Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness

Overview

The heart of the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at California Institute of Integral Studies is its focus on knowledge that is transformative—of ourselves and of our civilization. PCC attracts intellectually engaged individuals who are to varying degrees dismayed by what they see happening in modern societies and who are striving to find meaningful ways to develop their gifts to serve the future of the world.

Inspired by Alfred North Whitehead's view that the function of the university is to enable the future to appear first in conceptual thought, our faculty and graduate students hold in mind three fundamental goals:

• To open our consciousness, through learning and imagination, to those creative and evolutionary energies suffusing the earth, the universe, and the deep psyche, so that we are able to participate fully in the regeneration of human communities and their enveloping life systems.
• To analyze the current devastation of planetary life and to strive to liberate ourselves and our communities from the underlying causes of alienation, consumerism, militarism, androcentrism, racism, and unsustainable modes of life.

• To draw from the deep wells of philosophical and religious wisdom together with other scholarly and scientific insights in order to bring forth a profound vision of a vibrant planetary era.

Progressive Leadership

Our Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at California Institute of Integral Studies is committed to shaping the leadership necessary for profound, progressive transformation of social institutions and individual consciousness. 

Drawing upon some of the most powerful ideas of Western intellectual and spiritual traditions, together with insights from Asian spiritual philosophies and indigenous worldviews, our faculty has constructed a multidisciplinary course of study to help accelerate each student's journey into their particular leadership role within this work.