About The Galileo Commission
The Galileo Commission is a project of the Scientific and Medical Network, led by David Lorimer, who chairs the Steering Committee.
David Lorimer MA, PGCE, FRSA
David Lorimer, MA, PGCE, FRSA is a writer, lecturer and editor who is a Founder of Character Education Scotland, Programme Director of the Scientific
Harald Walach PhD
Professor Harald Walach is a researcher at the interface between medicine, psychology and consciousness studies. Currently he is affiliated as a professor with
Scientific and Medical Network
The Scientific and Medical Network is a worldwide professional community and membership organisation for open-minded, rigorous and evidence-based enquiry into themes bridging science,
Steering Committee
Athena Despoina Potari, DPhil
Dr Athena Despoina Potari is Fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard University and Lecturer at the University of Toulouse (1
Joan Walton, PhD
My first degree is in Social Theory and Institutions (University of Bangor, North Wales), which allowed me to study a range of
Prof Marjorie Woollacott, PhD
Marjorie Hines Woollacott, PhD, has been a neuroscience professor at the University of Oregon for more than three decades and a meditator
Vasileios Basios, PhD
Dr. Vasileios Basios is a senior researcher at the Physics of Complex Systems Department of the University of Brussels, conducting interdisciplinary research on
Advisers
A.K. Mukhopadhyay, Prof
Since 1985, Prof. A. K. Mukhopadhyay has been engaged in developing a science for consciousness with a Worldview, which accommodates simultaneously Science, Humanity
Alan Rayner, PhD
Dr Alan Rayner is a naturalist who uses art, poetry, fluid mathematics and careful science to enquire and communicate about the evolutionary diversity of our natural human neighbourhood. He was educated at King’s College, Cambridge and has been a Reader in Biology at the University of Bath.
Allan Wallace, PhD
Alan Wallace is a prominent voice in the emerging discussion between contemporary Buddhist thinkers and scientists who question the materialist presumptions of
Andrew Fellows, PhD
Andrew Fellows, PhD, is a classical Jungian Analyst (www.andrewfellows.ch) with private practices in Bern and Zürich, Program Director and Training Analyst at ISAP Zurich, an independent researcher and author, and a deep ecologist.
Andrew Powell, FRCPsych
Dr Andrew Powell was formerly Consultant Psychotherapist and Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry, St George’s Hospital and University of London; and Consultant Psychotherapist and
Anne Baring, PhD
Anne Baring has travelled widely in India and the Far East during the 1950's before training and practising as a Jungian analyst.
Partners
Academy for the Advancement of Post-Materialist Sciences
Our VISION: To inspire scientists to investigate mind and consciousness as core elements of reality.
Our VALUES
- Support rigorous applications of the scientific method
- Nurture curiosity and creativity in research
- Encourage open-minded exploratory and confirmatory investigations
- Model integrity and honesty in communication and education
- Value experimental and empirical data over dogma
- Create safe settings for sharing theories, evidence, and experiences
- Promote evidence-based innovation and positive societal change
- Expand awareness of the interconnectedness of all things
- Share postmaterialist evidence and understanding with the public
Alef Trust
Alef Trustis a not-for-profit community-interest organization offering online transformational Graduate Programmes and Open Learning Courses for academic, professional and personal development.
Alister Hardy Society for the Study of Spiritual Experience
The Society supports the work of the Alister Hardy Trust and Religious Experience Research Centre (RERC), and provides a focal point for people interested in the nature and study of spiritual, religious and psychic experiences.
Animas Valley Institute
Mythologies from around the world tell of spiritual seekers whose arduous journeys into the underworld bestow boons to bring back for the people. But the myths don’t tell us how contemporary people might undertake this journey. Animas Valley Institute, founded by Bill Plotkin, Ph.D., in 1980 in Durango, Colorado, offers a diverse set of experiential journeys into the mysteries of nature and psyche, including Soulcraft(TM) Intensives, contemporary vision fasts, and training programs in soul-initiation guiding and in nature-based human development facilitation.
In addition to these immersions, Bill and his colleagues have also developed many innovative maps, models, and methods for supporting people to grow whole in ways that have become rare in the contemporary world. These tools are described in Bill’s four books: Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche, Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World; Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche, and The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide for Visionaries, Evolutionaries, and Revolutionaries.
