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Radical Knowing: Understanding Consciousness through Relationship (Radical Consciousness Trilogy)

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RELATIONSHIPS
* "Radical Knowing" is about what it means to be in relationship--with people, planet, and cosmos; why relationships go wrong, and how we can heal them by cultivating different ways of knowing.

* Ever wondered why relationships often seem dominated by one side? Ever felt your voice, your very soul, has been suppressed by someone you love?

* It can happen to the best of us--and often no one is to blame.

* The problem is invisible. But we can identify it if we know where to look:

CONSCIOUSNESS & BELIEF
* Your mind. It all comes down to how you think and feel-and believe.

* Belief. Very often, the root of the problem in relationships is our beliefs. It's not just what we believe that's the problem--but the very fact that we believe our beliefs!

* "Radical Knowing" shows us how and why our beliefs get us into trouble, and what to do about them.

* The solution? Cultivate experience beyond belief.

WAYS OF KNOWING
* "Radical Knowing" reveals a simple method for exploring our own consciousness and for cultivating "experience beyond belief."

* The book describes the "Four Gifts of Knowing" that everyone is blessed with:

* The Scientist's Gift of senses. The Philosopher's Gift of reason. The Shaman's Gift of feeling. The Mystic's Gift of sacred silence.

A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
* If you have ever felt "stuck" in your personal growth, or in a troublesome relationship, or wished you could tap into a deeper, wider wisdom . . . "Radical Knowing" shows why people get stuck and how we can move on.

* If you are part of the growing movement of people fascinated about consciousness--its nature and evolutionary potentials . . ."Radical Knowing" is likely to surprise you: We are not who we think we are.

* If you are among the millions of people who want to develop mind, soul, or spirit . . . "Radical Knowing" offers new tools and insights for cultivating consciousness.

* If you feel the world needs a radical new philosophy of life to get us out of the current global mess . . . "Radical Knowing" presents a revolutionary blueprint for enhancing relationships--among families, communities, and nations.

* If you have ever felt that to be fully human we need to recognize our fellowship with the rest of nature . . . "Radical Knowing" provides a rigorous foundation for exploring interspecies consciousness.

* If you have ever sensed "We are the world," this book confirms that insight.

In the book Radical Knowing, Dr. de Quincey explores the issue of consciousness and how this relates to various epistemologies. Special attention is given to the need to honor various ways of knowing, especially the "feeling of knowing" that is central to indigenous cultures.

What makes this book outstanding, is Dr. de Quincey's ability to eloquently express his ideas in a way that is insightful and rigorous without sacrificing a sense of honoring the subjective and sacred dimension of reality. His words, not only appeal to the intellect, but they also appeal to the heart and one's own innate wisdom.

Among other topics, this book is a deep exploration of panpsychism as a worldview. It stresses the importance of embodied knowledge and the author's sense of passion and dedication to his life long quest to understanding consciousness comes through on every page. This made the book particularly appealing and thought provoking. Dr. de Quincey is certainly someone who has looked at these questions deeply and challenges the reader to do the same without pushing any particular worldview. In short, it is written very much in the spirit of Bohmian dialogue, rather than the more standard academic and often confrontational style common to many modern philosophers.

This is a real gem and will stimulate your thinking about consciousness whether you are a materialist, idealist or panpsychist. In short, this is philosophy writing at its best.
Radical Nature is also excellent, but a bit more challenging reading.

This book bridges disciplines as it explores profound issues concerning the nature of consciousness and experience. It is a blend of philosophy, metaphysics, anthropology, psychology, and physics. The author expands on some of Ken Wilbur's ideas and explores how consciousness operates through relationships, with relationships being an essential aspect of consciousness. The author describes different ways of "knowing" as well as the role of different states of consciousness in this process. Many interesting ideas and concepts are discussed and the author seems to have a solid recognition that consciousness is the essence of all reality - while explaining how relationships are essential to the ongoing transformation of consciousness. There is ultimately nothing new about what the author describes, yet he puts indigenous wisdom in a modern context where we can relate metaphysical ideas and experiences in a format that can bring these forms of awareness into our conscious, rational awareness. This is difficult to summarize in a review - just read the book and consider how it expands your idea of self and raises awareness of the integrated, essential Whole from which all foci of consciousness arise.

