I have re-discovered the writing (and now videos) of Fritjof Capra. I have a quote that you may find tantalizing:
… the mechanistic view of the world has begun to give way … to a wholistic view … Instead of seeing the universe as a machine composed of elementary building blocks… the material world is ultimately a network of inseparable patters of relationships…. The view of the human body and the mind as a separate entity is being replaced by one that sees not only the brain but also the immune system and bodily tissues and every single cell as a living cognitive system…
(Fritjof Capra, Linus Pauling Memorial Lectures, Jan 18, 2007, The Web of Life: A New Understanding of Living Systems, available online at: ✂️ Capra-Introduction to Lecture – YouTube)
An introduction to Capra’s revolutionary ideas emerge in an 11-minute conversation at: Fritjof Capra: The Web of Life (excerpt) — A Thinking Allowed DVD w/ Jeffrey Mishlove – YouTube
Capra’s view of life being patterns is deeply integral to the thinking of Dr. Feldenkrais. There are a group of writers that have similar view, and they present the Santiago Theory of Cognition. I had the great fortune to attend several days of lectures in this approach during my training. From it I learned a different way of generating questions.
Enjoy the videos!
In the video excerpt, Capra contrasts this new synthesis with the ideas of the Vitalists who assume a vital force inherent in all life. Capra calls his approach a “Systems” approach yet he takes pains to differentiate this approach to earlier ‘systems’ approaches.
