The sciences are pointing toward a new sense of a living world. The cosmos is like a developing organism, and so is our planet, Gaia. The laws of Nature may be more like habits. Partly as a result of the ‘hard problem’ of finding space for human consciousness in the materialist worldview, there is a renewed interest in panpsychist philosophies, according to which some form of mind, experience or consciousness is associated with all self-organizing systems, including atoms, molecules and plants. Maybe the sun is conscious, and so are other stars, and entire galaxies. If so, what about the mind of the universe as a whole? Rupert Sheldrake will explore some of the implications of this idea.

What is the nature of physical reality—and of consciousness?Science has mapped the outer world in detail, yet consciousness remains a mystery. Materialism treats mind as a byproduct of matter, while Eastern traditions for millennia have held that consciousness is fundamental.In this talk I propose a unifying hypothesis: the energy underlying space, time and matter already carries the seeds of consciousness. The universe therefore evolves as a co-evolution of mind and matter, driven by consciousness’s desire to know itself—with living complexity serving as its mirror.This framework aims to bridge science and spirituality and lay groundwork for a future mathematical theory of consciousness.