As an amateur philosopher, I particularly enjoyed reading Radical Knowing: Understanding Consciousness through Relationship, the second book of a trilogy by Christian de Quincey, PhD. The complexity of subject is nicely balanced by the easy personality of the author. His intellectualism is unabashedly augmented by his intuition, making the book well rounded and accessible to a growing audience.

In addition to providing a note-worthy exploration of 1st person subjectivity, and 3rd person objectivity, Dr. de Quincey outlines and comprehensively explains 2nd person inter-subjectivity in a scholarly fashion, and then breaks through the traditional boundaries of normal philosophy, offering a personal narrative that touches his readers on a feeling level. De Quincey is without doubt one of the fortunate souls who has his heart where his head is.

Christian de Quincey is committed to clear, critical thinking, yet he says, "We cannot enter transrational consciousness via the path of reason." He understands that the Consciousness that gives rise to our subjective experiences is not just in our thoughts, but between our thoughts as well...in the silence of no-knowledge.

I am eager to purchase de Quincey's previous book, Radical Nature, and savor it before he releases the third book in his trilogy, Radical Science. De Quincey tells us that "science doesn't have to confine its quest to the physical universe, nor to sensory knowledge." In his next book I expect he will demonstrate the validity of 2nd person inter-subjectivity as a means of accessing information directly, through shared presence, or resonance, as has always been the effortlessly natural means of animals, indigenous peoples, shamans, and mystics.

Dr. de Quincey is part of a revolution. The focus on objective, left-brained, analysis of physicalities in isolation is, with increasing momentum, losing ground as the pendulum swing of collective consciousness is shifting our focus towards the subjective, right-brained, synthesis of metaphysical networks. The oncoming multiplex of changes will indeed be RADICAL! I encourage those interested in being at the crest of this wave to stay abreast of Christian de Quincey's impressive body of work, beginning with his trilogy of "Radical" books.

If you have ever wondered about the nature of consciousness or how different ways of knowing lead to different realities, the new book from philosopher Christian de Quincey will reveal some surprises. Most of all, Radical Knowing: Understanding Consciousness through Relationship presents a novel approach to philosophy by focusing on the power of story. If I were to sum up this book in a single phrase, I'd say: "It offers a new philosophy for life," or "It shows us why and how we are our relationships."

Anyone concerned about the current state of the world and what humans are capable of doing to each other and to the rest of nature will find value in reading de Quincey's new book, the second in his "radical consciousness trilogy." (The first, Radical Nature: Rediscovering the Soul of Matter, makes the case that consciousness "goes all the way down," like the turtles in the story about what holds up the world. His final epic will posit a Radical Science to tackle the final frontier of consciousness itself.) Radical Knowing asks us to appreciate the interconnectedness of everything--fully realizing that the entire universe is an intricate web of consciousness and energy. If we can grasp that concept--and de Quincey masterfully gives us the information we need to do so--it should ultimately help us avoid desecrating our world further, burning it down, blowing it up, or polluting and poisoning it to the point of ecological collapse.

Dr. de Quincey has been one of the pioneers in the decades-long push to develop a true "science of consciousness." He makes a compelling case for the inability of materialist science, which focuses exclusively on measuring "things," to explain consciousness, which is not material, or a "thing," and is not measurable. In order to truly understand (to "feel") consciousness, we need to start from a different premise than the one used in contemporary science, following Descartes' splitting of mind from body. We need, instead, to "feel our thinking," as de Quincey puts it. And he ably offers the rational, philosophical, and--dare we say "scientific"--underpinnings for this "new" approach. Would that all professors of philosophy were as articulate, readable, and full of interesting stories as de Quincey. In fact, he encourages science and philosophy to make a place for the storyteller.

Radical Knowing proposes that the only way humans can apprehend anything is "in relationship." We can know ourselves or the world only when reflected in the consciousness of other sentient beings. Although most people in Western cultures have been conditioned to cultivate language and "intellectual intelligence," de Quincey reminds us that words are not the things they stand for--all the while eloquently using these symbolic devices to illuminate his ideas. We must regain our capacity for knowing-through-direct-experience.

One of the more inspiring messages from this book is what de Quincey calls "the Four Gifts of Knowing." He takes us on a journey to explore the Scientist's Gift of the senses, which reveal the forms of physical reality; and then to the Philosopher's Gift of reason, which we use to analyze data gained through our senses. But these ways of knowing are not enough if we wish to explore the domain of consciousness. Next, he introduces us to the Shaman's Gift of feeling and altered states, which works by engaging and participating with the world around us. Finally, he takes us into the paradoxical realms of the Mystic's Gift of sacred silence, where we transcend and integrate all the other ways of knowing through direct experience.

