Understanding Nature’s intelligence
London. England
From an unorthodox perspective, between science and religion, the documentary Metanoia shows that Nature is better understood as a self-organizing system, and human evolution depends on our ‘making sense’ within the larger context of the Biosphere
Simon G. Powell
Please describe what you do:
I am a writer/film-maker and musician. I am charged with delineating the natural intelligence paradigm (the notion that Nature has intelligent characteristics that we can learn from) by all and any means necessary.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
The process of artistic and literary creativity. And serving a ‘higher’ cause. The feeling of being perched in a kind of curious no-man’s land betwixt science and religion is also strangely innervating.
What is your inspiration?
The wondrous spectacle of life on Earth.
How would you define luxury today? (or) What is, to you, the essence of luxury today?
Como definiria el lujo de hoy? (o) qué es para Ud la esencia del lujo actual?
Luxury, for me, is spending time in some unspoiled area of wilderness - to fully experience a wild area of the biosphere by day and by starry night.
Eco-awareness is growing as is social consciousness and the need to be responsible towards our world and its people. What part do you play in this global mission?
The roots of our current ecological crisis lie with our misguided appraisal of Nature. In particular, science steadfastly refuses to acknowledge that biological evolution has intelligent characteristics and a direction. Thus, ecosystems and their constituent bio-logic are considered mindless and devoid of any kind of intelligence. I firmly believe that until we acknowledge the natural intelligence evinced by the biosphere and the various ecosystems that compose it, our conceptual understanding of Nature will remain critically flawed. Only if we understand life rightly can we hope to live life rightly. There is a naturally intelligent Way to Nature – and it is incumbent upon us to learn this Way. This is, in fact, what the burgeoning biomimicry movement is all about as it seeks to learn from what Janine Benyus refers to as “Nature’s genius”.
There is a naturally intelligent Way to Nature – and it is incumbent upon us to learn this Way
When and how did your project originate?
The Metanoia DVD documentary originates from early 2005. It is an attempt to bring together science and art in order to convey a new vision of Nature, to move beyond the confines of both orthodox religious thinking and orthodox scientific thinking. As for the actual natural intelligence paradigm, that first arose (at least in my mind) way back in 1992.
What continues to be your vision for this project?
I would like to make a sequel documentary – Metanoia Reloaded, or something along those lines. If I can get the natural intelligence book upon which Metanoia is based published, I should like to write a sequel to that also.
How are your creativity and passion an important part of this project?
I don’t think it would be possible to pursue radical unorthodox ideas without some measure of passion and creativity.
If you were to choose a colour and an adjective to describe it, what would they be?
Green works.
What is the message you wish to pass on?
Evolution is a naturally intelligent process in which Nature sustains and preserves that which makes sense. Until the behaviour of human culture makes sense within the larger context of the biosphere, we shall continue to endanger both our future and the future of other species.
Name a person or place that has inspired you with their progressive vision.contacts
I have always found James Lovelock’s work to be very inspirational as he has a deep insight into the wiles and ways of natural intelligence (even if he does not use such terminology).
See also: