David Eagleman, writer and scientist, thinks aloud

The Rice Thresher
February 18, 2011

TEXAS - Interview with scientist, writer Dr. David Eagleman, a novelist, neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine on his theory of, "the connection of art and science as well as his book SUM and the movement, "possibilianism," that sparked from it." In the book, Eagelman argues, "Possibilianism is the movement that I started to encompass this line of thought that we don't have to subscribe to a religious position or this strict atheist existentialist position - those are just two positions in a much wider landscape. It was really surprising to me that everybody was spending all of their time arguing back and forth between these two positions, energizing and polarizing each other. I thought there should be a much wider discussion than that. So possibilianism emphasizes an active exploration of new ideas, instead of just buying into what's been handed over. It also encompasses the scientific temperament of creativity, and of tolerance for multiple hypotheses - thinking of new narrative stories and having a wide enough table to allow for multiple stories." [link]

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