PATHS BETWEEN HEAD AND HEART

The relationship between science and spirituality is a key issue for our time as well as a central concern of the Network. In this brilliant, wide-ranging and engaging book, Olly gives a fresh take on this interface, proposing an informative new model of complementarity adapted to our age of interconnectedness. He begins by setting the scene, comparing spirituality and religion, where the latter emphasises exploration, transformation, enlightenment and growth. Spirituality is fundamentally mystical in seeking to go beyond the ego to the ground of being, leading us to realise 'our true identity as ocean, not cup' - an apt metaphor for the journey from self to Self.

Seven chapters explore the relationship between complementary pairs of opposites: outer/inner, impersonal/personal, thinking/feeling, empirical/transcendental, mechanism/purpose, verbal/ineffable and explanation/contemplation. Olly sets this within the context of dialectical thinking. He then compares parallel revolutions in science and spirituality, beginning with the scientific and nonconformist revolution of the 17th century (he himself is sympathetic to the Quakers), then the chemical and romantic revolutions, the relativity-quantum and mysticism revolutions (here he points out the mystical tendencies of many great 20th-century physicists), coming finally to the age of interaction with post-modernism, the dark revolution and the spirituality revolution. I myself might have chosen systems, chaos and complexity theory rather than the dark revolution, as I think these fields have had a greater and more radical impact on our way of thinking.

The discussion in subsequent chapters is well-informed and balanced, and it is useful to hold the tension between the complementary opposites without trying to reduce one to the other or minimise the importance of each. If one takes the left-hand column or first item in the list above, these broadly characterise science, while the right-hand column reflects spirituality and mysticism, as also articulated by Iain McGilchrist, whose work is incorporated into the argument. This is not to say that there is no middle ground as the distinctions between categories may be blurred in the middle, such as Olly's discussion of purpose in biology. Another illustration he might have mentioned is the experimenter effect in parapsychology, which questions the status and reality of objectivity in the scientific method. In the chapter on the empirical and transcendental, Olly discusses transpersonal psychology, shamanism, near death experiences and the nature of consciousness – here I would have extended the treatment of empiricism to include 'inner empiricism' as much of the theorising in these areas is evidence-based.

The history of the relationship between mechanism and purpose is an interesting one, as Olly notes. A key figure is Francis Bacon, whose work on the scientific method and mysticism seems to run in parallel without being reconciled, and Bacon's influence has principally been in the scientific field; the same applies to Newton, who devoted a great deal of time to esoteric pursuits. In this respect, the mysticism of modern physicists is more widely accepted, even though many mainstream scientists are very cautious or even hostile. Goethe is another figure quoted, but here his work appears more integrated as he uses contemplation and analysis both in his poetry and essays as well as his scientific work. The chapter on explanation and contemplation explores different ways of knowing as well as practices. Throughout the book, Olly provides a series of exercises and practices for the reader, including on kindness, self-criticism, letting go, relating to trees, silence and writing haikus.

The final chapter presents his overall model, which he calls Multiple Overlapping Dialectics or MODI for short. He presents this in a mandala diagram (p. 218) with an interface space in the centre - science and the head are on the left, and spirituality and the heart on the right, with lines linking the complementary aspects. I found this model very useful, reflecting as it does the Chinese Taijitu of yin and yang. In his view - and I agree - the overall picture points beyond physicalism whereby 'spirituality is a mode of enquiry that captures those mental, intentional and interior aspects of primary reality that science does not.' (p. 227) In the epilogue, he suggests that the emphasis of science is on knowing interconnectedness, while practising spirituality enables us not only to feel interconnectedness, but more importantly 'to live it as an ethos and ethic' with a sense of being embedded in a greater whole. The book is a significant and accessible contribution towards harmonising science and spirituality, head and heart and as such points towards wholeness and integration as a further necessary step in our evolution. I hope it will be widely read.