Anthroposophic Medicine
Anthroposophic Medicine is an international, integrative medical movement celebrating nearly a century of caring for the whole human being, at the levels of body, soul, and spirit.
British Holistic Medical Association
The BHMA is a grassroots membership organisation of mainstream healthcare professionals, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners and members of the public.
The BHMA is funded by our supporters with no corporate or government sponsorship. We are therefore able to speak out without fear or favour. We are a registered charity with a single charitable objective: to educate doctors, other healthcare professionals and the general public in the principles and practice of holistic medicine.
British Psychological Association – Transpersonal Psychology Section
Transpersonal Psychology addresses the spiritual nature of humankind. Unlike religion and theology, its interest centres on the mind and behaviour; hence it is a branch of Psychology.
All the major spiritual and mystical traditions of the world incorporate teachings about the nature of mind and promote behavioural practices intended – amongst other goals – to bring about psychological transformations. Transpersonal psychology addresses these teachings and practices, researching their value and evaluating their relationships to ideas promulgated in Psychology. In essence Transpersonal Psychology seeks to integrate non-scientific spiritual insights with observations and models associated with the rigorous methodological approach of psychological science.
British Psychological Society – Consciousness and Experiential Psychology Section
Consciousness was the original focus of psychological research and is once more a central topic of inquiry.
The growth of interest and research over recent years has been explosive and to foster this development, a new Section of the British Psychological Society, the Consciousness and Experiential Psychology (CEP) Section was formed in 1997. Its purpose is to advance our understanding of consciousness, to bring scientific research on consciousness closer to other traditions of inquiry into the nature of mind and to explore how this research can be used to improve the quality of life.
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
The Center is a unique institution whose aim is to bring together the perspectives of philosophy, the cognitive sciences, neuroscience, the social sciences, medicine, and the physical sciences, the arts and humanities, to move toward an integrated understanding of human consciousness.
The Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona was formed in 1998 with a seed grant from the Fetzer Institute. The Center is unique in its broad spectrum approach. Other groups tend focus either on cognitive neuroscience, philosophy or purely phenomenal experiential approaches, whereas the Center not only integrates these areas, but “thinks outside the box” of conventional wisdom which has thus far, at least, failed to make significant breakthroughs. The Center has also inspired other groups such as the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness and those who organise other conferences.
Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS), University of Virginia
Founded in 1967 by Dr. Ian Stevenson, the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) is a highly productive university-based research group devoted to the investigation of phenomena that challenge mainstream scientific paradigms regarding the nature of the mind/brain relationship. Researchers at DOPS are particularly interested in studying phenomena related to consciousness functioning beyond the confines of the physical body, and phenomena that suggest continuation of consciousness after physical death.
DOPS researchers objectively document and rigorously analyze empirical data collected regarding human experiences which suggest that mind and brain may be distinct and separable, and that consciousness may persist in detectable ways beyond bodily death.
It is our hope that other scientists will join us in addressing the serious study of the nature of consciousness and its interaction with the physical world.
Essentia Foundation
Do we really live in a fundamentally physical universe? Are we essentially material beings? Essentia Foundation is a new force in the cultural dialogue about the nature of reality. Find out more about us here.
The first EUROTAS meetings had been interesting discussions which led to engaged actions in a family-like atmosphere. Today EUROTAS has members from about 25 countries and it organizes annual conferences of considerable scientific and spiritual quality.
What makes the European Transpersonal Association special today is its combination of scientific and spiritual fields with opportunities for win-win cooperation, exchange and friendship.
EUROTAS Vision statement – A conscious and compassionate world where everyone holds everything as sacred.
EUROTAS Mission statement – To integrate ancient wisdom and new science in contemporary life.
EUROTAS Values – Compassion, cooperation, creativity, co-creation, sharing, interconnectedness, responsibility, confidence, trust, openness, honesty, integrity, humor, mindfulness, diversity, acceptance, tolerance, willingness surrender, sacredness, solidarity, forgiveness, respect, care, humility.
EUROTAS
The European Transpersonal Association (EUROTAS) developed from a group of practitioners of health and healing and researchers in sciences and spirituality. It has been founded in 1984 during the first European Transpersonal Conference in Brussels, organized by the Belgian team.
