Deeptime Network | Davidson Loehr | Activity https://dtnetwork.org/our-members/davidsonloehr/activity/ Activity feed for Davidson Loehr. Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:25:23 -0400 https://buddypress.org/?v=9.1.1 en-US 30 hourly 2 62832bf42f4871672cbd86f849d1a5f6 Davidson Loehr updated new location at Austin, TX, USA https://dtnetwork.org/activity/p/25004/ Sat, 11 Jan 2020 08:42:22 -0500 0 afcf83fa05debca3aa418592f90a4bc7 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/27/#post-7508 Mon, 02 Nov 2015 20:57:06 -0500 Duane, this is very silly. Try jumping up a foot off the ground, and staying there. Or toss a brick in the air and let it land on your head. It’s not mental or “spiritual.” You’re selling snake oil. Davidson

]]> 0 8054b460a0f15c38ad1ecbf25a32e75a Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/25/#post-5053 Mon, 02 Nov 2015 16:06:33 -0500 Duane, this is very silly. Try jumping up a foot off the ground, and staying there. Or toss a brick in the air and let it land on your head. It’s not mental or “spiritual.” You’re selling snake oil. Davidson

]]> 0 ff1f094c8380a6c8c3576c72090b8291 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic "Big Spiral History": in search of feedback in the forum my forum new one http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/big-spiral-history-in-search-of-feedback-3/#post-4787 Thu, 24 Sep 2015 04:10:18 -0400 Brandon, On Eliade, I agree — that’s high school level. What he did that was so helpful was to see all religions as “languages,” dialects, ways of talking/framing life’s questions, rather than taking any of them literally. So it’s not that Biblical religions have God, it’s that they use that symbol as a way of framing life questions — unlike…[Read more]

]]> 0 9b2146db19a744f782bb7a56083fefb1 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic A boundary between science and religion in teaching? in the forum my forum new one http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/a-boundary-between-science-and-religion-in-teaching/#post-4785 Wed, 23 Sep 2015 23:42:45 -0400 Brandon, Well, one more. It’s empirically demonstrable that we know what we respect in a person, and what doesn’t rise to that level. Over about a quarter century as a minister, I officiated at a lot of memorial services, and always had an open mike policy so friends and relatives could share memories and stories. On Sundays, I would sometimes…[Read more]

]]> 0 5e65f08b481adb2b928e66891ca64f0b Davidson Loehr replied to the topic A boundary between science and religion in teaching? in the forum my forum new one http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/a-boundary-between-science-and-religion-in-teaching/#post-4784 Wed, 23 Sep 2015 22:30:15 -0400 Brandon, This all sounds very good. Two more offerings. I think etymology is very important. “Scientia” simply means “knowledge,” and “religio” basically means what we bind/tie/anchor ourselves to (the -lig is the same root as in ligament and ligature, and the “re-” means to do it again. I guess the thought is that we were once connected to…[Read more]

]]> 0 de7af6be60c0cfd2e2178452f41906af Davidson Loehr replied to the topic A boundary between science and religion in teaching? in the forum my forum new one http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/a-boundary-between-science-and-religion-in-teaching/#post-4780 Wed, 23 Sep 2015 20:20:00 -0400 Brandon, OK, more on this. One object of this kind of education should be to help students back off from their certainties to test other assertions. Very few people of any age can do this. It’s important to keep from worshiping science — or capitalizing it! There are some excellent examples of scientists being dead certain and dead wrong, in…[Read more]

]]> 0 22166a0e50d40c712c1d2498e1436383 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Big History and Religion in the forum my forum new one http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/big-history-and-religion/#post-4779 Wed, 23 Sep 2015 20:07:44 -0400 How should we differentiate between science and religion — or science and traditional stories? Many of the claims of science are true whether you believe the story or not. Gravity, evolution, star and planet formation, for example, have enough empirical data to establish that they are REALLY true (or just TRUE). All stories can give us an…[Read more]

