This series covers events from 02/21/1981 - 03/21/1981

This five-part series of classes presents a sustained philosophical investigation using Wolfgang Pauli's essay "The Influence of Archetypal Ideas on the Scientific Theories of Kepler" as the primary text. The series centers on the famous 17th-century dispute between Johannes Kepler and Robert Fludd, using their disagreement as a lens to examine two fundamentally different approaches to understanding reality: Kepler's quantitative, mathematical approach versus Fludd's qualitative, symbolic methodology. Damiani demonstrates how this historical debate illuminates contemporary philosophical problems about the relationship between subjective experience and objective knowledge. The series explores how individual souls become differentiated from Universal Soul and how they participate in what is termed the "cosmic circuit"—the movement of the planetary spheres as described by geocentric astrology. This involves detailed analysis of how the soul both transcends and participates in nature, addressing the central question of whether "the soul is part of nature" or "participates in nature." Also addressed is the role of archetypal images and ideas in the creation of scientific theories and individual understanding, how authentic knowledge occurs, and the relationship between consciousness and observation.

Classes and documents available in this series