Exploring a Global Evidence Base for the Implications of Unitive Science on Technology
By Wendy Ellyatt
Jude Currivan’s work on the Cosmic Hologram and the primacy of meaningful in-formation proposes a universe that is fundamentally interconnected, relational, and evolving through patterns of coherence. While distinctive in its framing, this interpretation aligns with a broad, rapidly expanding global evidence base emerging across quantum physics, complexity science, cosmology, ecological systems theory, cognitive science, and AI research. Together, these fields support a shift from mechanistic to unitive paradigms, with profound implications for the future of technology.
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1. Technology as Manifestation of Universal Information
Currivan suggests that the universe is informational at its foundation. This insight parallels several major scientific movements:
Quantum information theory
• Physicists such as John Wheeler (“It from Bit”), Anton Zeilinger, and Seth Lloyd argue that information is a fundamental constituent of physical reality.
• Quantum computing pioneers, including Peter Shor and David Deutsch, frame computation as the manipulation of quantum informational states—precisely the domain Currivan highlights.
Relational / informational cosmology
• Carlo Rovelli’s relational interpretation of quantum mechanics posits that physical reality is defined by informational relations between systems.
• David Bohm’s implicate order suggests a deeper enfolded information structure shaping physical phenomena.
Technological implications: This convergence strengthens Currivan’s argument that data, computation, and informational architectures are not merely practical tools, but reflect deep structural principles of the universe itself.
2. Integration of Mind and Consciousness in Technological Development
Currivan’s suggestion that consciousness is woven into the fabric of reality finds resonance across several domains:
Neuroscience & cognitive science
• Integrated Information Theory (Tononi) frames consciousness as a fundamental property of integrated informational systems.
• Enactive cognition (Varela, Thompson) emphasises that mind emerges through interaction, not isolation.
AI research
• Leading machine learning researchers such as Hinton, LeCun, and Sutskever emphasise representational emergence—an echo of consciousness as pattern integration.
• Thomas Malone’s work on collective intelligence shows that intelligence scales through connection, not brute force.
Technological implications: If consciousness is relational, emergent, or fundamental, then AI development must consider synergy, context sensitivity, emotional intelligence, and meaning-making—not only optimisation.
3. Wholistic and Unitive Approaches to Innovation
Currivan calls for technology grounded in wholeness. Global evidence reinforces this shift:
Systems innovation
• Donella Meadows, Fritjof Capra, and Nora Bateson emphasise that sustainable transformation depends on understanding interconnected systems.
• Regenerative design (McDonough & Braungart) provides applied frameworks for circularity and ecological coherence.
Engineering & design science
• Buckminster Fuller’s systems-based design, Janine Benyus’s biomimicry, and Christopher Alexander’s pattern language all treat design as an expression of living system principles.
Implications for technological development
Innovation shifts from siloed optimisation to integrated design addressing interdependence, resilience, and coherence.
4. Sustainable and Evolutionary Technology
Currivan’s “infodynamics” (paralleling thermodynamics but informational) fits within wider evolutionary perspectives:
Evolutionary systems and complexity research
• Stuart Kauffman, Geoffrey West, and Brian Arthur show that systems evolve towards increasing complexity through processes of self-organisation and information exchange.
• Lynn Margulis’s symbiogenesis emphasises cooperation as a driver of evolutionary innovation.
Regenerative development
• Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics and the Wellbeing Economy Alliance position sustainability as maintaining informational, ecological, and cultural balance.
Technological implications: Technology becomes evolutionary, adaptive, and regenerative—aligned with feedback loops that support planetary life systems rather than exceeding them.
5. New Metric Systems and Informational Metrics
Currivan proposes “in-tropy” as a complement to entropy. This aligns with global efforts to rethink what societies measure:
Beyond GDP movements
• The Ecosystemic Flourishing (ESF Framework) prioritises Interbeing and ecological belonging
• The Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission argues for replacing output metrics with wellbeing metrics.
• Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness and New Zealand’s Living Standards Framework measure relational, ecological, and cultural health.
Information-centric modelling
• Physicist Wojciech Zurek’s “quantum Darwinism” assesses how information persists and proliferates.
• Shannon information theory and Kolmogorov complexity offer metrics for quantifying structure and meaning.
Implications for technology: Technological impact assessment may move beyond energy use and efficiency to evaluate coherence, meaning generation, resilience, and relational value.
6. Fractality and Holographic Principles in Technological Design
Currivan’s holographic principles align with:
Holographic universe models
• Gerard ’t Hooft and Leonard Susskind describe the universe as fundamentally holographic, with 3D phenomena emerging from 2D boundary information.
Fractal geometry and network theory
• Benoit Mandelbrot’s fractals underpin modern telecommunications, image compression, and neural modelling.
• Barabási’s work on scale-free networks shows that natural systems—from ecosystems to digital infrastructures—organise fractally for resilience.
Technological implications: Fractal and holographic principles inform:
• distributed networks
• resilient architectures
• holographic data storage
• blockchain and decentralised systems
7. Universal Connectivity and Unitive Infrastructure
A unitive view sees communication networks as expressions of relationality. Supporting evidence includes:
Global digital infrastructure research
• Manuel Castells describes the “network society” as the defining structure of the 21st century.
• The UN’s digital cooperation frameworks emphasise global interdependence and shared governance.
Cyber-physical systems
• The IoT and emerging Internet of Everything reflect increasing systemic integration.
