About the author
Alfred Rupert Sheldrake (born 28 June 1942) is an English author and parapsychology researcher. He proposed the concept of morphic resonance, a conjecture that lacks mainstream acceptance and has been widely criticized as pseudoscience. He has worked as a biochemist at Cambridge University, a Harvard scholar, a researcher at the Royal Society, and a plant physiologist for ICRISAT in India. Other work by Sheldrake encompasses paranormal subjects such as precognition, empirical research into telepathy, and the psychic staring effect. He has been described as a New Age author. Sheldrake's morphic resonance posits that "memory is inherent in nature" and that "natural systems ... inherit a collective memory from all previous things of their kind." Sheldrake proposes that it is also responsible for "telepathy-type interconnections between organisms." His advocacy of the idea offers idiosyncratic explanations of standard subjects in biology such as development, inheritance, and memory. Critics cite a lack of evidence for morphic resonance and inconsistencies between its tenets and data from genetics, embryology, neuroscience, and biochemistry.
📖 Where to start with Rupert Sheldrake
💬 What our editors say about Rupert Sheldrake's books
“Sheldrake’s theory is provocative, challenging our understanding of causality by suggesting nature relies on habit rather than fixed laws. While the concept of morphic resonance is fascinating, it remains controversial within…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance and the Memory of Nature (Edition, Revised and Expanded)
“Sheldrake’s text is a compelling attempt to harmonize rigorous scientific inquiry with ancient mystical traditions. The author successfully delineates seven distinct practices, grounding them in both historical wisdom and modern…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Ways to Go Beyond and Why They Work: Seven Spiritual Practices for a Scientific Age
“Sheldrake’s systematic dismantling of the mind-matter barrier offers a refreshing, albeit controversial, perspective on human potential. While his argument for telepathy and the sense of being stared at as normal capabilities is…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Sense of Being Stared at: And Other Unexplained Powers of Human Minds (Edition, New)
📋 Editions by Rupert Sheldrake in the catalog
| Edition | Year | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance and the Memory of Na | 2012 | Park Street Press | 480 | 9781594774614 |
| Ways to Go Beyond and Why They Work: Seven Spiritual Practices f | 2019 | Monkfish Book Publishing | 338 | 9781948626125 |
| The Sense of Being Stared at: And Other Unexplained Powers of Hu | — | Park Street Press | 400 | 9781620550977 |
| Science and Psychic Phenomena: The Fall of the House of Skeptics | 2012 | Inner Traditions Internati | 320 | 9781594774515 |
| Science, Soul, and the Spirit of Nature: Leading Thinkers on the | 2005 | Bear & Company | 320 | 9781591430551 |
| Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unex | 2011 | Crown Publishing Group (NY | 400 | 9780307885968 |
| Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation (Revised, E | 2009 | Park Street Press | 352 | 9781594773174 |
