The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find our Place in the Universe - Hardcover

Lent, Jeremy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0865719543 ISBN 13: 9780865719545

Publisher: New Society Publishers, 2021

Synopsis

"A profound personal meditation on human existence and a tour-de-force weaving together of historic and contemporary thought on the deepest question of all: why are we here?"
— Gabor Maté M.D., author, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

As our civilization careens toward climate breakdown, ecological destruction, and gaping inequality, people are losing their existential moorings. The dominant worldview of disconnection, which tells us we are split between mind and body, separate from each other, and at odds with the natural world, has been invalidated by modern science.

Award-winning author, Jeremy Lent, investigates humanity's age-old questions – Who am I? Why am I? How should I live? – from a fresh perspective, weaving together findings from modern systems thinking, evolutionary biology, and cognitive neuroscience with insights from Buddhism, Taoism, and Indigenous wisdom.

The result is a breathtaking accomplishment: a rich, coherent worldview based on a deep recognition of connectedness within ourselves, between each other, and with the entire natural world. It offers a compelling foundation for a new philosophical framework that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on a flourishing Earth.

The Web of Meaning is for everyone looking for deep and coherent answers to the crisis of civilization.

About this title

About the Author

Jeremy Lent is the award-winning author of The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning and Requiem of the Human Soul. A former internet company CEO, he is founder of the non-profit Liology Institute dedicated to fostering an integrated, life-affirming worldview. He lives in Berkeley, California.

From the Back Cover

<p><em>A profound personal meditation on human existence and a tour-de-force weaving together of historic and contemporary thought on the deepest question of all: why are we here?</em><strong><br>GABOR MATÉ, M.D.</strong>, author, <em>In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts</em></p><p><em>The opportunity to plunge into this book will change my life. My gratitude, like spirit, is endless.</em><br><strong>JOANNA MACY</strong>, author, <em>World as Lover, World as Self</em></p><p><em>One of the most essential and compelling books of our time. It invites us to rethink at the deepest level who we are as a species and what we might become.</em><br><strong>DAVID KORTEN</strong>, author, <em>When Corporations Rule the World</em></p><p>  <em>I highly recommend this inspiring book, from one of today's most eloquent cultural observers, to anyone concerned about the future of humanity.</em><br><strong>FRITJOF CAPRA</strong>, author, <em>The Web of Life</em>, co-author, <em>The Systems View of Life</em></p><p>  <em>Moving from the ancient Tao to modern neuroscience and everything in between, Lent boldly weaves deep insights together to envision a better world.</em><br><strong>FRANS DE WAAL</strong>, author, <em>Mama's Last Hug</em></p><p><em>An important contribution to the urgently needed cultural shift from domination to partnership.</em><br><strong>RIANE EISLER</strong>, author, <em>The Chalice and the Blade</em></p><p><em>A beautiful synthesis of wisdom and empirical knowledge, this erudite journey offers an important way to construct a new narrative of our shared lives.</em><strong><br>DANIEL J. SIEGEL, M.D.</strong>, author, <em>IntraConnected, Aware, and Brainstorm</em></p><p>  <em>A good place to sit for anybody interested in binding the wounds of thoughtless progress and allowing the emergence of new patterns of being.</em><br><strong>TYSON YUNKAPORTA</strong>, author, <em>Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World</em></p>

Edition details

• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0865719543
• ISBN 13: 9780865719545
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 528