Liology (pronounced “lee-ology”) is about a different way of relating to ourselves and the universe.  An integrated and connected way.

The word comes from a fusion of the Chinese word “li,” which means “the organizing principles” and “ology” which is the Greek-derived word for “study.”  So liology means “the study of the organizing principles.”  You might ask: the organizing principles of what?  The answer: everything.  The complete set of dynamic patterns that make up our entire universe – what the traditional Chinese called the Tao.

Liology offers a framework for a worldview that could enable humans to thrive on our planet harmoniously and sustainably.  Mainstream thinking in the modern world offers two general choices for those seeking the source of meaning in life: dualistic religions propose that spiritual meaning exists in some transcendent dimension, while reductionist scientists argue that the universe is ultimately meaningless, composed of nothing but atoms and molecules.

But we don’t need to choose between these two polarized positions.   Liology, instead, sees the meaning of our lives arising intrinsically from our embedded existence in the natural world.  While rejecting reductionist claims, liology embraces rigorous science and sees the findings of leading thinkers in systems theory and complexity science as a key to understanding our place in the cosmos.  While rejecting the imaginings of dualistic thinkers, liology embraces the deep connection with meaning arising from a recognition of our ultimate connectivity with everything in the universe.

If you want to find out more about liology, click here for the website at liology.org.

This blog is intended as a place for me to share my occasional thoughts, readings, and ruminations about anything I come across that seems connected to liology.

Hope you enjoy!