IONS Library

Ontology of Consciousness

Percipient Action

by Helmut Wautischer

• Reviewed by The Editors on Dec. 1, 2008

  However seemingly quixotic the quest, finding a place for consciousness in our evolving models of reality remains the focus of significant dialogue and debate. Some don’t believe it’s possible, some don’t think it’s appropriate, and others continue to push forward with creativity, commitment, and rigor. Those pioneering others are well represented in this scholarly and important book. And while there is no single ontology that brings all the threads together, it’s enticing to realize that the answer may be distributed across numerous cultures and fields of study. Wautischer has accommodated an impressive range of insights, from African communalism, Hindu psychology, shamanism, biophysics, modern psychiatry, and many other traditions, and across centuries of evolutionary observation. As Robert Thurman writes in the foreword, “By contextualizing core concepts from various disciplines and regions, this collection of essays is a unique resource for those desiring to think past intellectual barriers posed by contemporary philosophy and science—barriers that have begun to threaten the future of our human species.”

  Publisher:

  Review published in Shift magazine