PHILADELPHIA
Making Sense of Our Great Evolutionary Shift
A Dialogue between Andrew Cohen & Dr. Ashok Gangadean on the Transforming Power of Evolutionary Enlightenment
October 1, 2011
Dialogue 1:00pm-5:00pm
Followed by a Reception & Book-Signing 5:00pm-7:00pm
On Saturday, October 1st, 2011, spiritual teacher and EnlightenNext magazine founder Andrew Cohen will join Dr. Ashok Gangadean, Professor of Global Philosophy at Haverford College, for an afternoon dialogue exploring Cohen's new book, Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening. The dialogue is part of an ongoing series hosted by Gangadean called the Global Philosophy Forum, which has as its ongoing theme "Making Sense of Our Evolutionary Shift."
Evolutionary Enlightenment, which will be published the week of September 26 by SelectBooks, is an important work in an emerging movement to understand our current moment in human history as part of a deep-time evolutionary process. In the book, Cohen brings this evolutionary perspective to bear on spiritual awakening, which he redefines for our contemporary world—a world characterized by exponential change and an ever-expanding appreciation for the processes of evolution. Based on 25 years of groundbreaking work as a spiritual teacher and editor-in-chief of the award-winning magazine EnlightenNext, Cohen presents an original path, practice, and philosophy focused entirely on aligning yourself with what he calls "the evolutionary impulse."
Cohen's message is simple, yet profound: Life is evolution, and enlightenment is about waking up to this fundamentally creative impulse as your own deepest, most authentic self, so that you can begin to play a more active role in shaping the future.
During the dialogue, Cohen and Gangadean, who are both members of the Evolutionary Leaders Forum, will discuss the key themes of Evolutionary Enlightenment and explore how it can help us navigate the global challenges we face at this moment in human history.
Following the dialogue, there will be a wine-and-cheese reception and book signing in which you'll have a chance to engage with both of the speakers.
Cost:
- Free ($10 suggested donation)
Time:
- Dialogue: 1:00pm–5:00pm
- Reception & Book Signing: 5:00pm–7:00pm
Location:
- Marshall Auditorium, Roberts Hall,
Haverford College
MORE ABOUT THE FORUM
It has become increasingly evident in recent decades, especially upon entering the twenty-first century, that humanity is facing unprecedented crises as we shift into a global age. Simultaneously, as we awaken and mature as a species, there appears to be a heightened awareness that our human family is in the midst of a long-emerging evolutionary shift. There are of course quite diverse understandings of the depth, nature and magnitude of this “shift” and how it addresses the crises that now threaten our sustainability and even our survival on earth. Many initiatives have emerged across the globe to make sense of what is occurring. One of them is the gathering of Evolutionary Leaders who have issued a “Call to Conscious Evolution.” Our two speakers are among the members of this initiative and you may get a more direct sense of these voices from the following site: http://sourceofsynergyfoundation.org/evolutionary-leaders
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher, cultural visionary, and founder of the global nonprofit EnlightenNext and its award-winning publication EnlightenNext magazine. His original teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment redefines spiritual awakening within the context of cosmic evolution and highlights a new understanding of God or Spirit as the creative impulse toward change in both self and culture. After a transformative meeting with the renowned Advaita Vedanta master H.W.L. Poonja in 1986, Cohen began teaching internationally and almost immediately started reshaping the larger cultural conversation about the purpose and significance of enlightenment in our time. He founded EnlightenNext magazine almost twenty years ago as a forum for serious spiritual and philosophical inquiry, and has since become known for his unique capacity to foster culture-changing dialogues among leading thinkers from a wide array of traditions and disciplines.
Ashok Gangadean is Professor of Global Philosophy at Haverford College where he has taught for the past forty-three years. Throughout his career he has focused on clarifying the fundamental common ground across widely diverse worldviews and seeking to expand philosophy and cultural life into a wider global context. He is Founder-Director of the Global Dialogue Institute which has developed effective methods of Deep Dialogue for renovating cultural life. His forthcoming book, Awakening Global Enlightenment, will appear soon. A six-CD audio version of this book was recently released by Sounds True. Ashok is also Co-Convenor of the World Commission on Global Consciousness & Spirituality which brings leading and emerging world leaders together in dialogue to help articulate global wisdom, vision, and values in addressing our most pressing concerns and crises on a global scale. He is also Co-Chair of the World Wisdom Council. His most recent book, Meditations of Global First Philosophy: Quest for the Missing Grammar of Logos, appeared recently from SUNY Press and introduces new dimensions of Global Reason and Enlightenment.
