Jonathan Tweet

Hi Duane,

Several commenters have said that if the universe is a “living, conscious” system, it’s not “living” or “conscious” in the scientific sense. I’d agree with them. My comment, however, is more about the poetry or spiritual meaning of this idea. As a great big fan of evolution, I am amazed at the bewilderingly complex things that evolved…[Read more]

Thanks, Maximum Labs (or Anonymous). We’re starting to ship the first Kickstarter orders today.

Anyone can preorder here: http://bit.ly/gf-storeThanks!-Jonathan

I’m glad to be a member of a group where it’s OK to believe that the universe is alive and OK not to. And now I’m going to unsub from this interesting conversation. -Jonathan

Ed, “Scientists are great at crafting theories and gathering evidence. But they are not generally very good storytellers.” Exactly. We have our work cut out for us in crafting inspiring stories that align with science. Jennifer has done it with her universe books, and I’m giving it a shot with Grandmother Fish.

Hi Duane,   Jon is doing a better job of asking the hard questions than I ever could, so please allow me to offer a parallel suggestion. We humans make our decisions primarily by emotions and intuition. It’s hard to make people change their minds. Even scientists are notorious for refusing to acknowledge evidence that contradicts their personal…[Read more]

Hi Duane, Jon is doing a better job of asking the hard questions than I ever could, so please allow me to offer a parallel suggestion.We humans make our decisions primarily by emotions and intuition. It’s hard to make people change their minds. Even scientists are notorious for refusing to acknowledge evidence that contradicts their personal…[Read more]

Thanks for the context, Syneva. Maybe Montessori was right and maybe evolution is too abstract a concept for preschoolers. Grandmother Fish will be out in a couple months, and I’ll keep an ear open for feedback along those lines. If a bunch of parents get back to me that their preschoolers couldn’t handle the concept, then I’ll have learned…[Read more]

Duane, OK, I think I see where you’re coming from, and I hope I’ve been clear. As for the terms “spiritual” and “mystical,” as an atheist I use those terms in perhaps a more scientific sense than lots of people do. Neil deGrasse Tyson says that affirming our kinship with all living things is a soaring spiritual experience. It sounds like you’re…[Read more]

<p>Duane, OK, I think I see where you’re coming from, and I hope I’ve been clear. As for the terms “spiritual” and “mystical,” as an atheist I use those terms in perhaps a more scientific sense than lots of people do. Neil deGrasse Tyson says that affirming our kinship with all living things is a soaring spiritual experience. It sounds like you’re…[Read more]