Ep #14 - Guy Claxton

Today my guest is Guy Claxton - emeritus Professor of the Learning Sciences at the University of Winchester, cognitive scientist, author of over 30 books and a world leader in the field of education. 

Combined with his background as a researcher Guy's a balls-to-the-wall spiritual seeker. Have you seen the Netflix documentary ‘Wild Wild Country’ about the Rajneesh community? Guy was part of the Rajneesh in India but got out before they all went crazy in Oregon. 

His life and work show how an appreciation of spiritual pathways can be scientific, academic and not at all hippy. 

And, I love him, so you’ll love him.

In the conversation:

The main reason I invited Guy on is because he’s an expert in embodied cognition - an idea that is so important when linking ancient spiritual practices to modern knowledge.

Embodied cognition is a field in cognitive science that shows you think, feel and are with your body as much as your mind. The research shows this stuff is not elite, academic or impractical because, for instance, traders on the stock market who are in touch with their embodied cognition and bodies make more money.

On top of that you’ll learn what it was like in the Rajneesh community, what spirituality means to him, how spiritual pathways can stabilise higher states of being and, as ever, a whole lot more.