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Famous Scholars Speak to Consciousness Conference
Nationally recognized leaders in the social sciences are collaborating with Maharishi University of Management (MUM) faculty to produce a conference honoring the late Charles N. "Skip" Alexander. Dr. Alexander was former Chair of the Department of Psychology at MUM and pioneer in articulating and empirically testing the paradigm of consciousness presented in the Vedic Science of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The conference, "Consciousness and the Future of Psychology," runs from Thursday, October 22, to Sunday noon, October 25.
In his more than 80 articles and books, Dr. Alexander articulated a profound integration of the perspectives of Vedic Science and modern science. He was able to connect the Vedic conceptualization of consciousness to the language and concepts of various academic fields, showing convergences and overlaps between these perspectives. These fields include: developmental psychology and higher states of consciousness, collective consciousness and peace research, health psychology, rehabilitation, organizational psychology.
This conference, which includes guest speakers and poster presentations in each of these five areas, is being organized in the spirit of Dr. Alexander's work to expand and deepen understanding of these connections.
Guest speakers in developmental psychology include Ellen Langer, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, author of Mindfulness, and co-editor of Higher Stages of Human Development: Perspectives on Adult Growth with Dr. Alexander, and Juan Pascual-Leone, M.D., Ph.D., leading developmental psychologist from York University, Canada.
Guest speakers at the organizational psychology session include William Torbert, Ph.D., Professor of Management at Boston College's Carroll School of Management, and author of Managing the Corporate Dream, and Harald Harung, Ph.D., of Oslo, Norway, author of Invincible Leadership.
Highlights of the rehabilitation session include a panel of judges from the 22nd Judicial Circuit of Missouri speaking about their experience using the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation program in sentencing and talks by Faroukh Anklesaria, Barrister at Law; Elaine Cassel, J.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology at Lord Fairfax Community College; and Jayne Gackenbach, Ph.D., editor of Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain.
Three guests will discuss the field effects of consciousness: Roger Nelson, Ph.D., Coordinator of Research at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory, Princeton University, and Director of the Global Consciousness Project; Marilyn Schlitz, Ph.D., Director of Research for the Noetic Sciences Institute; and Dean Radin, Ph.D., three-time President of the Parapsychological Association and author of the award-winning The Conscious Universe.
Finally, Jeffrey C. Alexander, Ph.D., Professor and former Chair, Department of Sociology, UCLA, one of the leading theorists in the field of sociology today, and brother of Skip Alexander, will be addressing developmental stages and collective consciousness, "some of Skip Alexander's most challenging ideas," from the perspective of modern sociology.
A full listing of conference speakers and presentation titles, along with information on course fees, and application procedures is available at the conference Web site at <http://www.mum.edu/alex_conf>.
