About this episode

Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon discuss the significance of forms in relation to modern science and the limitations of mechanical philosophy.

Forms are all around us: clouds, flowers, creatures, even systems of thought and logical relations. And yet the nature of forms is rarely part of the modern scientific conversation. In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon discuss the importance of forms and how they work. The need for form to account for life as we know it has been eclipsed by the mechanical philosophy of modern science that turned instead to forces, extrinsic causes and abstract la...

People in this episode

Hosts: Rupert Sheldrake, Mark Vernon

Topics covered

• forms
• science
• mechanical philosophy
• life
• systems of thought

Keywords

• forms
• science
• mechanical philosophy
• life
• clouds
• flowers
• creatures

More episodes of The Sheldrake Vernon Dialogues

• Patron Saints · January 22, 2026 · 38 min
• The Quiet Revolution · November 24, 2025 · 33 min
• The Wisdom of the Imagination · October 2, 2025 · 35 min
• What is really known about consciousness? · August 6, 2025 · 47 min
• Does nature obey laws? · June 15, 2025 · 42 min
• Living in an Age of Spiritual Crisis · March 5, 2025 · 53 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Sheldrake Vernon Dialogues podcast page.