Jonathan Rowson
Philosopher | Director, Perspectiva
Philosopher | Director, Perspectiva
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Dr. Jonathan Rowson is co-founder and Director of Perspectiva. He was until recently Director of the Social Brain Centre at the RSA where, over the course of six years, he authored a range of influential research reports on behaviour change, climate change and spirituality, and curated and chaired a range of related events.
Jonathan is an applied philosopher with degrees spanning a range of humanities and social sciences from Oxford, Harvard and Bristol Universities. In a former life he was a chess Grandmaster and British Champion (2004–6) and views the game as a continuing source of insight and inspiration. His book, The Seven Dimensions of Climate Change: rethinking the world’s toughest problem will be published by Palgrave Macmillan in early 2017.
He lives in Putney, London, with his wife Siva, an academic lawyer from South India and their two sons, Kailash and Vishnu.
His recent work includes Money Talks: Divest Invest and the Battle for Climate Realism and Spiritualise: Revitalising Spirituality to address 21st Century Challenges.
Organizations
Emerge
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Independent, non-profit media platform sowing the seeds of a new civilisation.
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Description:
From the About page on the Emerge website:
Emerge is an independent, non-profit media platform highlighting the initiatives, individuals and ways of thinking that are sowing the seeds of a new civilisation.
We are exploring how to act wisely in a world that seems out of control. We aim to explore the emerging cultural narratives of our time by collecting useful content from across the web, profiling change-makers and thinkers, publishing thought-provoking commentary and producing original videos and podcasts.
Emerge is a hub for people and initiatives searching for solutions to pressing global challenges, asking the question: What new patterns of living, working and existing together are currently emerging?
We are a network and a movement that celebrates people and projects. Our purpose is constantly emerging and taking shape. We offer an invitation to each of us to discover our role in this new story.
Emerge began as a three-day Gathering in Berlin in November 2018 initiated by three non-profit organisations: Perspectiva, London; co-creation.loft, Berlin and Ekskäret Foundation, Stockholm. The gathering brought together pioneers in complexity science, philosophy, spirituality, psychology, sustainability, creativity, and wisdom to explore dynamic solutions to our planet’s greatest challenges and discover new pathways of working, living and creating together.
In 2019, we held the second Emerge Gathering in Kyiv, Ukraine.
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Perspectiva
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Systems, Soul, Society
Build the intellectual foundations for a more conscious society
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We are a research platform that seeks to build the intellectual foundations for a more conscious society – a diverse and plural society awake to itself, united by an awareness of ecological constraints, systemic influences and the development of human empathy and consciousness throughout the lifespan.
We believe the world’s major challenges stem from a crisis of perception and imagination, and the failure of political culture to honour the fullness of reality. We are fascinated by the myriad ways in which our tacitly held worldviews shape our judgement, and how spiritual needs for security, meaning and purpose indirectly create political and economic outcomes.
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Web Properties
Recent Content
Last 50 posts on own channels (YouTube, Podcast, Medium or Website/Blog):
Bringing love from the margins to the centre of life
Published on: 16 Dec 21 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
It’s about Protection, not Safety: why we decided not to send our children to school
Published on: 3 Sep 20 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
It’s about Protection, not Safety: why we decided not to send our children to school (for now).
Published on: 3 Sep 20 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
The Meaning of Sacrifice at Easter
Published on: 10 Apr 20 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
The Meaning of Sacrifice at Easter
Published on: 10 Apr 20 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
The End of Think Tanks and the Beginning of Thinking
Published on: 2 Mar 20 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
How to think about the meta-crisis without getting too excited.*
Published on: 15 Feb 20 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
How to think about the meta-crisis without getting too excited.*
Published on: 14 Feb 20 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
What Chess Can Teach You About Luck
Published on: 15 Nov 19 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
Why do people drink alcohol?
Published on: 6 Mar 19 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
Why do people drink alcohol?
Published on: 6 Mar 19 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
Cultural Indigestion: What we learned and failed to learn from Jordan Peterson’s rise to fame.
Published on: 1 Mar 19 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
Cultural Indigestion: What we learned and failed to learn from Jordan Peterson’s rise to fame.
Published on: 1 Mar 19 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
Brexit, Democracy and the Sacred: Why a second referendum has to be sacrificial.
