recommendation!
This beautifully written book is not only a splendid survey of evolutionary thought and its spiritual implications. It is also a significant contribution to the increasingly important conversation between the natural sciences and our spiritual traditions. Enthusiastically recommended.
"A rare book, equally delightful and deep, Phipps explores how our growing knowledge about the evolutionary process catalyzes nothing less than a revolutionary understanding of our selves."
"Evolutionaries is a tour-de-force where science, poetic prose, philosophical thinking, and authentic spiritual depth come together to deliver a powerful message of hope, optimism, and inspiration."
"Essential reading for anyone who cares about humanity’s future and our role in creating a better one. Evolutionaries, is a brilliant, accessibly written, and eye-opening book"
"Brilliantly expands our understanding of evolution. Evolutionaries is going to help create a worldview that will influence our understanding of the future direction of evolution and also our role in consciously participating in it."
"We live in one of those rare historical moments when the deepest metaphysical questions are being turned over and examined as we search for a new orientation for the next millennium. It would be hard to find a better guide into this fascinating conversation than Carter Phipps’s Evolutionaries."
"A profound and profoundly important new work. With clarity and deep understanding, Carter Phipps walks us through the great evolutionary pioneers and their ideas in this extraordinary philosophy, making the book absolutely indispensable for lay and professional alike. The very highest recommendation!"
"No one has their head and heart around the full range of evolutionary worldviews like Carter Phipps."
"This beautifully written book is not only a splendid survey of evolutionary thought and its spiritual implications. It is also a significant contribution to the increasingly important conversation between the natural sciences and our spiritual traditions. Enthusiastically recommended."
Debut author Phipps offers a challenging reexamination of the connection between the "evolutionary dynamics of the universe and the very being of the divine." As the executive editor of the magazine EnlightenNext, the author has kept abreast of leading trends in modern science, theology and philosophy, and he denies that there is an inherent contradiction between science and religion. Phipps has coined the word "evolutionaries" to describe a group of scientists, futurists, sociologists, psychologists, philosophers and theologians who share an "evolutionary vision and a care for our collective future." He cites writings of the Jesuit anthropologist priest Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) as exemplary of those who seek inspiration from the past but are not bound by a fixed system of beliefs. Phipps is also sharply critical of environmentalists who deny the unique position of man as the highest expression of creation. He suggests that the chaos bred by rapidly changing environments creates the potential for evolution, whether of species or in the realm of culture, and he compares the "rough and tumble world of globalization in the twenty-first century [to] the dynamics at play in Earth's prebiotic soup billions of years ago." Both are chaotic environments that foster evolutionary transformation by bringing natural selection into play. At the same time, Phipps believes that evolution is not a random process; rather, it embodies directionality and purpose. "Might we in some way represent the feedback loop for the universe itself," he asks, "fulfilling the next stage in our development…[and] creating the next novel stage of cosmogenesis?" Phipps interviews a number of physicists, futurologists working in artificial intelligence, and cognitive psychologists seeking an explanation for consciousness. Thoughtful and provocative.
