Discussion and Book Launch

What is consciousness? Is it a property that is unique to humans or do we share it with other life forms? Is the philosophical doctrine of panpsychism correct-are stars and the entire Universe conscious in some sense?

A panel and launch of two works by astronomer Professor Greg Matloff and artist C Bangs: the artist’s book, Star Bright? and the book, Starlight, Starbright: Are Stars Conscious?.  Both books examine the prehistory, mythology and history of these ideas. Arguments are presented from the viewpoints of shamans, philosophers, poets, quantum physicists, astronomers and novelists.

Artist and New School lecturer on consciousness, Professor Ellen Levy will be moderating the discussion with Howard Bloom, author of the God Problem: How A Godless Cosmos Creates and Les Johnson, science and science fiction author and scientist whose most recent book, Rescue Mode, is a story of Mars exploration.

A book signing will occur after the discussion.

Moderator: Ellen K. Levy is a widely exhibited visual artist and contributor to numerous publications about complex systems. She received a commission from NASA in 1995. Levy is Special Advisor on the Arts and Sciences at IDSVA and a lecturer on consciousness at The New School. She was President of the College Art Association (2004-2006) before earning her doctorate (the University of Plymouth, 2012).

The art of C Bangs investigates frontier science with symbolist figuration. Public Collections include MoMA, Brooklyn Museum, Library of Congress, NASA, British Interplanetary Society, CUNY, Pratt Institute, Cornell and Pace University. Merging art and science, as a NASA Faculty Fellow her work appears in ten related books. Star Bright? & Starlight, Starbright: Are Stars Conscious? Curtis, UK, 2015 investigates the possibility of universal consciousness.

Howard Bloom has authored six books, including The God Problem: How A Godless Cosmos Creates (Prometheus, 2012 ) and is co-designing a multi-planetary mission at Caltech. He is chair of the Space Development Steering Committee, a group that includes Buzz Aldrin and Edgar Mitchell. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, Knight-Ridder Financial News Service, and the Scientific American’s scientificamerican.com.

Les Johnson is a science and science fiction author and a scientist. His novel, Rescue Mode, is a story of Mars exploration. Les was the featured Interstellar Explorer in National Geographic magazine, a technical consultant for the movie, Europa Report and is leading an asteroid rendezvous mission for NASA.

CUNY physics professor Greg Matloff (Hayden Associate at the American Museum of Natural History, Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, and Member of the International Academy of Astronautics) has authored 100+ papers and ten books. Greg has researched space propulsion and life in the universe. In Starlight, Starbright: Are Stars Conscious? (Curtis, UK, 2015), he investigates the possibility of universal consciousness.