In part six of this eight-part lecture on four videotapes, viewers will learn that the "future destiny of human consciousness includes the capacities for acquiring qualitatively different forms of energy--energies which are rooted in the splendors of existence and that multiply rather than diminish as they are drawn forth." That information, my friends, combined with $2.45 will get you a double tall latte at your local Starbucks. I confess I did not actually make it as far as part six in mathematical cosmologist Dr. Brian Swimme's rambling three-hour plus lecture, having met my attention-deficit limit by the end of part two. Although speaking to what appears to be a lay audience, Swimme's jargon-laden, repetitive presentation seemed from the outset to be directed towards a) other cosmologists or b) New Age types. In the first two lectures, he embarks on an explanation of how "the human is a macrophase transition of the very dynamics of evolution," a mumbo-jumbo phrase which in plain language boils down to this: the principles of evolution (which, remember, are ethically indifferent) can be applied to studying the creation of the universe, the planet Earth, life itself, and--finally--human beings, who, with their remarkable capacity to now shape the planet's evolution, form a new force. An admittedly intriguing concept, and one well worth exploring, but Swimme's lecture, while punctuated with flashes of insight, is more often flailing around in repeated phrases, vague assertions (the concept of the universe operating on the principle of acquiring free energy is essentially correct but poorly explained), and even coined words (rather than saying "quartet" or "quaternary" or just "group of four," Swimme uses "quaterity" which sounds very impressive, but is nowhere to be found in the Oxford English Dictionary). Despite my carping, this is still a strong optional purchase, if for no other reason than it advances interesting--if sometimes badly articulated--ideas. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)
The Earth's Imagination
(1998) 4 videocassettes. 210 min. $90. CSU Video. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 14, Issue 3
The Earth's Imagination
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