The first EUROTAS meetings had been interesting discussions which led to engaged actions in a family-like atmosphere. Today EUROTAS has members from about 25 countries and it organizes annual conferences of considerable scientific and spiritual quality.
What makes the European Transpersonal Association special today is its combination of scientific and spiritual fields with opportunities for win-win cooperation, exchange and friendship.
EUROTAS Vision statement – A conscious and compassionate world where everyone holds everything as sacred.
EUROTAS Mission statement – To integrate ancient wisdom and new science in contemporary life.
EUROTAS Values – Compassion, cooperation, creativity, co-creation, sharing, interconnectedness, responsibility, confidence, trust, openness, honesty, integrity, humor, mindfulness, diversity, acceptance, tolerance, willingness surrender, sacredness, solidarity, forgiveness, respect, care, humility.
Existential Consciousness Research Institute
The Institute for Existential Consciousness Research unites and connects scientists, researchers, thinkers, authors and pioneers from different disciplines. Questions around the research and development of consciousness are not only theoretical but focus concretely on the human being and being human in a constantly changing world. We are convinced that the social and ecological challenges of our time require new perspectives and solutions, which begin with a new way of creating consciousness for oneself and the world.
Institute for Global Transformation
The Institute for Global Transformation™ is a new type of organization engaged in building new forms for how, together, we can create a better world. We view all others in alignment with our vision and mission as allies helping to bring Light into an awaiting humanity. Ultimately, we want to help individuals reach their highest potential, find their life purpose, and create a life of joy, abundance, health, and inner peace. In doing this, we are also helping to create a better world for everyone.
Our Vision
Our vision is a world working together to utilize the power, love and wisdom of higher consciousness to benefit humanity and the planet.
Our Mission
Our mission is to support transformations in consciousness and in the way humanity interacts with one another so as to bring about positive change in the world, individually and collectively.
Institute of Noetic Sciences
The Institute of Noetic Sciences is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individual and collective transformation through consciousness research, transformative learning, and engaging a global community in the realization of our human potential.
International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS)
The International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) was founded in 1980 and is the oldest organisation dedicated to the Near Death and related experiences.
Our primary mission is one of support, education and research. We have 88 support groups around the US and some associations with European groups. We give an annual NDE conference and some smaller educational offerings every year. We distribute research through our professional journal and have published our first research book this year, The Self Does Not Die.
International Consciousness Research Laboratories
- better understand the nature of consciousness;
- investigate how consciousness relates to ourselves and the world we experience; and
- explore how those understandings can guide us toward a healthier future at both the individual and societal levels.
While ICRL was initially focused on preserving and sharing the results from decades of scientific research performed by the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory, science is only one piece of a much greater puzzle. As a small
(501(c)(3) organization, ICRL cannot address every dimension of that puzzle, but some of our current areas of interest include:
- Science, and especially the expansion of the current scientific paradigm in order to establish a Science of the Subjective, in which the scientific method can be effectively applied to the fundamentally subjective universe experienced by human beings;
- Art as the oldest and most proven language of subjective experience, and a necessary complement to mathematics in any effective description of subjective experience;
- Education, with a strong emphasis on making the concepts and implications of a subjective universe (described by a subjective science) accessible to people at as early an age as possible; and
- Health as it applies from the individual to the entire planet, and the critical role that consciousness plays in the processes of recovering from trauma, whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.
International Network for the Study of Spirituality
The International Network for the Study of Spirituality (INSS) is a unique international network for people interested in bringing the study of spirituality to life through research, scholarship, education and practice. Formerly the British Association for the Study of Spirituality (BASS), INSS was founded in 2010 to facilitate the critical exploration of spirituality within the theory and practice of a wide range of academic and applied disciplines.
It seeks to offer a space, both physical and conceptual, where multi-disciplinary research and conversations in the field of spirituality studies may be drawn together to contribute both to a better understanding of spirituality in professional and everyday practices, and the development of new theoretical frameworks. INSS hosts a biennial conference and publishes the Journal for the Study of Spirituality in association with Taylor and Francis.
Schumacher College
Schumacher College attracts students from over 90 different countries, of all ages and backgrounds, drawn by its reputation for cutting-edge learning relating to ecology and sustainability.
