The Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance and the Memory of NatureExplains how self-organizing systems, from crystals to human societies, share collective memories that influence their form and behavior • Includes new evidence and research in support of the theory of morphic resonance • Explores the major role that morphic resonance plays not just in animal instincts and cultural inheritance but also in the larger process of evolution • Shows that nature is not ruled by fixed laws but by habits and collective memories In this fully revised and updated edition of The Presence of the Past, Cambridge biologist Rupert Sheldrake lays out new evidence and research in support of his controversial theory of morphic resonance and explores its far-reaching implications in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and sociology. His theory proposes that all self-organizing systems, from crystals to human society, inherit a collective memory that influences their form and behavior. This collective memory works through morphic fields, which organize the bodies of plants and animals, coordinate the activities of brains, and underlie conscious mental activity. Sheldrake shows how all human beings draw upon and contribute to a collective human memory and that even our individual recollections depend on morphic resonance rather than physical storage in the brain. He explores the major role that morphic resonance plays not just in animal instincts and cultural inheritance, such as religion and ritual, but also in the larger process of evolution, which Sheldrake shows to be more an interplay of habit and creativity than a mere “survival of the fittest.” Offering a replacement for the outdated, mechanistic worldview that has dominated biology since the nineteenth century, Sheldrake’s new understanding of life, matter, and mind shows that rather than being ruled by fixed laws, nature is essentially habitual. And because memory is inherent in nature, he explains, in order to survive successfully for generations to come, we will have to give up our old habits of thought and adopt new ones: habits that are better adapted to life in a world living in the presence of the past--as well as the presence of the future. |
Contents
FROM HUMAN PROGRESS TO UNIVERSAL EVOLUTION | |
THE NATURE OF PHYSICAL FORMS | |
THE MYSTERY OF MORPHOGENESIS | |
MORPHOGENETIC FIELDS | |
FIELDS MATTER AND MORPHIC RESONANCE | |
THE MORPHIC FIELDS OF ANIMAL SOCIETIES | |
THE FIELDS OF HUMAN SOCIETIES AND CULTURES | |
Rituals | |
THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE | |
COSMIC EVOLUTION | |
CREATIVITY WITHIN A LIVING WORLD | |
EPILOGUE | |
ENDNOTES | |
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The Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance and the Memory of Nature Rupert Sheldrake No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
acquired characteristics animals assumption atoms behavior big bang biologists biology birds brain cells century changes chapter chemical chreodes concept creativity crystals cultural Darwin Dawkins depends effect embryos energy entelechy epigenetic inheritance eternal evolution evolutionary process evolve example existence experience experimental explain figure flies formative causation galaxies genes genetic program habits hippocampus holons human hypothesis of formative Ibid idea individual influence inheritance involves kind language laws of nature learning living organisms material mathematical matter mechanistic theory memory traces mind models modern molecules morphic fields morphic resonance morphic units morphogenesis morphogenetic fields multiverse mutations natural selection neo-Darwinism nest occur organizing principles paradigm particles past patterns of activity patterns of organization philosophy physicists physics plants Platonic possible protein protein folding quantum realm Richard Dawkins rituals role scientific self-resonance selfish genes sense Sheldrake similar social species stabilized by morphic structures things thought tradition transcendent universe words