The Case for a Living Universe

<p><em>We are composed of the same atoms as the rocks soil mountains and nothing more. They are apparently aware of nothing whereas we are aware of the physical world ourselves and much more besides. How is this possible?</em></p><p><br></p><p>Science says our minds emerge from wholly unknowing matter. The idea that mind and matter are in fact one and the same has long been considered an elegant although impractical answer to the question above.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>The Case for a Living Universe</strong> argues that we live in an aware decision-making universe and we should view consciousness as growing from the intelligence present throughout nature. Unlike most philosophy books it gives the non-human world its proper status by describing many recent studies into animal cognition and the intelligent behaviours of some non-animal life.</p><p><br></p><p>It examines how Western culture through religion science and philosophy have worked to separate us from nature and argues the reason <em>mind in nature</em> is usually considered an eccentric or mystical idea is because we humans have wrongly elevated ourselves above all other species.</p><p><br></p><p>As Charles Darwin wrote: He who understands baboon would do more towards metaphysics than Locke.</p>