Published on: 13 Jan 19 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
Brexit, Democracy and the Sacred: Why a second referendum has to be sacrificial.
Published on: 9 Jan 19 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
The Nordic Secret: why personal development may be the key to social democracy
Published on: 17 Feb 18 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
The recurring challenge of your life: how to get from act one to act two
Published on: 2 Feb 18 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
Christmas is about more than consumerism, fa la la la la la la la la.
Published on: 6 Dec 17 in Jonathan Rowson – Medium
by Jonathan Rowson
Bell Hooks (1952-2021): The Cultural Politics of Love“My students tell me, we don’t want to love! We’re tired of being loving! And I say to them, if you’re tired of being
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My sons want to go to school. Vishnu is almost five and he’s starting reception at a nearby primary; he is bouncing off the walls at home…Continue reading on Medium
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My sons want to go to school. Vishnu is almost five and he’s starting reception at a nearby primary; he is bouncing off the walls at home…Continue reading on Medium
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Extract from The Moves that Matter: A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life by Jonathan Rowson (Bloomsbury 2019). The audio extract of this chapter is available here.In the Christian
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Extract from The Moves that Matter: A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life by Jonathan Rowson (Bloomsbury 2019). The audio extract of this chapter is available here.In the Christian
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Image via http://www.humanosphere.org/basics/2014/05/think-tanks-influence-public-policy-influence/In a busy world where people feel the need to place you before you have time to describe yourself, “define or be defined” is a useful motto.But it’s a
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The emergency is about the urgency to act. The crisis is about the need to transform. The meta-crisis is the tenacity of our inertia.Continue reading on Medium »
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The emergency is about the urgency to act. The crisis is about the need to transform. The meta-crisis is the tenacity of our inertia.Continue reading on Medium »
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Even games of skill depend upon opportunityContinue reading on Forge »
Image of Bacanal de los andrios via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bacanal_de_los_andrios.jpgI live in London, and sometimes it feels like the city runs on coffee and alcohol. It’s relatively obvious why we drink coffee.
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Image of Bacanal de los andrios via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bacanal_de_los_andrios.jpgI live in London, and sometimes it feels like the city runs on coffee and alcohol. It’s relatively obvious why we drink coffee.
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Jonathan Rowson in conversation with Jordan Peterson at the RSA on January 16 2018.Jordan B. Peterson is easily misunderstood. He is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the University
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Jordan Petersonitis: Intellectual and emotional discomfort caused by the perceived need to reach an informed view on the significance of Jordan Peterson’s cultural contribution, but being unable to, despite considerable
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Big Ben is not the only thing in the UK that requires maintenance. Image sourced via https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/uk-world-news/big-ben-scaffolding-14826151We are told the army is preparing to be on standby for a No
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Big Ben is not the only thing in the UK that requires maintenance. Image sourced via https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/uk-world-news/big-ben-scaffolding-14826151We are told the army is preparing to be on standby for a No
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The Nordic countries are not merely cute. There are things going on there beyond the open sandwiches and the charming crime dramas. And whatever their secret is, I’m fairly sure
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You keep saming when you should be changing. — Frank SinatraIn 2015 I chaired an RSA event with Vincent Deary on his book ‘How to Live’ and was struck by his emphasis on
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“I don’t believe in God, but I miss him.” — Julian BarnesChristmas is the season of shallow critique. We lament the commercialisation around us as if it were a seasonal problem, but lurking
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Lunch in Kerala today was not the full ‘sadya’ experience, but the combination of rice, papad, beetroot, jackfruit, tapioca, sambhar, chammanthi, yam and mango all served on banana leaf hit the spot. And to think, all these years I’ve been happy with a cheese sandwich. 🥪
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#DingNepo first round summary: After a good opening choice for the first game of a big match, Nepo achieved pressure for no risk with a better pawn structure. His nibble briefly threatened to become a yank, but it dissipated towards the better side of equality, and then a draw.
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I went to the Eddakal Caves today to see Stone Age carvings dating back to c6000 BCE. We’ve been writers for a long time… It was a memorable sensation to be in *a cave* c4000 feet above ground level and quite the climb to get there… #Kerala #India en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edak…
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Easter Friday I’m Wayanad, Kerala, India. There are large Christian and Muslim minorities in the state, which also happens to be communist, with great sunsets and a love for Lionel Messi.
