The Living Universe
This paper is based on the recently published book by Duane Elgin, The Living Universe: Where are we? Who are we? Where are we going? Summarizing: Science has traditionally viewed the universe as made of inert matter and empty space. At one time this perspective was liberating, part of the Enlightenment-born rationalism that helped humanity free itself from superstition. However, the view of a non-living universe has also led to rampant materialism and environmental destruction. To transform our planetary crises we need to move past a paradigm of separation and exploitation and learn to live sustainably on the Earth, in harmony with one another, and in communion with the universe. A “living universe” perspective together evidence from cosmology, biology and physics to suggest that the universe is not fragmented and dead but rather unified and alive—an insight that is in harmony with all of the world’s major spiritual traditions. A living universe perspective radically transforms our concept the cosmos, the nature of our identity, and our understanding of the evolutionary journey of the human family:
Where are we? The combined wisdom of the sciences speaks with stunning clarity—we live in a universe that is almost entirely invisible, flowing with an immensity of energy, continuously emerging anew, and brimming with sentience. The universe is vastly larger, more alive, subtle, intelligent, purposeful, and free than many of us have begun to imagine. With humility, we can freshly rediscover our home.
Who are we? Life exists within life. Our life is inseparable from the aliveness of the living universe. Our aliveness and consciousness extends beyond our biological bodies and into the further reaches and depths of the living universe. Our physical bodies comprise only the smallest fraction of the full scope of our being. With renewed feelings of wonder, we can open to a larger sense of self that connects into the subtle aliveness of a living universe.
Where are we going? Humanity is growing up and growing into the understanding that we are beings of both biological and cosmic dimension. We are on a heroic journey of awakening—learning how to live in a living universe.
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Duane Elgin is an internationally recognized visionary speaker, educator, and author. His books include: The Living Universe: Where Are We? Who Are We? Where Are We Going? (2009), Promise Ahead: A Vision of Hope and Action for Humanity’s Future (2000), Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life that is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich (1993 and 1981), and Awakening Earth: Exploring the Evolution of Human Culture and Consciousness (1993). He has worked as a senior staff member of a Presidential Commission on the American Future and as a senior social scientist with the think-tank SRI International where he coauthored numerous long-range studies for government and business. Elgin has an MBA from the Wharton School, an MA from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2006, he received the international “Goi Peace Award” in recognition of his contribution to a global “vision, consciousness, and lifestyle” that fosters a “more sustainable and spiritual culture.” Elgin has been researching and writing on the theme of a living universe for the past 28 years; for example, in 1988 he published a lengthy article on the cosmology of a regenerative universe: “The Living Cosmos: A Theory of Continuous Creation,” for the journal Revision.
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