Being and becoming

Many people spend considerable time seeking a sense of purpose in life and, concomitant with that, a sense of personal identity. This book demystifies this search, revealing why this search is a fallacy. The purpose is to inform readers about results in several sciences, especially neuroscience and biophysics, that may guide us to some sort of liberation. A relief needed in the current age when mankind has managed to create a tremendously complex life with a diverse burden of chores.  A deliverance from some of the most poignant afflictions that prevent individuals from achieving the true purpose of our lives: the enjoyment of the experience in the present —not in the past or the future—, to taste experience to the utmost. Among these afflictions we find two primordial concerns: the belief and subsequent attachment to a self, and the conviction that life must have a deep purpose in which we are major players. Much of the content is based in the course “Integrative perspectives on consciousness and self-awareness” taught at the University of Toronto. While this is a scientific text, it can easily be read by a lay audience. It is written with minimal technical jargon and there are references to books and scientific papers enough to satisfy the curious who want more detail. We have tried to extract the essence of scientific observations such that we can glimpse at those aforementioned concerns about the self and life, observations which help us comprehend what we are and what we become, the being and becoming of our own selves and natural phenomena around us. Some of the described scientific observations share common ground with the teachings of philosophical and spiritual traditions, therefore there are sections on philosophy and religion as these relate to the specific topics presented in the text.

Publication Year: 2021
Imprint: Springer International Publishing