Section 4: TRACK 1
Telling the Story: Systems, Process, and the Present
← Return to Seizing an Alternative | Section IV
Track 1: Systems, Process, and the Present
This group will consider multiple narratives (scientific, cosmological, ecological, etc.) and their translation to popular worldviews. We focus on art, story, popular media, poetry, and creative action to bridge beyond academic discourse. We will be eyes and ears across the conference, so that we can be voices in the public square when it’s over. (Artists, journalists, and rebels especially encouraged to attend.)
Other Tracks in this Section
- Track 2: Intuition in Mathematics and Physics
- Track 3: Systems Theory, Complexity Theory, and Radical Emergence
- Track 4: Neuroscience and Consciousness: Toward an Integral Paradigm
- Track 5: Ecologies, Becoming, Networks, and Value
- Track 6: Unprecedented Evolution: Human Continuities and Discontinuities with Animal Life
- Track 7: Beyond Mechanism: The Emergence and Evolution of Living Agents
Track Heads
Zach Simpson
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
Dr. Zach Simpson is the Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies. He has been a faculty member at USAO since 2009.
Dr. Simpson received his BA from The Colorado College in biology, and his MA and Ph.D from Claremont Graduate University in philosophy of religion and theology. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University with the “Evolution and Theology of Cooperation” project, for which he served as an editor on two books. Dr. Simpson has published articles in philosophy and theology, and his edited work includes The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science as well as Adventures in the Spirit: New Essays in Philosophical Theology (by Philip Clayton). His first book, Life as Art: Aesthetics and the Creation of Self from Nietzsche to Foucault (Lexington Books) was released in 2012.
Dr. Simpson’s research focuses on contemporary philosophy and theology, world wisdom traditions, and the intersections between science, philosophy, and religion. He teaches courses on the history of philosophy, world religions, issues in contemporary philosophy and religion, and interdisciplinary issues.
A native New Mexican, Dr. Simpson enjoys mountain climbing, backpacking, playing tennis,travelling, cooking and spending time with his wife, Kenzie, and his daughter, Cassia.
