A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Formative Causation

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J.P. Tarcher, 1981 - Science - 229 pages
"Dr. Sheldrake looks at two major unsolved problems: What is the nature of life? How are the shapes and instincts of living organisms determined? His answer is the hypothesis of formative causation, which proposes that the form, development, and behavior of living organisms are shaped and maintained by specific fields as yet unrecognized by any science. These fields, labeled "morphogenetic fields," are molded by the form and behavior of past organisms of the same species through direct connections across both space and time. He calls the process "morphic resonance." In effect, Dr. Sheldrake's hypothesis of formative causation enables the regularities of nature to be seen as more like habits than as reflections of timeless laws" -- Page 4 of cover.

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Contents

PREFACE
9
THE UNSOLVED PROBLEMS OF BIOLOGY
17
THREE THEORIES OF MORPHOGENESIS
33
Copyright

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About the author (1981)

Rupert Sheldrake is the former director of studies in biochemistry and cell biology at Cambridge University. He lives in London.

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