Evolutionary Spirituality
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What happens when consciousness is brought into the equation of evolution?[]

I see a number of extremely interrelated dimensions to consciousness, as it applies here, and would like to explore them and how they can combine and interrelate to inform our inquiry into evolutionary agentry. They are listed below, and each includes its opposites or negatives, at least for consideration. Furthermore, each of these has individual, collective, and systemic manifestations that can be better understood.


  • awareness / information / perception / sensing / picking up indicators / attention / notice / sentience / observation / mindfulness / presence (negatives: unawareness, obliviousness, unconsciousness, denial)
  • identity / self-hood / distinctions / discernment / ego / uniqueness / personality / thingness of other things (negatives: alienation, egotism, arrogance)
  • choice / intentionality / values / strategy / decision / purpose / responsiveness / responsibility / agency / volition / freedom / judgment / discernment / fairness / choice-creating / motivation (negatives: domination, indecision, injustice, traps, reactivity)
  • intelligence / learning / pattern recognition / thought / reflection / deliberation / especially -> / sense-making / meaning / story / understanding / worldview / framings / metaphors / theory / principles (note multiple intelligences) (note the role of feedback loops and iteration in learning) (negatives: stupidity, idiocy, presumption, fixed ideas)
  • feeling / emotion(s) / passion (in the sense of strong emotion) / sentiment / reaction (negatives: apathy, numbness, dullness) (closely related to awareness, choice, caring, celebration, but I want it in its own category)
  • caring / empathy / compassion / kindness / passion / love / concern / interest (negatives: cold-heartedness, malevolence, boredom, "could care less", insensitivity)
  • wisdom / expanded perspective ("big picture") / insight / transcendence / sanity / modesty / humor / flexibility / inclusiveness / openness / multiplicity / integration / integrity / "elegant simplicity" / depth / nuance / capacitance (tolerance and positive use of uncertainty, paradox, mystery, dissonance, and complexity) / holism (negatives: narrow-mindedness, foolishness, folly, ignorance, insanity, arrogance)
  • celebration / delight / awe / appreciation / spirit / aesthetics (negatives: depression, suffering, negation, cynicism, nihilism, ugliness)
  • inspiration / spirit / conscious creativity / innovation / vision / epiphany / revelation / "ah-ha!" / imagination / "aliveness" / vitality (negatives: mundaneness, tiredness, boredom, tedium, automaticity, drudgery)
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