]]> 0 c980dd5357022aa012a56f7bcb24d710 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic "Big Spiral History": in search of feedback in the forum my forum new one http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/big-spiral-history-in-search-of-feedback-3/#post-4728 Sat, 12 Sep 2015 18:11:47 -0400 Brandon, Nice to have your project going! I would recommend you check out Mircea Eliade’s books, especially The Sacred and the Profane and The Myth of the Eternal Return — though he wrote nearly 20, maybe more. He was one of those nearly unbelievable scholars, who created/invented the field of what most call “comparative religion” but he called…[Read more]

]]> 0 8a7262c251ab536561074673ed06baa1 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/22/#post-4599 Thu, 23 Jul 2015 16:49:10 -0400 Duane, Your last post on intuition seems very wrong to me. What data support your sweeping claim that intuition “knows” something, or is “right,” as opposed to being merely a feeling or hunch that has no necessary connection to truth at all? People bet billions of dollars every day based on their intuitions, and almost all of them lose. Why on…[Read more]

]]> 0 48eca77abb9f75ee5df27cb0a5d41e86 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/22/#post-4598 Thu, 23 Jul 2015 16:35:56 -0400 Ed, I just read your last note to Jon, and it reminded me of something that might support your notion of ideas/consciousness that is transferred from one living thing to another. It comes from some experiments done a few decades ago. I think (but am not sure here) that I read it in one of Robert Ardrey’s books — so, 40+ years ago. The experiment…[Read more]

]]> 0 7cf7c0005732ef66bb9b6349f2bd527e Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/22/#post-4581 Wed, 22 Jul 2015 00:57:29 -0400 Ed, I think we may be near clarification. Math is a good example because it’s purely conceptual and mental, not empirical — no claim to experiencing anything like Cosmic Numbers. I’m talking about mental states, imagination, things which, like math, have nothing empirical involved, nothing out in the world. And the fact that lots of people report…[Read more]

]]> 0 fa73c1e54163d5d90943a6b0e5d10c97 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/22/#post-4579 Mon, 20 Jul 2015 22:16:50 -0400 Ed, I think I agree with you, with the qualification that science can only admit as “true, for now” things that can be tested and replicated — replicated in controlled experiments by people who do not believe or accept the theories they’re testing. A lot of people’s certainties are not empirical, and don’t exist outside their minds, and perhaps…[Read more]

]]> 0 a9b8a4b3104754c237ea019eeb4a39f2 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/21/#post-4575 Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:02:48 -0400 Ed, Duane, Ursula et al, It’s hard to pinpoint what seems so fundamentally wrong about arguing from non-empirical opinions that can’t be replicated by those who don’t share those opinions. But a few days ago, I got an unusual video through “ForbiddenKnowledgeTV.com” that seems helpful. Here’s the…[Read more]

]]> 0 34ab5d7e6fafae439e44448afa657581 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/21/#post-4565 Thu, 16 Jul 2015 14:31:19 -0400 Ursula, I think your university is an anomaly in this regard, though my information is anecdotal: some news stories, tales from friends who are professors here at the U. of Texas in Austin, from a few young acquaintances in IT or the sciences who have told me about avoiding humanities and other “soft” courses to be more competitive, etc. But the…[Read more]

]]> 0 557d0bdb545bd6f3653c6ad87904dcde Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/21/#post-4553 Wed, 15 Jul 2015 16:33:58 -0400 Ursula, In broadest terms, I mean science curricula devoid of the humanities. It produces a lot of scientists who ignore the question of “How we should live, so that when we look back in ten or fifty years, we can be glad we lived that way.” Without including that question in any calculus of who we are and what we should be doing with our…[Read more]

]]> 0 b29ce5810f33b7653e6a96ace5cbcc9e Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/21/#post-4548 Tue, 14 Jul 2015 04:55:19 -0400 Mike, I’d like to counter your response as one who is familiar with science, but educated in religion (Ph.D. covered theology, the philosophy of religion, philosophy of science and Wittgenstein’s language philosophy). Analogies — like using words like “living” with very different meanings — can seduce us but not, I think, help us. The notion of…[Read more]

