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G. Thomas Fox on
edGe-ucation 09/10/2024 |
Let me turn to my brother G. Thomas Fox’s book linking uncertainty and “becoming edGe-ucated.” It strikes me as being very, very timely. I began my book called The A.W.E. Project on reinventing education with an observation from the Dalai Lama that “education is in crisis the world over.” I think both Tom and I intuited the same thing years ago. |
Tom Fox steps out of the usual posing of the educational problem in his book and, in a typically creative way, proposes that the key to education is uncertainty, not certainty. That the systems we have set up are about passing on what we know (or think we know) about reality, and this ultimately renders learning boring. For Tom, it is what we don’t know that gets us excited and motivated to learn, and he invokes science to prove his case. He cites neuroscientist Daeyeol Lee: we only learn when there is uncertainty, and that is a good thing. When things |
on becoming edGe-ucated: how uncertainty can link the frontiers of expert inquiry to the education of all, by G. Thomas Fox; cover art by Tom s wife, Anna Jóelsdóttir. Available HERE. |
are stable, we learn less. Activity in the frontal cortex becomes dramatically reduced where there is little uncertainty about an event occurring or not occurring. I wonder if this is one reason why art as meditation is so effective—when you are birthing a picture or dance
or clay or poem, you are uncertain what it is until it comes into being and tells you what it is. |
Nature herself is more creative in the in-between: permaculture educator Geoff Lawton explains the “edge effect.” @DiscoverPermaculture | The brain is always on edge in our acts of creativity
therefore. An article in The Guardian called “Why we’re hardwired to hate
uncertainty” demonstrates why the human brain over the eons has regarded uncertainty as dangerous. |
Alas! Most educational institutions follow the undangerous path and ignore the unknown, which is really where we learn the most. From a spiritual and mystical point of view, Tom Fox is talking about the via negativa, and what Meister Eckhart called “unknowing knowledge,” and what we might call the power of
mystery to allure us. Exploring mystery and the unknown. |
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Estelle Frankel echoes Meister Eckhart at a gathering of the Open Faith Salon on “Befriending the Unknown and Embracing
Uncertainty.” |
Tom
Fox also takes up the subject of wonder and education and cites Nobel Prize winner physicist, Professor Frank Wilzek in his book Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality. He, like so many scientists, communicates to a reading public the unsolved questions of their times. In the process, Tom says, all [scientists] express their extraordinary wonder in what they have found and are finding. The other message is their increased
appreciation—and sometimes surprise—for how capable our human minds have been in building useful and increasingly more accurate understanding of natural wonders….* To be continued. |
* G. Thomas Fox, on becoming edGe-ucated: how uncertainty can link the frontiers of expert inquiry to the education of all. (Reykjavik: Bósala Stúdenta, 2024), pp. 257, 253, 252,
225. See Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Postdenominational Priest, pp. 116f., 126-165, 327-362. See also Fox, The
Reinvention of Work, pp. 169-189. And Fox, Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet. |
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And Fox, Trump & the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election.
Banner Image: “Creative Process+Sharon.” Photo by Julie Jordan Scott on on Flickr.
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Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Queries for Contemplation |
“We only learn when there is uncertainty and that is a good thing.” Do you agree with that observation from a neuroscientist? What follows from that? |
Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest (Revised/Updated Edition)
Matthew Fox’s stirring
autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
“The unfolding story of
this irrepressible spiritual revolutionary enlivens the mind and emboldens the heart — must reading for anyone interested in courage, creativity, and the future of religion.”
—Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self |
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The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood For Our Time
Thomas Aquinas said, “To live well is to work well,” and in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work, Fox shares his vision of a world
where our personal and professional lives are celebrated in harmony–a world where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified by authentic “soul work.”
“Fox approaches the level of poetry in describing the reciprocity that must be present between one’s inner and outer work…[A]n important road map to social change.” ~~ National Catholic Reporter |
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Creativity: Where the Divine and Human Meet
Because creativity is the key to both our genius and beauty as a species but also to our capacity for evil, we need to teach creativity and to teach ways of steering this God-like power in
directions that promote love of life (biophilia) and not love of death (necrophilia). Pushing well beyond the bounds of conventional Christian doctrine, Fox’s focus on creativity attempts nothing less than to shape a new ethic.
“Matt Fox is a pilgrim who seeks a path into the church of tomorrow. Countless numbers will be happy to follow his lead.” –Bishop John Shelby Spong, author, Rescuing
the Bible from Fundamentalism, Living in Sin |
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Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s
rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline
Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine. |
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In the Beginning There Was Joy: A Cosmic Celebration for Kids of All Ages
The first book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series tells the story of the big bang and how humans fit into the awesome, fantastical,
cosmic picture! With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet. "Matthew Fox does it again, here for our young ones, who so need a positive, cosmic vision
to thrive, or even survive, in a sad time." - Father Richard Rohr, Author of The Universal Christ "Matthew Fox offers a resounding affirmation of what our souls have always suspected: we are made for joy." - Mirabai Starr, Author of God of Love and Wild Mercy |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
MONTHLY: Join Matthew Fox, Mariko Middleton, and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors. Last Tuesday of every month, 4:00-5:00pm PT.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478
Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
Matthew Fox will make a guest appearance during the Creation Spirituality
Communities course, Creation Spirituality in a Time of Apocalypse. He will talk about his new book on the antichrist, which is an apocalyptic archetype. Join Theodore Richards, founder of the Chicago Wisdom Project and editor of the online Magazine/Podcast ReImagining as he takes us through 4 sessions exploring how Creation Spirituality can give birth to
new stories during times of upheaval. Dates: Sept 9, 16, 23, 30 from 7-9 PM ET. Cost: $150 per student. Register HERE. |
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Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, September 19, 4:00-5:30 pm PT.
Register HERE. |
ConvergenceCoLab hosts Matthew Fox, Margaret Wheatley, and Brian McLaren in an online conversation on “Post-Doom Spirituality," Wednesday, October 16, 6-8:30 PM ET. Register now with an EARLY BIRD rate of $30, HERE. |
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Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his two books, In the Beginning There was Joy and The Return of Father Sky, in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, October 17, 4:00-5:30 pm
PT.
Register HERE. |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
in part 1 of an in-depth interview titled "Trump and the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ," where Fox asserts
that the archetype applies to the darker side of MAGA and it's Christian-nationalist backers. |
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Inspired by this post? Share your insights on Universeodon, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
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