Lynchpin Universe

Cosmos & Culture

Cosmological Theories of Value

Building from foundations of modern science and cosmic evolution, as well as psychological and philosophical perspectives of value and meaning, this book explores some of humanity’s biggest questions: · Is the Universe “about something”? · What might be roles for life and intelligence in cosmic evolution? · How might we think about value, meaning, purpose, and ethics in a cosmic evolutionary context? The author explores how the sciences of relativity and quantum theory, combined with cosmic evolution and philosophical traditions such as process philosophy, contribute to the development of a broad “relationalist framework”. That framework helps inform perspectives such as “scientific minimalism” and “cosmological theories of value”. Cosmological Reverence, Cosmocultural Evolution, and the Connection-Action Principle are explored as examples of cosmological theories of value, all of which help inform how we might think about ethics, value, and meaning in a cosmic context – including application to the search for extraterrestrial life and the future of intelligence in the universe. This book will benefit a diverse range of practitioners in philosophy, science, and policy, including interdisciplinary fields such as Science and Society and cultural evolution studies. From the Foreword: “This volume ranges from the sciences of cosmic evolution, relativity, and quantum mechanics, to value theory and process philosophy, all with the goal of exploring how they relate to humanity in the sense of worldviews and meaning. With his three cosmological theories of value, Lupisella goes beyond the bounds of most books on naturalism, and into fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and our relation to it. To read Lupisella is to have a mind-boggling experience, to want to race to references, to want to know more.” Steven J. Dick Former Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/ Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology Former NASA Chief Historian

Theology From the Spring

We live in a world of duality, where the clashing of co-existent beauty and chaos robs humanity of its innate purpose. Perhaps as a coping mechanism, we also live in a world dictated by technological advance that, despite its manifold conveniences, yields unintended consequences such as alienation, detached purpose, and synthetic happiness. What if the way to recover our sense of meaning and ultimate transcendent truth was found organically, in the most pure and ethereal settings of the natural world? Theology from the Spring leads readers through a reformation of nature that rediscovers the beauty of creation, ultimately pointing to the majesty and revelation of its creator. Theology from the Spring uses beautiful vistas gleaned from freshwater springs and fly fishing motifs that converge with rich theological applications. Fly fishing and freshwater springs are a tonic for the soul, each flowing forth with primal truths. Theology from the Spring takes its readers on a voyage that upon closer examination, awakens us to the living discourses of nature. Through vignettes of fresh water springs and fly fishing analogies, Theology from the Spring provides the reader with something we’ve lost: eyes for seeing latent, divine truths that make sense of the beauty and chaos we see within the created order.