What do we really learn from neuroscience? How can scientific assumptions shape the world we perceive? Why might notions such as soul and mind matter all the more in times of mechanistic, computational thinking?

Mark Vernon talks with philosopher and neuroscientist Mazviita Chirimuuta.  

 Mazviita is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and author of the prize-winning book, The Brain Abstracted. She is also an advisor to the Realisation Festival

Details of her books can be found at MIT Press - https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/m-chirimuuta-17741/ 

Many of today’s troubles could be described as ones of connection. But is that about a lack of connection, a flood of connection, or perhaps the quality of connections?

Mark Vernon talks with Kenneth Cross about relationally and, in particular, the inspiration that might be drawn from fungi. Mycelium exist in a substerranean world, blurring the distinctions between organisms, sharing in ways that are strange even disturbing. So what light does that cast on human sympathies and selfhood? 

The conversation ranges over the ideas of Iain McGilchrist and Merlin Sheldrake, over the challenges of meeting in groups and our basic views of reality.

Kenneth is a vicar and a writer.

What is it like to work in the world of renewables? Why is transitioning to new fuels so complicated and what practical difference can soulful concerns make? 

Mark Vernon talks with Jonny Williams about multipolar traps and the seductive appeal of targets. They discuss the challenges of mostly male workplaces, as well as the imaginative factors that can help and hinder moving beyond a carbon-based culture and economy - which is where beekeeping comes in.

Jonny Williams is the founder of NexGen and ViGo Bioenergy.

The body as the practice of the imaginal. A conversation with Dominique Savitri Bonarjee.

What does it look and feel like to explore life through the body? How can ancient traditions of movement help us meet today’s challenges? 

Mark Vernon talks with artist Dominique Savitri Bonarjee about her exploration of practices including the Turning of Rumi and the Japanese philosophy of Butoh. They ranges over themes including the principle of nonduality and Noh-theatre inspired by Buddhism, embodied research and impermanence.

For more on Dominique’s work:
www.dominiquebb.com
butoh.co.uk
https://www.colethouse.org/whirling-dervishes

What does it mean to have a shared story? How can collaboration be fostered in competitive times? 

Mark Vernon talks with Juliette Otterburn Hall about the power of connecting to purposes and how uniqueness is actually the key to cooperation. They ask about following the energy of the imagination as opposed to fear, and how building resilience is aided by knowing your roots.

Juliette is a managing partner at Value Squared and a former TV producer. For more see - https://www.valuesquared.io/

Much is changing in the world, evidenced by movements flourishing as well as environments degrading. So how can we live into these times? What qualities and imaginative tools might help?

Mark Vernon talks with Jacob Kishere about dialogue and healing, psychedelics and Christianity. They ask about the nature of soul-fields with which we can tune, as well as whether the burgeoning world of podcasts is a sign of hope as the media landscape evolves. 

Jacob is a professional dialogue facilitator, a musician and philosopher, and creator of Culturepilgrim, Sensespace and The Resonant Man. For more see - https://www.jacobkishere.com/.

The Realisation Festival is five years old, so how is it shaping up? What ways best describe the gathering? And also, what of its distinctive coupling of music and improvisation with ideas and the challenges of today?

Two directors of the festival, Pippa Evans and Mark Vernon, share their sense of St Giles House, the place that hosts the weekend, as well as the genius brought by the Realisation Players, the improvisers of which Pippa is one.

They talk about improvisation itself and how it powerfully fits with the spirit of the gathering, being an emergent activity that doesn’t try to fix things but does invite participants to bring what they have. And they discuss that short word which is central to the festival: soul.

For more on Pippa’s work see http://www.pippaevans.com/

What would happen if the doors of perception were cleansed, to recall William Blake's phrase? Can science-fiction help us re-imagine the world in which we live? Might strange experiences play a part in enlightening us?

Mark Vernon talks with Carrie Myshkin about ghost stories, sci-fi and alternative ways of doing philosophy. They range from the work of Philip K Dick to Neoplatonism.

Carrie has a BA in Creative Writing and Philosophy, and an MA in English Literature, focusing on space and time in the novels and Exegesis of self-styled “fictionalising philosopher” Philip K. Dick.