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 https://www.tomcheetham.com/

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.

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