Thinking With Owen Barfield (dialogue with Ashton Arnoldy and Daniel Garner)

Ashton Arnoldy and Daniel Garner joined me to discuss the work of Owen Barfield. Here’s a quick summary of what we discussed:

1. Introduction to Barfield:
   • Daniel’s Journey: Daniel describes his journey from traditional philosophy to discovering alternative thinkers like Michael Polanyi, Alfred Korzybski, and eventually Rudolf Steiner, which led him to Barfield. He emphasizes how Barfield’s ideas about language as “fossils of consciousness” and the role of language in shaping consciousness are particularly relevant to economics and the creation of new markets.
   • Ashton’s Journey: Ashton shares how he encountered Barfield through the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness (PCC) program, and how Saving the Appearances had a profound impact on him, leading to his dissertation on Barfield. He highlights how Barfield’s work provided him with a path forward during a time of metaphysical confusion.
   • Matt’s Perspective: Matt discusses how Barfield serves as a bridge between Steiner and more accessible philosophy, making complex ideas about consciousness and evolution understandable to a broader audience. He sees Barfield as crucial for integrating Christianity with an evolutionary worldview.
2. Barfield’s Concept of the Evolution of Consciousness:
   • Barfield’s idea that consciousness and the world evolve together is a central theme. The participants discuss how this view contrasts with a simple history of ideas, arguing that consciousness shapes reality, and understanding this evolution is key to understanding human experience.
   • The distinction between original participation (where meaning was directly perceived in the world) and final participation (where humans consciously create meaning) is explored, with an emphasis on how this progression impacts modern challenges like the meaning crisis and the rise of artificial intelligence.
3. The Role of Language and Imagination:
   • The conversation delves into Barfield’s belief that language is not just a tool for communication but a vehicle for shaping consciousness. The participants discuss how language has the power to either imprison us in a literal, reductionist worldview or liberate us into a more imaginative, participatory relationship with reality.
   • Imagination is seen as a critical faculty for accessing deeper truths about the world, with references to literature and poetry as practices that cultivate this imaginative capacity. Barfield’s concept of imagination as a real way of knowing is emphasized as essential for avoiding nihilism and fostering a meaningful connection to the world.
4. Friendship and Exemplars:
   • The role of friendship is highlighted as a model for a participatory relationship, where individuals can lose themselves in the relationship for the sake of the relationship itself. This idea is tied to the broader theme of participation in the world, where friendship serves as an analogy for a healthy, imaginative engagement with reality.
   • The importance of exemplars—individuals who embody a meaningful way of living—is discussed. These exemplars can inspire others and serve as models for a life that values imagination and participation over consumption and manipulation.
5. Technology, AI, and the Evolution of Consciousness:
   • A significant portion of the conversation addresses the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and the modern technological landscape. The participants express concern over how AI, which lacks perceptual and emotional depth, might lead to a further degradation of human consciousness if we conflate machine intelligence with human intelligence.
   • The distinction between tools of conviviality (which extend human capabilities and foster connection) and tools of manipulation (which replace human agency and degrade consciousness) is introduced, drawing on Ivan Illich’s work. The participants argue that we must be vigilant in how we use technology, ensuring that it enhances rather than replaces our humanity.
   • There is a call to use technology creatively, to explore new forms of art and communication that can extend humanity rather than replace it, emphasizing the need to maintain a clear sense of what it means to be human in the face of these technological changes.
6. Final Reflections:
   • The conversation concludes with reflections on the importance of maintaining a poetic relationship with language and reality, resisting the reduction of life to mere consumption or technical manipulation. The participants emphasize the need for a renewed commitment to imagination, love, and freedom as guiding principles in our engagement with the world and each other.

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I’ve been thinking with Barfield for many years! Here’s an essay comparing his ideas to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Quentin Meillassoux: https://footnotes2plato.com/2011/05/05/towards-a-christological-realism-thinking-the-correlation-with-teilhard-and-barfield/