This edited volume applies the analytic notions of paradox and play to the ethnographic manifestation of spirits, angels, and demons in different locations around the world. The 10 case studies conceptualize the co-presence of humans and entities with terms that do not exclude spiritual reasoning on the one hand, and social explanations on the other. Through in-depth descriptions of localized possession cosmologies, the different chapters collectively propose path-breaking methodological directions in this field, which incorporate ethnographic theories of simultaneity into anthropological theories of religion, kinship, and ritual. Framed by an introduction written by the editors and an afterword by Michael Lambek, a leading authority in possessions studies, the volume contains cutting edge analyses that will provide readers with new tools to evaluate previously unstudied aspects of spirit possession; all of which stem from the fantastic forms of human movement that accompany the phenomenality of paradoxes in mundane reality.

This book makes accessible the basic principles and ideas of modern cosmological theory to undergraduates in mathematics, physics and related areas of study. The areas covered include observations, expansion of the universe, cosmological problems, formation of structure, production of helium in the early universe and inflationary models of the origin of the universe. There is an accessible treatment of inflationary theory, black holes, magnetic monopoles and boson stars. The dark matter debate is also discussed and detailed exercises are provided at the end of each chapter. Previous knowledge of relativity or quantum field theory is not required; rather the book provides a detailed exposition of how cosmological theory has developed. The author aims to encourage students to develop their own insights into cosmology.

By the bestselling author of Voluntary Simplicity (over 150,000 sold) • Brings together cutting-edge science and ancient spiritual wisdom to demonstrate that the universe is a living, sentient system and that we are an integral part of it • Explores the power of this new paradigm to move humanity toward a sustainable and promising future Science has traditionally regarded the universe as mostly made up mostly of inert matter and empty space. At one time this point of view was liberating, part of the Enlightenment-born rationalism that helped humanity free itself from superstition and fear and achieve extraordinary intellectual and technological breakthroughs. But this paradigm has outlived its usefulness. It has led to rampant materialism and environmental degradation—if the universe is essentially dead and we are alive, then the inanimate stuff of the universe should be ours to exploit. But we now know that not only is the view of a dead universe destructive, it is also inaccurate and misleading. In The Living Universe, Duane Elgin brings together evidence from cosmology, biology, physics, and even his participation in NASA-sponsored psychic experiments to show that the universe is permeated by a living field and that we are always in communion with that field of aliveness whether we are conscious of it or not. This is a world-view that, as Elgin explains, is shared by virtually every spiritual tradition, and the implications of it are vast and deep. In a living system, each part is integral to the whole, so each of us is intimately connected to the entire universe. Elgin eloquently demonstrates how our identity manifests itself on a whole series of levels, from subatomic to galactic. We are, he writes, “far more than biological beings—we are beings of cosmic connection and participation.” To confront our ongoing planetary crisis of dwindling resources and escalating conflict, we need to move past an ideology of separation, competition, and exploitation. Duane Elgin asks us to see humanity sharing in the same field of aliveness, to discover how to live sustainably and harmoniously within the living universe.

The classic conception of human transcendental consciousness assumes its self-supporting existential status within the horizon of life-world, nature and earth. Yet this assumed absoluteness does not entail the nature of its powers, neither their constitutive force. This latter call for an existential source reaching beyond the generative life-world network. Transcendental consciousness, having lost its absolute status (its point of reference) it is the role of the logos to lay down the harmonious positioning in the cosmic sphere of the all, establishing an original foundation of phenomenology in the primogenital ontopoiesis of life. ​

The restoration of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences served to reconcile science with faith. In other words, physics should be made subservient to faith. The spiritual shepherd nourishes his sheep using paradoxes. For example, the immaculate conception served for centuries. But this belief isn't time relevant anymore. Better is a beliefe based on mathematics. Modern physics is characterized by a number of paradoxes that can be traced back to the incorrect use of mathematical means of expression in a closed system. Now, out of concern for the common house, Pope Francis has released the connection to a closed theory with the groundbreaking sentence: "In this universe made up of open systems that communicate with one another, we can discover innumerable forms of relationship and participation." Now we are any more looking relativistically at the cosmos as a symmetric blown up ball. We are going back to a real view of an energy dissipative world. Read how we build on the successes of physics in the 19th century and apply the ideas of Iljy Prigogine on the thermodynamics of open systems to dynamic vortex structures in an open cosmos. Mechanics, thermodynamics and electrodynamics merge with Maxwell's and Stokes' equations to form a unit and the paradoxes disappear wonderfully and we now recognize that a projection of a real vortex filament into a plane gave rise to the idea of an abstract quantum mechanical wave function. This gives us simple physics from the macrocosm to the microcosm, free of contradictions, and we learn how nuclear fusion really works. This opens up a clean, CO2-free, effective energy source for us in the future. The book assumes a basic mathematical and scientific understanding, as it should be conveyed in high schools, but complicated mathematical derivations are largely dispensed with. After "Modern Astrophysics meets Engineering", it is the author's second book.

A discussion of the implications for philosophy of recent experimental results that confirm some counterintuitive aspects of the way matter behaves. The authors show that a generalised principle of complementarity is pervasive not only in physical theories such as cosmological models of the universe, but also in the construction of all human realities. They discuss in detail Bells inequalities for quantum mechanical measurements as well as recent experiments which imply that even remote parts of the universe are "entangled." They go on to suggest that consciousness can no longer be divorced from the way science operates, and conclude by claiming that this entails a new way of understanding the universe - one that could obviate much of the current conflict between science and religion while providing at the same time a basis for valuation that is better suited for co-ordinating all human experience. This second edition has been completely rewritten and brought up to date.