The Sheldrake - McKenna - Abraham Trialogues
Trialogues editor: Paddy Rose Price Email: Paddyrp@aol.com
These trialogues are from a series of lively, far-reaching discussions between Rupert and his close friends Ralph Abraham and Terence McKenna, that took place between 1989 and 1998, in America and England.
These three-way conversations began in private after their first meeting in 1982. Encouraged by their similar fascinations and complimentary views, and inspired by the synergy of their ideas and styles and the input of differing areas of expertise, the three friends continued to meet and explore new areas of thought. Throughout their public trialogues, which began in 1989, they maintained the spontaneous, playful and intrepid spirit of their private talks, and were thrilled that these explorations inspired further discussions amongst their audiences. Their trialogues and friendship have been a source of great inspiration and stimulation for their own lives and work.
In their first set of public trialogues, held as a workshop at Esalen in 1989, they explored aspects of the world soul from the perspectives of chaos, creativity and imagination, and discussed many topics including: light and vision; the psilocybin mushroom; the unconscious; entities; the resacralization of the world; the reform of the educational system and the Apocalypse.
Their second series of trialogues examined evolution in all its forms, through new topics that included: grassroots science; psychedelics, computers and mathematics; psychic animals; the World Wide Web; celestial intelligences; the nature of time and the evolving mind.
Edited transcripts of many of their first series of trialogues are published in the book Trialogues at the Edge of the West (later published as Chaos, Creativity, and Cosmic Consciousness), and many of those from their second series can be found in The Evolutionary Mind.
Books USA and Canada ¦ Books UK and Ireland
Ralph Abraham, PhD, is a Professor of Mathematics, author, and pioneer in the fields of Chaos theory, computer graphics, visual mathematics and dynamical systems.
Terence McKenna was an ethnopharmacologist, shamanologist, and author, known for his theories on plant hallucinogens and the novelty wave, and the bardic skill with which he conveyed his ideas. Sadly Terence died aged 53 on April 3, 2000.
1. Cast of Characters
An introduction to the first series of public trialogues held at Esalen, California in 1989.
2. The Evolutionary Mind
What could have been the cause for the breakthrough in the evolution of human consciousness around 50,000 years ago?
3.. Consciousness and Machines
A discussion on the evolution of consciousness as it relates to machines. Symbolic logic, nanotechnology and the possibility of a synthetic super-intelligence.
4. History, Fractals and Change
The fractal idea of history, and millenia as the plateaus of history. These bifurcation periods as opportunities to influence the creation of the future.
5. Creativity and the Imagination
The crisis in science: collision between the permanent and evolutionary views of the nature of reality. A wide-ranging discussion in two parts.
6. Creativity and Chaos
The chaos revolution, chaotic attractors and indeterminism in nature. A comprehensive discussion in two parts.
7. Chaos and the Imagination
How can chaos theory and full access to the imagination aid us in our understanding of the world and in the creation of our future?
A discussion in 2 parts.
8 Light and Vision
How is our own vision related to light, and how is the perception of the world soul related to light?
A discussion in 2 parts.
9 Entities
Are disincarnate and non-human entities mental projections or non-physical, autonomous entities? How do they relate to the world soul and how can we interpret their messages?
A discussion in 2 parts.
10 The Unconscious
What is the nature of the unconscious, and how can we access its restorative powers?
A discussion in 2 parts.
11 The Resacrilisation of the World
In what ways can we bring the sacred back into the world?
A discussion in 2 parts.
12 Education in the New World Order
How could the educational system be reformed and resacralized?
A discussion in 2 parts
13 The Apocalypse
This investigation into apocalyptic messages starts with the question of whether they are self-fulfilling prophecies or intuitions of instability.
A discussion in 2 parts.
14 Grass Roots Science
The trialoguers discuss the need for a new grassroots model of science.
A discussion in 2 parts.
15 Saving the World
The trialoguers address the problem of over-population and resource depletion.
A discussion in 2 parts.
16. Gender Issues
Exploring gender issues and ways to heal society.
A discussion in 2 parts.
17. Cannabis
The trialoguers discuss cannabis and its potential as a tool for cultural evolution.
A discussion in 2 parts.
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