do you exist
About
'I' exist, in that I am 'some thing' that experiences reality, subjectively. This fact is clearly very important given that organisms in general invest vast amounts of energy into existence...but the question remains, what is this thing that 'I' am?
We're an affiliation of scientists and philosophers who are united in the desire to highlight questions about the nature of consciousness. Our activities are two-fold:
Synthesise - building a model of reality that is philosophically sound and in line with scientific data
Synergise - facilitating connections between like-minded individuals
1. synthesise
A. Atma Paradigm
The Atma Paradigm is a philosophical & science-consistent framework for the nature of consciousness and its interaction with the brain and the physical world. It draws upon Vedic philosophical insights in order to assess scientific data in a way that embraces the phenomenon of conscious experience.
For more information, check out Akhandadhi das' Aeon article and recet discussion with David Papineau on the hard problem of consciousness, and feel free to get in touch to discuss any further ideas, suggestions or questions.
2. synergise
A. Chasing Reality Podcast
In this podcast (audio & video) we interview scholars at the forefront of their fields, and who have useful insights into the possible nature of consciousness. The future vision of Chasing Reality is to connect these different thinkers with one another, in order to generate a cross-pollination of ideas and collaborative projects.
B. Bhaktivedanta Institute (BI) Connect Project
The organising committee of this site are dedicated practitioners of Bhakti Yoga. This discipline is grounded in a Vedic appreciation of reality, and seeks to combine self-evident experience with sound philosophical insight.
Given the incredible utility of this knowledge, the Science & Philosophy Initiative (in collaboration with the BIHS) is endeavouring to bring together other scholarly Bhakti Yoga practitioners from across the globe, in order that there might be some cross-pollination between Vedic insight and Western philosophical thought. This is currently an internal project for the Bhaktivedanta tradition called BI Connect, and we hope that in the years to come there will be opportunities to branch out and form valuable collaborations. If you are interested in hearing more or getting involved, please contact connect@biconnect.org.
affiliates
Akhandadhi das
Vaishnava theologian, philosopher of mind, BBC Thought of the Day regular, and very interested in the interaction of consciousness at all levels of reality.
Ramananda das PhD
Trained in molecular parasitology, as well as a prior fling with fruit flies in Lyon. Currently working as a project manager within open access publishing. Particularly interested in the concept of 'mind' from a Vedanta perspective, and how this might help to provide more clarity on the nature of the interaction between faith and reason.
Kunal Mooley PhD
Postdoctoral researcher studying astrophysical transient phenomena, such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and gravitational wave sources, at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and California Institute of Technology.
SPi collaborator interested in space and time in the context of the brain and mind.
Soumya Gupta PhD
Obtained PhD in Cell and Nuclear Biology from NCBS-TIFR, Bangalore, and worked as a medical writer for a few years.
Now collaborating with SPi to understand the symptoms of consciousness across different organisms.