Imagination Is Closer To Truth Than You Think | Tom Cheetham

Natalia Vorontsova talks to Dr Tom Cheetham about active imagination, consciousness and life-changing experiences in the context of the philosophy and theology of Henry Corbin, Ibn Arabi and Surhawardi. Tom offers a unique perspective on post-materialist science, having come full circle from scientific materialism through Jungian psychology and Sufi mysticism to the realization that science is not an obstacle to accessing the transcendent. It’s a thought-provoking conversation about the nature of reality and what it means to be human. You can find out more about Tom’s work at 00:00 Intro: Accessing reality through imagination. 03:58 Corbin saved my soul! From scientific materialism to philosophy of Henry Corbin. 12:23 Can we do natural sciences outside of materialist reductive paradigm? 18:10 Transformative experiences. Crazy stuff? Angels, paranormal, UFOs. 31:19 Are emotions just chemistry, and love not important? What’s imagination for? 35:39 Literalism and fundamentalism. Literalizing - a mode of imagining. It’s just love? 54:39 Access to the sacred: imaginal vs. imaginary. Mundus Imaginalis - the imaginal realm. 01:06:30 It’s all imagination down and up! Corbin’s Neoplatonic cosmology in the 21st century. 01:17:43 Where’s our consciousness? Relationship: brain - mind/soul/consciousness. 01:20:57 What if our world queerer than we can suppose? Consciousness & language. 01:25:37 Sacred plant medicine experiences. Matter-mind, substance-meaning. 01:28:18 Success in sciences: mixed blessing? Learnings from indigenous cultures. 01:37:27 Science tells the truth? Our connection with arts, music, literature. 01:42:56 Corbin’s theology: human-angel relationship. Can we retrieve the imagination? 01:48:10 Should we keep or abolish Corbin’s cosmology? 01:56:15 Nature of reality: metaphysics of Corbin, Ibn Arabi and Suhrawardi. 02:01:33 Does materialism destroy the world? On the richness of being: living is glory! 02:16:40 I didn’t choose Corbin, he chose me! Recommended literature. Copyright © 2024 by Essentia Foundation. All rights reserved.