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In this episode, I am joined by chief mycelium enthusiast and advocate, Merlin Sheldrake. We recorded in person at the Center for Process Studies’ 50th Anniversary event in Claremont, CA. Come dive beneath the forest floor as we venture into the intricate and mesmerizing realm of fungi. Dr. Merlin Sheldrake, renowned biologist and author of the critically acclaimed book “Entangled Life,” pulls back the curtain on the hidden networks that underpin our ecosystems, nourish our trees, and have the potential to reshape our understanding of the world around us. Not only that, but we unpack the ways his research has inspired a larger process-relational vision.
\nMerlin Sheldrake is a biologist, writer, and speaker with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. He received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a predoctoral research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.\xa0He is a research associate of the Vrije University Amsterdam, works with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), and sits on the advisory board of the Fungi Foundation.
\nMerlin\u2019s research ranges from fungal biology, to the history of Amazonian ethnobotany, to the relationship between sound and form in resonant systems. A keen brewer and fermenter, he is fascinated by the relationships that arise between humans and more-than-human organisms. He is a musician and performs on the piano and accordion.
\nIn the conversation, we discuss…
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\n* Merlin\u2019s intellectual origin story
\nHow did studying the history of science reveal unexamined metaphysical prejudice within the sciences
\nHow \u201cnothing but\u201d scientific explanations and blinds us to a deep account of experience
\nWhy the bifurcation of nature isn\u2019t helpful for science or the humanities
\nThe many invisible lives of plants, fungi, & soil
\nThe moment Merlin found the need for a process style metaphysic
\nPanpsychism!
\nHow growing up a Sheldrake shaped his religious and spiritual outlook
\nWhy Godsplainers are the worst;)
\nDon\u2019t kill the questions!
\nSpiritual experiments in truth
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\nYou may remember when Merlin’s Dad, Rubert Sheldrake, was on the podcast. You can listen to it here: From the Science Delusion to Psychedelic Religion.
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\nTheology Beer Camp 2023!!
\nDon\u2019t miss your chance to hang with 15+ theologians, 15+ God-Pods, and a bunch of theology nerds like yourself.
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