Iranian Renaissance with Jason Reza Jorjani

source: New Thinking Allowed      2016年11月10日
Jason Reza Jorjani is a philosopher and faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is author of Prometheus and Atlas.
Here he discusses the influence of pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian culture on the society within Iran following the Arab conquest. He notes that Islamic Sufism borrowed heavily from an esoteric strain of Zoroastrianism known as Mazdakism. He also maintains that the Arabic preservation of ancient Greek texts was largely done through the auspices of Persian scholars. These texts eventually were instrumental in the vast flowering of European culture known as the Renaissance. Today, within Iran, there exists a movement known as the Iranian Renaissance. Millions of young Iranians are wearing Zoroastrian symbols and are endeavoring to learn about the ancient, Persian past. Much of the inspiration for this movement comes from a text known as the Shahnameh or Persian Book of Kings.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series.
(Recorded on June 26, 2016)

Zarathustra's Indo-European Legacy (Jason Reza Jorjani)

source: New Thinking Allowed   2016年11月6日
Jason Reza Jorjani is a philosopher and faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is author of Prometheus and Atlas.
Here he reviews scholarship that places Zarathustra more than eight thousands years ago, at a time when Indo-European culture had not divided into Vedic, Greco-Roman, and European branches. Zarathustra himself was a religious reformer who endeavored to invert the older relationships between the gods and titans. Jorjani suggests that the spread of Indo-European culture was an effort to avoid the reforms of Zarathustra. Nevertheless, Zarathustra’s teachings survived intact through the order of the Magi he created. Eventually, Zoroastrianism became the state religion of the Persian empire. It also exerted a significant influence on Mahayana Buddhism and Christianity.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is a past vice-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology; and is the recipient of the Pathfinder Award from that Association for his contributions to the field of human consciousness exploration. He is also past-president of the non-profit Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to creating a world in which all people are encouraged to cultivate and apply their inner, intuitive abilities.
(Recorded on June 26, 2016)

Understanding Zarathustra with Jason Reza Jorjani

source: New Thinking Allowed     2016年11月3日
Jason Reza Jorjani is a philosopher and faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is author of Prometheus and Atlas.
Here he points out that, while most people are unfamiliar with the details of Zarathustra’s teachings, they were influential on such important European figures as Voltaire, Nietzsche, and Mozart. Unlike other ancient thinkers, Zarathustra emphasized the progressive evolution of human toward a utopian society. His emphasis on the importance of truth became an essential element incorporated into Greek philosophy. He also emphasized respect for women and the importance of ecology. His teachings exerted an influence on the Islamic Sufism of Iran as well as on the rise of Christianity.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is a past vice-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology; and is the recipient of the Pathfinder Award from that Association for his contributions to the field of human consciousness exploration. He is also past-president of the non-profit Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to creating a world in which all people are encouraged to cultivate and apply their inner, intuitive abilities.
(Recorded on June 25, 2016)

The PK Man and Mercurial Hermeneutics with Jason Reza Jorjani

source: New Thinking Allowed    2016年9月25日
Jason Reza Jorjani is a philosopher and faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is author of Prometheus and Atlas.
Here he describes how he placed Jeffrey Mishlove’s study of Ted Owens, “the PK Man”, into a larger cultural and philosophical context. He defines Mercurial Hermeneutics as the art of interpreting the manifestations of the trickster archetype in the world. He suggests that this archetype, aka Hermes or Mercury, is the intelligence behind the psychokinetic demonstrations of Ted Owens and others (such as Uri Geller). He also maintains that the very same intelligence was behind the establishment of the Abrahamic religious traditions.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is a past vice-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology; and is the recipient of the Pathfinder Award from that Association for his contributions to the field of human consciousness exploration. He is also past-president of the non-profit Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to creating a world in which all people are encouraged to cultivate and apply their inner, intuitive abilities.
(Recorded on June 27, 2016)

The Spectral Revolution with Jason Reza Jorjani

source: New Thinking Allowed    2015年11月19日
Jason Reza Jorjani is a philosopher and faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is author of Prometheus and Atlas.
Here he describes how humankind often confuses the technological worldview of scientific theory with reality itself. Jorjani maintains that we have become mesmerized by the specters of the ancient, Greek Titans Prometheus and Atlas whose myths foreshadowed the rise of science and technology. Jorjani describes the “spectral revolution” as one in which humanity awakens to the dimensions of consciousness outside of the scientific and technological domain. In particular, he urges study of the paranormal. He believes that if we properly understand the nature of Prometheus and Atlas, we have the ability to foster a new culture that honors the depths of mind in nature.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). His master's degree is in criminology. He serves as dean of transformational psychology at the University of Philosophical Research. He teaches parapsychology for ministers in training with the Centers for Spiritual Living through the Holmes Institute. He has served as vice-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, and is the recipient of its Pathfinder Award for outstanding contributions to the field of human consciousness. He is also past-president of the non-profit Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to creating a world in which all people are encouraged to cultivate and apply their inner, intuitive abilities.
(Recorded on June 25, 2015)

Technological Apocalypse with Jason Reza Jorjani

source: New Thinking Allowed    2016年8月22日
Jason Reza Jorjani is a philosopher and faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is author of Prometheus and Atlas.
Here he suggests that converging technologies are forcing humanity to reconsider what it means to be human. Biotechnology will enable us to significantly increase human intelligence from generation to generation. In the absence of global regulation, this development could lead to a caste system. In addition, we face the prospect of human cloning and the potential of mixing human genes with those of other species. The fields of artificial intelligence and robotics offer additional possibilities for the creation of bionic species. It may be that our technological advances are outpacing our ability to trust each other to wisely use the new powers that will become available.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is a past vice-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology; and is the recipient of the Pathfinder Award from that Association for his contributions to the field of human consciousness exploration. He is also past-president of the non-profit Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to creating a world in which all people are encouraged to cultivate and apply their inner, intuitive abilities.
(Recorded on June 25, 2016)