We focus on interactive and experiential education to develop the practical skills and strategic thinking required to tackle many of challenges we face in the 21st Century. Students work in small groups which embrace the learning principles of head, hand, heart. This takes place in the classroom, the gardens, the kitchen – it is part of everything we do. Here you will discover things about yourself, develop a deep participatory relationship with nature, make new friendships with people from around the world and start a lifelong connection with the College.
Science and Nonduality
Science And Nonduality (SAND) is a community inspired by timeless wisdom, informed by cutting-edge science, and grounded in direct experience. We come together to explore the big questions of life while celebrating the mystery of being. SAND is a place for an open-hearted, authentic connection with people who are drawn together to explore what it means to be a human being, standing at the intersection of spiritual inquiry, science, social healing, and the arts.
Science and Religion Forum
The Science and Religion Forum (SRF) had its inception in a series of discussions involving scientists, theologians and clergy which took place in Oxford in the early 1970s.
The key figure in the early discussions was Arthur Peacocke who was to become the Forum’s first Chairman, and later a Vice President and then President. Today, SRF exists to promote discussion between scientific understanding and religious thought on issues at the interface of science and religion, and membership is open to people of any religion or none.
The Centre for Myth, Cosmology and the Sacred
This unique and ground-breaking project in transformative learning combines creative expression, personal reflection and critical edge in the study of esoteric wisdom and contemporary exploration of the sacred. Our academic programme is formally ending in 2021, and our new web platform provides an archive of our work and publications, whilst also moving forward with new courses, lectures, podcasts, community building and much more.
The Foundation for Mind-Being Research (FMBR)
The Foundation for Mind-Being Research (FMBR) was established in 1980 to assist in the creation of integrated models of human consciousness, models that encompass the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the human experience. The objective was to bring the then-new field of consciousness studies into wider recognition as a bona fide field of science, and to explore whether consciousness arises out of physical matter (i.e., the brain) or whether it is a state of matter unto itself.
The Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research
New Paradigm Research is a transdisciplinary inquiry into humanly and socially relevant ideas and conceptions emerging above all in the sciences, but also in social media and other areas of contemporary culture.
The purpose of the research is to articulate a coherent, meaningful view of the human being and his or her world, based on cutting-edge scientific research. The importance of this endeavor lies in providing an accurate and comprehensible picture of where we are today, and where we could be heading tomorrow.
New-paradigm research is to open fresh theoretical and practical perspectives for constructive and humanly and ecologically sound paths beyond the crises that threaten existence in the biosphere of the planet.
The Parapsychological Association
The Parapsychological Association (PA) is the international professional body for the scientific and scholarly study of ‘psi’ (or ‘psychic’) experiences, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, remote viewing, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition.
Founded on June 19th, 1957 at the suggestion of Dr. J. B. Rhine, Director of the Duke Laboratory, its aim was to promote better communication between scientists working in the field, advance parapsychology as a science, disseminate knowledge of the field, and integrate the findings of parapsychology with those of other branches of science. Thus the PA holds an annual scientific convention, maintains a website that provides balanced information about research, produces a member magazine (Mindfield) and is associated with the Journal of Parapsychology to encourage new scholarly work. The PA membership includes most of the active parapsychologists in the world, but currently has just 123 professional members and 79 associates, reflecting the modest size of the community. Nevertheless, the PA has been recognised as a rigorous scientific body, being an affiliated organisation of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) since 1969.
The Pari Center
The Pari Center was conceived as a haven of peace and gentle action in a world increasingly gripped by turmoil. In adopting Carlo Levi’s maxim that ‘the future has an ancient heart’ we look to the future while bearing in mind the wisdom of the past.
The Pari Center also provides an opportunity for artists, scientists, thinkers, writers, and all those who have concerns about the world in which we live, to spend time in reflection, work on a project, or meet and talk with others at the human and personal level rather than in terms of abstractions.
The Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at California Institute of Integral Studies
The Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at California Institute of Integral Studies is dedicated to re-imagining the human species as a mutually enhancing member of the Earth community. Our program attracts intellectually engaged individuals who are in varying degrees dismayed by what they see happening in modern societies and who are striving to find meaningful ways to develop their gifts to serve the future of the world. The program supports those called to meet the earth community’s unprecedented evolutionary challenge by offering a rigorous and supportive learning community in which students find their voice and vision as leaders.
The Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research was set up in London in 1882, the first scientific organisation ever to examine claims of psychic and paranormal phenomena.
We hold no corporate view about their existence or meaning; rather, our purpose is to gather information and foster understanding through research and education. Our members represent a variety of academic and professional interests all over the world.
The Society for Scientific Exploration
Since 1982, the Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE) has provided a critical forum for sharing original research into conventional and unconventional topics.
Subjects often cross mainstream boundaries, yet may have profound implications for human knowledge and technology. We publish a peer-reviewed journal and the popular EdgeScience magazine, host conferences, and connect scholars.
The Study Society
The Society promotes moral and spiritual welfare by encouraging individuals to pursue a journey towards Self-realisation — realisation of their full potential — through experience of the true nature of Consciousness and its deep level of stillness, truth and love.
The Society works to preserve, understand and develop the philosophy it inherits from Mr P.D. Ouspensky, Dr F.C. Roles and His Holiness Shantanand Saraswati. These ideas present a unified view of the universe and stress the non-duality between the inner self and the outer world. The Study Society seeks to benefit from the study of other paths which may expand our understanding.
Universite Interdisciplinaire de Paris
L’Université Interdisciplinaire de Paris (UIP) a pour objectif de diffuser et confronter les savoirs, à partir de l’étude des paradigmes scientifiques contemporains – principalement dans les domaines de l’astrophysique, de la physique quantique, des théories de l’Evolution, des neurosciences et de philosophies de l’esprit.
L’UIP entend aussi contribuer à renouer le dialogue rompu par une certaine modernité entre l’ordre des faits et l’ordre des valeurs afin de mieux comprendre l’articulation entre les implications de la recherche scientifique et la quête de sens. Pour ce faire, elle propose à des scientifiques, des philosophes, des religieux et des acteurs du monde économique de confronter leurs domaines de connaissance.
Worldwide Indigenous Science Network (WISN)
The Worldwide Indigenous Science Network (WISN) was founded in 1989 as a result of meetings between indigenous women, elders and Western scientists. Today our membership includes tribal elders, scientists, conservationists, scholars and women’s organizations from cultures around the world. All share a common vision of rediscovering and applying ancient wisdom for today’s time. We coordinate a global network of indigenous Elders and are advocates for at risk indigenous practitioners and traditional knowledge.We conduct research, host international conferences and cultural exchanges and with academic partners offer advanced degree programs in Indigenous Mind.
Links
Manifesto for a Post-Materialist Science
Signatories of the manifest for post-materialist science believe that the sciences are being constricted by dogmatism, and in particular by a subservience to the philosophy of materialism, the doctrine that matter is the only reality and that the mind is nothing but the physical activity of the brain. They also believe that the sciences would be more scientific if they were free to investigate the natural world in a truly open way – without the constraints of materialism and the prejudice of dogma – while adhering to the scientific methods of data collecting, hypothesis testing and critical discussion. If you wish to show you support, you are invited to become a signatory and have your name added to the growing list.
Skeptical About Skeptics
Skeptical About Skeptics is dedicated to countering dogmatic, ill-informed attacks leveled by dogmatic skeptics on pioneering scientists and their research. Healthy skepticism is an important part of science, as in all walks of life, but some skeptics use it as a weapon to defend their dearly held ideology. Naturally, this inhibits free inquiry as certain ideas and lines of research are denigrated and the careers of scientists who pursue them anyway are threatened. They believe in a purely material world, a clock-work universe filled with machine-like creatures. They believe living minds are nothing more than brain chemistry, that consciousness is an illusion and automatically dismiss any evidence to the contrary.
Members of militant skeptical organizations often think of themselves as defending science and reason against superstition. These are worthy aims, but we at Skeptical About Skeptics think that science and reason are best served by considering the evidence for unexplained phenomena scientifically, rather than assuming a priori that they do not exist. We value science and skepticism, but not scientific fundamentalism. Our purpose is to shine a light on these self-appointed gatekeepers and counter their dogmatic arguments whenever they arise.