In both Radical Knowing and Radical Nature, Christian de Quincey offers a thorough grounding in what might be called "Philosophy of Mind 101" or "Consciousness for Zombies," in-depth explanations of the need to develop a new science of consciousness and more than enough reasons why we should care.

As a psychotherapist working primarily with couples I am always searching for contemporary ideas on the nature of relationship. Little did I imagine that I would discover such a gem in the field of transpersonal theory. Dr. de Quincey has taken a bold step away from the transpersonal trap of describing human evolution of consciousness strictly from the "mind" perspective. The idea that higher realms of consciousness are achieved only through private, autonomous practices has long disturbed me. After all who can say that ten years of meditation creates deeper wisdom and more bliss than feeding a hungry child or being fully present when a loved one is sick? In this book Dr. de Quincey begins to move transpersonal philosophy in a long needed direction. My eyes moistened when I read his words - "...the ultimate ideal of intersubjective knowledge is relationship - and dare I say it, love." The "L" word is used far too infrequently in the transpersonal movement and I think this book begins to bring it back into its rightful place. This is a very readable and accessible book with a quality of humanness in it that is often lacking in this genre.

I'm a 57 year old Ph.D. mineral economist that finds, develops and operates mines and railroads. So this book should be, and kind of is, alien to me and most people I meet. The topics in this book are 3 times more exciting than the career I've loved since my first rock collection as a 5th grader. When I'm not working, my primary interest is consciousness. Christian's deft presentation is addictive. It's a text, it's a reference, it's an exploration, it's what I hope is the future. I can't quite seem to finish it without reading something related and then coming back. It seems to be part of a rapidly growing "movement" of very different people all searching. "Radical Knowing" is an integral part of my search. I can't wait to see where it leads me.

This is a beautiful book!

I was excited when I learned it was being released just in time for my Autumn vacation. The first book in this trilogy made a deep impact on my way of seeing life, making the immediate purchase of "Radical Knowing" a given.

Christian de Quincey is adept at writing in a nearly conversational manner, even when discussing some very difficult ideas. He helped me to feel comfortable with my lack of formal education as I followed his lead through some truly mind-changing concepts.

This book is more than an affirmation of how it feels to be alive and sentient in this world. It is also a testament to the power of storytelling in the way we relate with each other on all levels. After reading it I feel that telling old stories in new ways just might make a rather large difference in this world. Christian de Quincey, in "Radical Knowing", reminds me of Mark Twain's statement in "The Mysterious Stranger" - "Dream, other dreams, and better".

I enjoyed this book, but it also crawled into my heart; and there it sits, winking at me, as a reminder that life can be better than we imagine, if only we have the courage to imagine in the first place. I will read it again. And again.

The deep questions of philosophy -- Who or what are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? -- have always attracted me, but the answers always seemed to be more about mental gymnastics than a love of wisdom. Then I was introduced to the writings of Christian de Quincey. He has altered that view, and I am grateful to him and his great mentor Alfred North Whitehead.

Dr. de Quincey has lead me to believe that one can study philosophy with the love of wisdom as his or her goal (as opposed to the love of conquest). Having read Radical Knowing, now I want to dig deeper into the various schools of thought about the nature of consciousness, and I'm particularly interested in the view espoused by de Quincey: panpsychism or radical naturalism. Radical naturalism avoids the pitfalls of anthropomorphism present in other less convincing arguments on these matters and does not require assumptions or miracles to account for mind or matter in the universe.

I teach a range of classes including a class on spirituality and science. Radical Knowing and Radical Nature are already being incorporated into my lectures and discussions. They both will challenge my classes and add to the overall depth of the subject matter.

Radical Knowing: Understanding Consciousness Through Relationship by Christian de Quincey (Professor of Consciousness Studies, John F. Kennedy University) is an impressive philosophical study of the metaphysical and scientific arguments with the generally termed belief that relationships are introduced after the self of every individual, saying that it is actually the self that might identify with a collective or shared conscious. Radical Knowing is an insightful mixture of psychological and metaphysical studies. As a superb read of considerable philosophical depth, Radical Knowing is a very highly recommended book for students of the mind, science and psychological theories unique and diverse in their orientation.