Episode #68: Michael Wolfe: Polish the Heart

Dr. Michael Wolfe, tutor at St. John’s College and leader of the Middle Eastern studies program there, joins these Fools for a great discussion. Since discovering him in graduate school, Dr. Wolfe was and remains captivated by the great 12th-century Sufi mystic Ibn-al-Arabi, and we go pretty deep into his views on the nature of God, consciousness, and reality (is it a dream? Could synchronicity exist if the universe is essentially material?) These fools loved this conversation and can’t wait to have Dr. Wolfe back - hope you enjoy it as well!

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See the Fools and Sages show notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GVCVW1h2_-4JOU22KREzTO0lVDiN3icg?usp=drive_link

Chapters:
00:00 Michael Wolfe’s Introduction
02:21 The Importance of Islamic Texts in Western Education
07:49 Sufism and Ibn al-Arabi's Mystical Tradition
21:01 Haq and Morality
28:32 Mind and Matter in Ibn al-Arabi's Thought
33:39 God in Ibn al-Arabi's Philosophy
38:54 The Plurality of Religious Experiences
47:03 The Urge to Experience Self and God
49:52 Quantum Physics and Spirituality
52:31 Breath in Creation
57:31 The Future of Philosophy and Spirituality