]]> 0 2e2f7a774a5a82d1f57961904d95add5 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/20/#post-4523 Fri, 10 Jul 2015 16:13:56 -0400 This is only partly a response to this topic, also just a general item. I submitted a video to Bill Gates’ contest for 60-90 second videos to answer the question of What it means to be human. Since I think there are necessarily TWO questions involved, and couldn’t think of a way to present information that’s outside the general boundaries of the…[Read more]

]]> 0 7c9c1c1c4e8904762c031d4fdf5f63ea Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/19/#post-4425 Mon, 29 Jun 2015 15:43:18 -0400 Duane, What do you want that you think you can only have if the universe is “conscious”? Davidson

]]> 0 a85b695c8c3f36a69290dec62d9928d7 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/14/#post-4255 Tue, 19 May 2015 12:40:42 -0400 <p>Ed, you wrote:</p><p> </p><p>Humans are products of the universe. Humans are intelligent. Therefore the universe IS intelligent – regardless of the means used to create us (multiple universes, coincidences or whatever) – because we ARE the universe. The prevailing scientific narrative – a faith-based belief born out of a backlash against re…[Read more]

]]> 0 c0464d0708c8284addd94a3d451bbc69 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/14/#post-4250 Tue, 19 May 2015 01:21:44 -0400 Ursula and Ed,  This alleged “raging debate” is what I mean about two very different discussions, one scientific and one decidedly not. And I still think it’s worth considering that what is driving the “intelligent design” discussions is a desire to “find a Home” or “feel like we Belong” in the vast universe. Very human — yearnings religions and…[Read more]

]]> 0 fcad2e0d3fa374fe77e2a7365ea741af Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/12/#post-4213 Fri, 15 May 2015 04:43:14 -0400 Your friend’s comments are helpful, Ursula. There have been two categorically different discussions going on, presented as scientific — or “scientific”. One is among people who just want to know what’s out there. The other is among people who want to feel connected to things like “the Universe.” The first is scientific. The second is not in any…[Read more]

]]> 0 6d5ed313e647f88c6ac2f6d59efe872e Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/7/#post-4069 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 08:28:19 -0400 Ed, are you the Ed Lantz with Vortex Immersion Media? If so, is there any of your “immersive media” in the Austin, TX area? Or San Antonio, Houston or Dallas area? Davidson Loehr

]]> 0 9f21c77d52d9034702bd5c20661d750f Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/6/#post-4057 Fri, 24 Apr 2015 21:25:18 -0400 I want to revisit my original post, where I said that what Duane was doing was “sheer mysticism.” By “mysticism,” I mean emotional needs or certainties are driving the discussion, not intellectual data. Mystics — in religion, science, or anywhere else — start with their conclusion, then can see only the cherry-picked data that support it. This…[Read more]

]]> 0 fb9ad91460c8410f545cb43fa65f940d Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/4/#post-4011 Wed, 22 Apr 2015 17:40:34 -0400 Jon et al, There is something about a few people on a planet so small we can’t even imagine imagining its size relative to the universe — something about a few in this species treating the universe with reverence that is at least comical, isn’t it? On the other hand, I guess it’s like traditional believers extolling the virtues and infinite…[Read more]

]]> 0 c41169629d048268edcb50240c68c6f5 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/page/3/#post-4007 Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:16:17 -0400 Two points seem to belong here. First, it’s useful to remember — as Wittgenstein so tersely put it — that “Certainty is only an attitude.”  Second, it’s useful to know the background of those posting opinions and comments in these discussions. Not all of us are scientists, and shouldn’t have our comments valued as though we were. To name just t…[Read more]

]]> 0 ba2cbbb7c5ff6625b34dfe84b75cd646 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Is the universe a "living system"? in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/is-the-universe-a-living-system/#post-3936 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 05:10:49 -0400 Duane, I know you’re heavily invested in this, but the things you’re citing are neither scientific nor evidentiary for the argument that the universe is “living.” It’s a misuse of language, and an important one to clean up. “Living” and “Dead” are biological terms. Used elsewhere, they’re being used as metaphors. You use words in senses far more…[Read more]

