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Evolutionary Theory Introductions and Interests On the first evening of the conference the participants had a chance to introduce themselves and to offer some of their initial interests and primary questions for the conference. About one-third of the participants agreed that one of the central issues in academic inquiry today is the nature of consciousness. Many felt that we need to address this issue from several angles. Some of the questions related to the nature of consciousness aired on the first evening were: Is there an evolution of consciousness? What is the physical basis of consciousness? Is consciousness selected for or does it emerge spontaneously in evolution? When did it emerge? Is consciousness the primary anomaly in the current scientific paradigm? What makes information processing by the brain a conscious process? How can we bridge quantum physics and consciousness?A second area that a number of participants wanted to discuss was the question of whether evolution has general, cross-domain patterns. Don Beck, George Leonard, and Michael Murphy all expressed an interest in exploring the commonalities that stretch across the various fields of evolution (physical, biological, social, spiritual). David Deamer furthered this line of questioning by asking if the laws at the lower levels of evolution apply to the higher ones. While agreeing that these are important issues, David Ray Griffin and Eiko Ikegami emphasized the need to address our current evolutionary moment. In particular, what will it take for global democracy to evolve? What changes need to occur in the political power structures of our planet for this to happen? Another issue, which was touched upon by Don Beck, Robert Kegan, and Steve Dinan, was the selection process that produces worldviews. How do cultures evolve higher levels of meaning? How do cultures select their worldviews? What might facilitate this process? How can Esalen act as a facilitator of the next emerging worldview? During her introduction, Jenny Wade asked what is anomalous in an evolutionary worldview? What gets left out in evolutionary theory? How can we prevent evolutionary theory from being used to oppress other people and cultures? Rounding out the opening questions, David Deamer and Tony Rothman both asked the group to reflect on one of the greatest questions of all time: what is the origin of life itself? After introductions and statements of interests, there was a brief discussion. George Sudarshan opened this session by pointing to how much our thinking is still rooted in classical assumptions. Consciousness is so often considered an epiphenomenon of molecular reactions. He called for an approach that incorporates the uncertainty of quantum mechanics. He also pointed to the need for new metaphors, such as the hologram or Stuart Kauffman’s “meshworks.” Stuart Kauffman followed by questioning how we might relate quantum mechanics to the bio-chemistry of brain functioning or even to simple bacterial processes. Current research argues that quantum phenomenon do not play a role in brain processes (because of high temperatures), but Kauffman is intrigued by quantum mechanical explanations for consciousness. In response David Deamer indicated just how complex a single cell is, let alone the entire brain. Deamer also noted that Jan Wallenzak at Stanford has discovered brain processing of calcium above the KT thermal barrier. Jay Ogilvy closed the first evening by pointing to the danger of holding onto certainty, which is so common in the approach of the hard sciences. Let us embrace uncertainty, he suggested.
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