-- Answers to the
Ultimate Questions -- by Joseph P.
Provenzano
What the Bodhi Tree
has to say about us... According to Provenzano, What is it
all about? and How should we live? are the "Two Big
Questions" philosophy should answer if it is to benefit the
human race. He continues to say that modern philosophy has
strayed away from these questions; but his Philosophy of
Conscious Energy returns to fundamentals and provides
positive answers. Provenzano's philosophy is based on the
work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin whose basic philosophical
insight was that the universe is evolving toward higher
consciousness and complexity. The Philosophy of Conscious
Energy develops the philosophical implications of this Law
of Consciousness and Complexity and includes a brief history
of the great philosophical theories leading up to it.
Provenzano shows how his philosophical direction gives
meaning to previous philosophical theories and how this
direction will help humanity find its proper place in
nature. The Philosophy of Conscious Energy is a challenging
and thought-provoking work that once again places the "Two
Big Questions" at the center of philosophical
inquiry. Review of "The
Philosophy of Conscious Energy" "The Teilhard Review -- A Journal
Bridging Science and Religion" Autumn 1993 (Book Review
Section--page 33) Coinciding with the preceding book
review, [note: other books were reviewed in th is
British publication] the arrival of this book from
America also pursues the quest for "ultimate explanations".
This approach however, is through the development of
philosophy, culminating in Teilhard de Chardin. I am going
to straight away nail my colours to the mast, and say that I
feel this book provides what we all need so much at the
present moment, namely, an advanced primer to Teilhard's
thought. Provenzano, who works at the California Institute
of Technology, focuses his book on getting philosophy to
measure up to providing answers to the "Big Questions"--What
is it all about? How should we live? The criteria that he
uses to examine each philosopher's stance are: 1. A philosophy should rest on a
fundamental insight that is intuitively pleasing. 2. A philosophy should be
internally consistent. 3. It should not contradict the
findings of modern science. 4. It should reinforce the notion
of the importance of the individual person. With these criteria in mind, he
commences to chart the evolutionary development of
philosophy from Thales in the seventh century B.C. to
Aquinas, Kant, Darwin, Kierkegaard, and Ayer in the
twentieth. All in all, he examines thirty three major
philosophers en route. But, he leaves the "piece de
resistance" to the last--Teilhard de Chardin who he
maintains, provides a breakthrough in relating philosophy to
the "Big Questions". He provides an immediately
understandable portrayal of the key concepts of Teilhard's
thought and of its implications. This summary is without
doubt the clearest that I have read on Teilhard. He then
continues in truly evolutionary manner, to develop those
concepts a little further into what he calls, The Philosophy
of Conscious Energy. This he bases on four
assumptions: 1. The Law of Consciousness and
Complexity is the most fundamental law in the
universe. 2. There is nothing, absolutely
nothing, in the universe except energy, in one form or
another. 3. The transformation of energy
from one form to another, sometimes results in differences
so great that the two forms are actually two distinct states
of energy. This transformation must be thought of as a
change of state. 4. All "laws" are potentially state
dependent as a consequence. From here he moves out to chart his
philosophical system as moving through four states of
evolutionary development--from Radiation to Matter, to
Conscious Energy to Self--Conscious Energy. He applies his
criteria (see above) to his own philosophical thought and
makes therefore very clear links with everyday living. This
ranges from putting the social crimes current in our lives
such as drugs, into an explanatory context of
consciousness--(because society has reached a state of
higher consciousness, some wish to reduce consciousness and
this is evil at a higher state)--to understanding the reason
for evil; to explaining the drive for scientific research;
to understanding God's "composition"; to the immortality of
the soul. In short, a mind blowing book, yet very practical
in its charting of implications, an extremely rare
combination. Reviewer: Tom Baxter,
editor Preface from "The
Philosophy of Conscious Energy" There was a time when philosophy
was concerned with questions that mattered to
everyone--questions about the nature of the universe and how
people should lead their lives in order to be happy. It
seems on the surface thatthose times have passed forever.