]]> 0 b3f10c764e8bb23daca7b62e44c9f5a7 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Big History and Religion in the forum my forum new one http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/big-history-and-religion/#post-3927 Mon, 13 Apr 2015 09:56:52 -0400 Other important clarifications are needed in the “science vs. religion” debates. Some current books and articles are on the theme of a “God-gene,” or the idea that we’re hard-wired for “religion” or “God.” No. We need an abiding sense of identity and purpose. Traditionally, religion and philosophy have claimed this discussion, but they are only…[Read more]

]]> 0 f77b0fb43c17204eed928534b2bdaf74 Davidson Loehr posted a new activity comment http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/resource/table-of-contrasts-between-dead-and-living-universe-paradigms-2/#comment-137 Fri, 27 Mar 2015 17:53:35 -0400 No. This is sheer mysticism. As such, it’s wishful thinking, but not very serious religion, and not science at all. Words like “living” and “dead” don’t deserve this treatment. They’re innocent things, both having their home in biology. To use “living” in a very broad metaphorical sense, as Duane does, makes it impossible to communicate using…[Read more]

In reply to - Duane Elgin wrote a new post, Table of Contrasts Between Dead and Living Universe Paradigms A table showing a series of striking differences between a dead and a living universe perspective. ]]> 1a4dcc22f862b7a8766930f4e92c9f65 Davidson Loehr wrote a new post, Looking Beyond Religion http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/?p=3493 Tue, 04 Nov 2014 16:03:46 -0500 Two of our most enduring questions are “Who am I?” and “How should I live?” Sciences — especially ethology — can provide better answers than Biblical religions for the first question. The universe’s story — […]

]]> 0 ffc6bf0c5dd0d19174123a0797a48dd0 Davidson Loehr posted a new activity comment http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/resource/the-new-origin-story/#comment-68 Mon, 03 Nov 2014 18:09:54 -0500 Yes: where can we watch the video?

In reply to - Jennifer Morgan wrote a new post, The New Origin Story (Video by Mary Coelho) A video of Mary Conrow Coelho’s art exhibit at the Friend’s Meeting at Cambridge, MA, US. A celebration of revelations and insights […] ]]> 71a0573edb1e5c42f3d56e8121e7ae77 Davidson Loehr started the topic Big History and Religion in the forum my forum new one http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/big-history-and-religion/ Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:29:05 -0500 It’s both encouraging and humbling to learn that Dr. Montessori saw all this so clearly, and so long ago! I’m interested in religion and ethics (Who we are, and How we should live), and can easily map my thought style onto this:

1. Who we are: We can see this most easily through ethology, where we are one of the world’s Social Species. All ethic…[Read more]

]]> 0 71a0573edb1e5c42f3d56e8121e7ae77 Davidson Loehr replied to the topic Montessori Cosmic Education and the Planes of Development in the forum Deeptime Network Forum http://wptaverncommunity.wefoster-platform.co/forums/topic/montessori-cosmic-education-and-the-planes-of-development/page/2/#post-3482 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:29:05 -0500 It’s both encouraging and humbling to learn that Dr. Montessori saw all this so clearly, and so long ago! I’m interested in religion and ethics (Who we are, and How we should live), and can easily map my thought style onto this:

1. Who we are: We can see this most easily through ethology, where we are one of the world’s Social Species. All ethic…[Read more]

]]> 0 47c0f189041d3432ef7d64c9586679cf Davidson Loehr is now a Contributing Member https://dtnetwork.org/activity/p/1602/ Sun, 02 Nov 2014 16:38:32 -0500 0 08d990874435c1b74c8713e5cdf1efeb Davidson Loehr became a registered member https://dtnetwork.org/activity/p/1501/ Mon, 20 Oct 2014 19:50:38 -0400 0