Richard Smoley - Richard Smoley's Blog

The idea that consciousness is evolving is one of the most important doctrines of the New Age. But is it true?

Over the long term, the answer seems obvious. Even the stupidest of humans is far more intelligent and sophisticated than a trilobite. Although materialists have skirted the conclusion that evolution has a direction – Read More

6 Comments

Comments

Nov 29, 2015 12:48 PM EST

I think things are definitely more complex for people nowadays, and everything is changing quicker. Perhaps consciousness needs to find a way of dealing with this, and in doing so will have to evolve in order to be "subtle, mysterious, profound, responsive." I think the depth of knowledge itself is unfathomable, and that unfathomableness has to find new ways to express itself.

- T. Davies

Nov 29, 2015 7:25 PM EST

NIce work, Richard. Thanks for the perspective.

- Margaret Placentra Johnston

Nov 29, 2015 9:20 PM EST

Very interesting, Richard. Will be late for work because I couldn't tear myself away.

- Ligia Luckhurst

Dec 02, 2015 8:30 PM EST

It seems to me that you are confusing consciousness with intelligence. It may be that as a whole the human species is becoming more intelligent and able to handle abstract complexities more easily than it could a few thousand years ago, but that is not to say that it is more conscious. A very wise man once described consciousness to me 'consciousness arises when one thing becomes aware of another' you have said when one relates to another which is a far more complex statement. Consciousness is simple. Wake up, shut off your internal dialogue and just be aware - consciousness has arisen.

- Byakazan

Dec 03, 2015 10:23 AM EST

Excellent analysis, Richard, thank you. Whether inner evolution for mankind as a whole is possible is a timely question.

For me, another pressing question is whether my own conciousness can evolve and if yes, how can I be aware of it as it occurs (avoiding fantasy and imagination) and what must I do to facilitate its evolution.

- Michael

Dec 15, 2015 4:54 AM EST

This essay, and Byakazan's comment, caused me to think about the distinction between consciousness, intelligence, and wisdom. I wonder if a good working definition of the latter would be degree of mastery over oneself whereas intelligence might be understood as the degree of mastery over one's environment; of one's efficacy. Accepting these definitions, many of the authors referenced in this article seem to have a preference for wisdom over intelligence: why waste effort pursuing satisfaction in the environment when it can be achieved via the 'shortcut' of seeking it within?

That still leaves the definition and role of consciousness as a sort of side issue... the space within which both self and environment occur.

Anyway, great food for thought. Glad to see you've created a blog, Richard! Looking forward to the new book, especially as I've been devouring hours and hours worth of Robert M. Price's "Bible Geek" podcast for the past year or so. Should be interesting.

- K. Hoffman