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If you find yourself on Easter Friday wondering what it’s all about… Quoted feed from @Jonathan_Rowson “The Easter story is the epitome of this idea of sacrifice, namely that we have to empty ourselves to be filled with something else; to lose our lives as we know them to live in a qualitatively different way, and perhaps even suffer in
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“The Easter story is the epitome of this idea of sacrifice, namely that we have to empty ourselves to be filled with something else; to lose our lives as we know them to live in a qualitatively different way, and perhaps even suffer in the process.” (2019) open.substack.com/pub/jonath…
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Now in Wayanad, about 2000 feet up. twitter.com/i/web/status/164…
“Three thousand strikers this morning invaded the fish market and pelted the crews of three German vessels with lumps of ice and fish.” Amazing news story from 100 years ago about Aberdeen- where I’m from, in today’s copy of The Hindu, in Calicut, Kerala, India, where I am. twitter.com/i/web/status/164…
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Watching Godzilla v King Kong with my sons and struggling to make sense of their relationship. Can anyone help me out? Is there something here we are supposed to understand? Some deep metaphor about human nature? Some primordial longing I need to rediscover? Are they frenemies?
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Jonathan Rowson retweeted: The full article is available on the publisher’s site: The Tragedy of Central Europe nybooks.com/articles/1984/04… via @nybooks
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Jonathan Rowson retweeted: The Tragedy of Central Europe
The Hindu, a paper of record for a country of c1.4 billion people, has been paying close attention to Scotland’s new first minister for several days now. It is noted that Humza Yousaf has often “faced brickbats” for leading sectors of government that underperformed. 🇮🇳 🏴
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I was invited to visit a junior chess camp in Calicut today, in no official capacity, just as a Grandmaster passing through town. We had no other plans so I took Vishnu(7) and I ended up showing them a modern chess miniature by @ginger_gm They gave me a cake 🎂 to thank me.
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Jonathan Rowson retweeted: This is an historic week. Tomorrow we will welcome #Finland 🇫🇮 as the 31st member of #NATO, making Finland safer & NATO stronger.
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A simple South Indian breakfast today. I had Appam (fermented rice and coconut as a fluffy pancake) and Bhutoo* (same material but rolled up with a crispy coconut texture) with some spicy dhal, and coffee. Vishnu(7) has Appam with milk and a little sugar. (*unsure of spelling)
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I witnessed a fairly typical Indian street scene today. It was vibrant, elemental, sensual, far from obvious what it’s all about, and strangely reassuring.
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Kailash(13): If Kerala is communist, how come we can still buy bananas?
Very well deserved 👏🙌🥳 https://t.co/WHHKpjpS5c Quoted tweet from @vicderbyshire: #Ukrainecast is nominated for Best Podcast at the One World Media Awards 2023 Thank you @onewm #OWMAwards2023 oneworldmedia.org.uk/awards/longlis…
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Congratulations! I know it’s a huge team effort but your anchoring is a big part of its success. I don’t know another interviewer who connects emotionally with traumatised people as well as you. You also carry the audience by clarifying contexts in an indispensable way.
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@DougGay I’m reading The Handmaids Tale at the moment and that definitely shapes my perception, but I couldn’t help but see a little Gilead-like regime change in it, just because the three main ingredients for me were men, religion and power.
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There’s a weird parallel, for those who want one, between Yousaf’s patronising offer to Kate Forbes just at the moment a generous act of unity was called for and, wait for it, David Cameron responding to the 2014 Scottish referendum result by saying “now it’s England’s turn”.
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Are we collectively insane? It sounds exaggerated, but there is ample evidence that we’re a reality-avoidant, self-harming and suicidal civilisation. Looking forward to this @Perspecteeva event tomorrow night with @bonnittaroy & @dr_mcgilchrist You’d be crazy to miss it. 👇 https://t.co/2lIADc5CL2 Quoted tweet from @Perspecteeva: Tomorrow night, we’re hosting our third conversation in our free online seminar series exploring Iain McGilchrist’s
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For more content, see Jonathan Rowson.