• Edge computing mirrors biological decentralisation—processing closer to where information arises.
Implications: Network design can evolve from efficiency-driven to relationship-driven—optimising for coherence, resilience, and distributed intelligence.
8. Ethical and Interdependent Technology
Currivan calls for ethical co-evolution between humanity, technology, and the planet. This is strongly supported globally:
AI ethics frameworks
• The EU AI Act, UNESCO’s recommendations, and the OECD AI Principles centre human rights, accountability, and wellbeing.
• Scholars such as Kate Crawford, Joy Buolamwini, and Ruha Benjamin document the risks of biased, extractive, or disembedded AI.
Planetary ethics
• Indigenous scholarship emphasises responsibility, reciprocity, and intergenerational care (Kimmerer, Cajete, Yunkaporta).
• Philosophers like Hans Jonas argue for an “ethic of responsibility” in technological societies.
Implications: Technology must be developed through ecological ethics, cultural wisdom, and global cooperation—aligning with the deeper relationality Currivan describes.
9. Engaging Critiques and Opposing Perspectives
While the unitive paradigm is increasingly supported by diverse fields, it is essential to recognize the critiques and tensions that exist around its assumptions. These critical perspectives help sharpen the discourse and clarify boundaries between rigorous inquiry and interpretive overreach.
Scientific Materialism and Empirical Rigour
Many physicists and cognitive scientists remain grounded in materialist frameworks, asserting that information and consciousness are emergent—not foundational. Critics such as Daniel Dennett and Sean Carroll argue that invoking consciousness or information as ontological primitives risks abandoning falsifiability. For them, metaphysical elegance must not override empirical grounding.
Skepticism of “Quantum Mysticism”
Physicists like Sabine Hossenfelder caution against extending quantum principles to domains like mind, ethics, or design without mathematical backing. The term “quantum” is frequently misused in popular science to lend unjustified authority to speculative claims. Unitive science must therefore tread carefully to remain distinct from pseudoscientific interpretations.
Anthropocentrism and Cognitive Projection
Some scholars suggest that mapping human cognitive qualities – such as meaning-making or relationality - onto the universe risks projecting anthropocentric frameworks onto systems that may operate by entirely different logics. As Bruno Latour and Timothy Morton argue, we must be cautious in attributing agency or intention to nature in ways that unconsciously mirror human patterns.
Constructive Role of Dissent
These counterpoints are not contradictions but necessary tensions. They urge unitive science to strengthen its empirical methodologies, clarify its metaphors, and distinguish poetic insight from predictive theory. In doing so, they help safeguard the integrity of this emerging field.
10. Translating Unitive Principles into Technological Action
If the universe is fundamentally relational and informational, as unitive science suggests, then the question becomes: how shall we build differently? What guiding principles might shape a unitive technological future?
From Optimization to Meaning-Making
Rather than engineering systems solely for efficiency, speed, or profit, unitive design prioritizes coherence, emergence, and relational value. AI, for example, could be designed to amplify emotional intelligence, contextual understanding, and symbiotic decision-making—transforming algorithms from extractive to connective.
From Fragmentation to Systemic Integration
Technologies can be designed to work with, not against, planetary systems. Bio-inspired design, decentralized infrastructures, and regenerative engineering point toward systems that align with life's recursive, feedback-rich architecture.
From Metrics to Values
Moving beyond GDP, energy throughput, or user engagement metrics, technological assessment can begin to include coherence, ecological embeddedness, intergenerational flourishing, and relational depth as core indicators of success.
From Control to Co-Evolution
Rather than mastering nature or automating away complexity, technology becomes a participant in living systems. This implies humility, adaptability, and a readiness to respond to feedback loops—from ecosystems, communities, and cultural wisdom traditions.
From Scarcity to Generativity
Unitive technologies recognize that abundance arises from alignment, not accumulation. Open-source platforms, distributed governance, and knowledge commons reflect this ethic of shared potential over proprietary control.
Pathways Forward
• Policy Makers: Embed planetary ethics and unitive metrics into digital infrastructure governance.
• Technologists: Build with principles of biomimicry, circularity, and interdependence.
• Educators: Foster transdisciplinary learning models grounded in relationship and systemic thinking.
• Investors: Align capital with regenerative, inclusive, and long-term value creation.
Conclusion
Currivan’s unitive science contributes to a much broader global movement recognising that:
• information is foundational
• systems evolve through relationship
• consciousness is emergent and relational
• flourishing depends on coherence across scales
• technology must operate within ecological and ethical boundaries
Her work sits alongside leading research in physics, systems theory, Indigenous knowledge, cultural evolution, and AI governance, all pointing toward a future in which technology becomes an expression of unity, not fragmentation.
A unitive approach to technology does not replace scientific understanding—it integrates it.
It invites a shift from tools of extraction to tools of connection, from mechanistic growth to regenerative evolution, and from isolated innovation to planetary flourishing.
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Wendy Ellyatt is a futurist, systems thinker, and founder of the Flourish Project, whose pioneering Eco-Systemic Flourishing (ESF) Framework integrates human development, ecological wellbeing, and collective values into a single model for thriving societies. A thought leader in regenerative futures and values-based systems change, Wendy’s research and writing focus on how integrated thinking can transform education, governance, and culture. Her projects invite diverse communities to remember their place within a living, sacred world. www.wendyellyatt.com