Sr. Ilia Delio continues her conversation with Abre Fournier, PhD—a science-based philosopher of consciousness whose work bridges contemporary cognitive science with Asian contemplative traditions and practices of mind transformation.

Picking up their inquiry into what is meant by “the self,” Ilia and Abre turn to childhood development and the social shaping of identity. Abre draws on figures like Jean Piaget and Donald Winnicott to describe how the “me/not-me” distinction emerges over time through relationship, culture, and the formative environment of family and education. This raises a deeper question: if selfhood is an emergent, relational process, should we even keep the word self? Abre proposes selfing—self as a dynamical activity rather than a fixed thing.

The conversation widens to politics, education, and the pressures facing the humanities today, asking how modern notions of autonomy can fracture our collective life. Finally, Abre introduces the metamind: a planetary intelligence taking shape through recursive coupling across human, cultural, and technological processes. In the age of the internet and AI, what might it mean for collective intelligence to become aware of itself? How can we participate consciously in transformation, not merely information flow?

ABOUT ABRE FOURNIER

“Can we as human beings really understand what it would mean to have a conscious experience without a sense of self?” 

Abre G. Fournier, PhD, is a science-based philosopher of consciousness with a focus on mind transformation, bridging the advancements of contemporary cognitive sciences with teachings and practices from Asian philosophies centered on states of awakened awareness. Her work synthesizes insights from evolutionary biology, dynamical systems, embodied cognition, and advanced intelligence to articulate the rise of a new dimension of planetary mind. Her international work in facilitating consciousness evolution offers vital insights for philosophers and scientists investigating the complexities and transformation of human consciousness, as well as for professionals and practitioners engaged in transformative practices. She has also been active in the arts and higher education, with academic and executive roles at the State University of New York (SUNY). Her work as a practicing artist in films and new-media collaborations with musicians and composers has been shown in art museums and galleries, film festivals, and live concerts in the US and abroad. Originally from France, Abre lives in the New York metropolitan area.

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