Most people have long since forgotten about philosophy,
because philosophy forgot about them. It is my opinion that
there has been a breakthrough, that it will change the
situation in philosophy, and that the change will be
dramatic. This is a book about philosophy,
but it is a book for everyone--everyone who has ever
wondered about the meaning of the universe and human life.
This is not a religious book; it is based on what we can
best understand by purely human means. It can be read
equally well by believers, non-believers, Americans,
Africans, Europeans, Asians, Communists, Catholics,
Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddists, and even
Republicans and Democrats. It discusses a basic outlook
which--I believe--will become common to all of these diverse
groups. The human race does not currently have such a
fundamental vision, and that is why these diverse groups
cannot have meaningful discussions on tough issues like
human rights, abortion, and so forth. Attempting to gain this fundamental
vision was a goal of the philosophers of yesterday. However,
they did not have the knowledge of the universe that we have
today. For a number of reasons, most of the philosophers of
today have abandoned this goal, and are concerned with
matters of much less importance to the average
person. In my opinion, we have reached a
critical point in human history. Not only can we once again
think about the meaning of the universe and human life, but
we can--for the first time ever--get some real answers. This
type of thinking is like that of the great philosophers of
yesterday, and can best be described as a "Return to
Philosophy." The breakthrough I mentioned in the opening
paragraph provides these answers in the form of a new
fundamental vision, or philosophy, of the evolving
universe. There is no quick way to fully
convey this new vision. It should be seen in the light of
previous philosophical efforts. Therefore, the early and
middle chapters address the past and present philosophers
and my opinion why each has never been able to gain
universal acceptance. I have tried to pull all of this
together in the final few chapters and explain this new
fundamental vision--a vision that provides real insights
into the meaning of the universe and the role of human
life. Synopsis of "The
Philosophy of Conscious Energy" The basic theme of this book is
that it is now possible to develop an integrated view of
reality which allows us to answer the ultimate questions:
What is it all about? and How should we live? These are
exactly the questions that almost all modern philosophers
have considered unanswerable. The answers provided are based
on a fundamental insight, which is clearly explained and
presented assuming no previous knowledge of philosophy. The
book is divided into three parts: What is Philosophy?, The
Evolution of Philosophy, and The Philosophy of Conscious
Energy. Part I (Chapters 1-2) introduces
the "Two Big Questions" as a convenient way to discuss the
ultimate questions of reality. The first deals with what is
most basic about the universe: What is it all about? The
second deals with ethical aspects of human life: How should
we live? Although philosophers since the time of the early
Greeks have tried to answer these questions, we still do not
have universally accepted answers. In fact, most modern
philosophers have said that we should quit trying. However,
a breakthrough has finally been made that will allow the
development of a universally accepted philosophy which
answers the Two Big Questions. In order to be fully
appreciated, this breakthrough should be seen in light of
what has previously been tried in philosophy. Part II (Chapters 3-11) presents
the previous efforts in philosophy by providing a look at
the important philosophers from before the time of Plato to
the present. Thirty-three different philosophers are
discussed, and each is presented using the same format:
background, insight, theory, conclusions/ethical
implications, and, finally, comments about what is keeping
that philosopher from being universally accepted today. Part
II ends with the surprising conclusion that no philosopher
is universally accepted today because none of their
fundamental insights (i.e., starting points) corresponds to
what actually is *most* fundamental about the
universe. Part III (Chapters 12-14) covers
three distinct areas. Chapter 12 presents the basic insight
of the geologist, paleontologist, philosopher, and Jesuit
priest, Teilhard de Chardin. He called his insight the "Law
of Consciousness and Complexity." It states that the most
fundamental aspect of the universe is that it contains an
inherent tendency to produce entities that are increasingly
complex and conscious. Chapter 13 introduces the Philosophy
of Conscious Energy. It starts with Teilhard's fundamental
insight -- but uses none of his religions assumptions, and
adds the notion of "Conscious Energy." This same chapter
then paints an integrated picture of *everything* in the
universe. This integrated view is then used to develop
purely philosophical answers to the Two Big Questions. The
answers provided are potentially acceptable to "almost
everybody." Chapter 14 (optional reading) then goes on to
explore some religious possibilities and discusses the
future of philosophy.