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Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation (Revised, Expanded) — Mysticism

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Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation (Revised, Expanded)

Name: Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation (Revised, Expanded)
Price: 16.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Sheldrake, Rupert
ISBN: 9781594773174

✍️ Sheldrake, Rupert

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4.4

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

Rupert Sheldrake's controversial yet compelling work introduces 'morphic resonance,' a radical concept proposing that past forms and behaviors influence present ones through non-material connections. This expanded edition continues to challenge the prevailing mechanistic view of life, suggesting that nature's regularities are more akin to evolving habits than immutable laws. It delves into the profound implications of morphogenetic fields across biology, chemistry, and physics, offering a new lens through which to understand evolution, consciousness, and the very fabric of existence, sparking intense debate since its initial publication.

Sheldrake, Rupert

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Praise for this book

“Sheldrake's theories continue to gain verification, and this book is particularly important because its implications affect the way we view the natural world, as well as ourselves, as one small part of it. Morphic Resonance is therefore strongly recommended to anyone interested in understanding current thought about what may lie behind the formation of all natural systems.”

— New Age Retailer, March 2010

🏛 Park Street Press 📅 2009 📖 352 pages 🌐 en 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9781594773174

Fun Fact

Sheldrake's groundbreaking work remains a pivotal text for those exploring the frontiers of consciousness and biology. While it offers a breathtaking alternative to purely materialist science, readers seeking conventional empirical validation for every claim might find themselves challenged. It serves as a vital bridge between scientific inquiry and ancient esoteric wisdom, inviting a radical re-evaluation of reality and solidifying its place as a seminal work in the broader occult and new thought movements.

📝 Description: Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation (Revised, Expanded)

New updated and expanded edition of the groundbreaking book that ignited a firestorm in the scientific world with its radical approach to evolution - Explains how past forms and behaviors of organisms determine those of similar organisms in the present through morphic resonance - Reveals the nonmaterial connections that allow direct communication across time and space When A New Science of Life was first published the British journal Nature called it "the best candidate for burning there has been for many years." The book called into question the prevailing mechanistic theory of life when its author, Rupert Sheldrake, a former research fellow of the Royal Society, proposed that morphogenetic fields are responsible for the characteristic form and organization of systems in biology, chemistry, and physics--and that they have measurable physical effects. Using his theory of morphic resonance, Sheldrake was able to reinterpret the regularities of nature as being more like habits than immutable laws, offering a new understanding of life and consciousness. In the years since its first publication, Sheldrake has continued his research to demonstrate that the past forms and behavior of organisms influence present organisms through direct immaterial connections across time and space. This can explain why new chemicals become easier to crystallize all over the world the more often their crystals have already formed, and why when laboratory rats have learned how to navigate a maze in one place, rats elsewhere appear to learn it more easily. With more than two decades of new research and data, Rupert Sheldrake makes an even stronger case for the validity of the theory of formative causation that can radically transform how we see our world and our future.

📑 What's inside

Preface to the 2009 Edition Acknowledgments Introduction
1 The Unsolved Problems of Biology
1.1 The background of success
1.2 The problems of morphogenesis
1.3 Behavior
1.4 Evolution
1.5 The origin of life
1.6 Minds
1.7 Parapsychology
1.8 Conclusions
2 Three Theories of Morphogenesis
2.1 Descriptive and experimental research
2.2 Mechanism
2.3 Vitalism
2.4 Organicism
3 The Causes of Form
3.1 The problem of form
3.2 Form and energy
3.3 The structures of crystals
3.4 The structures of proteins
3.5 Formative causation
4 Morphogenetic Fields
4.1 Morphogenetic germs
4.2 Chemical morphogenesis
4.3 Morphogenetic fields as "probability structures"
4.4 Probabilistic processes in biological morphogenesis
4.5 Morphogenetic germs in biological systems
5 The Influence of Past Forms
5.1 The constancy and repetition of forms
5.2 The general possibility of trans-temporal causal connections
5.3 Morphic resonance
5.4 The influence of the past
5.5 Implications of an attenuated morphic resonance
5.6 An experimental test with crystals
6 Formative Causation and Morphogenesis
6.1 Sequential morphogeneses
6.2 The polarity of morphogenetic fields
6.3 The size of morphogenetic fields
6.4 The increasing specificity of morphic resonance during morphogenesis
6.5 The maintenance and stability of forms
6.6 A note on physical "dualism"
6.7 A summary of the hypothesis of formative causation
7 The Inheritance of Form
7.1 Genetics and heredity
7.2 Altered morphogenetic germs
7.3 Altered pathways of morphogenesis
7.4 Dominance
7.5 Family resemblances
7.6 Environmental influences and morphic resonance
7.7 The inheritance of acquired characteristics
7.8 Epigenetic inheritance
7.9 Experiments with phenocopies
8 The Evolution of Biological Forms
8.1 The neo-Darwinian theory of evolution
8.2 Mutations
8.3 The divergence of chreodes
8.4 The suppression of chreodes
8.5 The repetition of chreodes
8.6 The influence of other species
8.7 The origin of new forms

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💎 Expert review

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Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

This text presents a radical vision of formative causation that will delight those eager to dismantle mechanistic views of life. However, it may frustrate readers who demand conventional empirical proof or strictly adhere to traditional scientific methodologies. The controversial nature of the theory means it lacks broad consensus, which might alienate skeptics expecting definitive answers. It is best suited for philosophical explorers rather than hardline empiricists. While intellectually stimulating and beautifully argued, its speculative depth requires a willingness to embrace uncertainty and non-material connections as valid explanatory tools.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers fascinated by the interconnectedness of all life will find profound value in this expanded exploration. It offers a compelling alternative to rigid scientific dogma, inviting you to view evolution as a dynamic process of habit rather than fixed law. Those seeking to understand consciousness and existence beyond material constraints will appreciate the bold theoretical framework. It is ideal for open-minded thinkers willing to question established norms about how nature operates across biology, chemistry, and physics.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

If you question conventional scientific dogma and seek a broader understanding of life's interconnectedness, this revised edition offers profound insights into evolution, consciousness, and the very fabric of reality. Prepare to have your worldview expanded by a truly original mind.

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

This text presents a radical vision of formative causation that will delight those eager to dismantle mechanistic views of life. However, it may frustrate readers who demand conventional empirical proof or strictly adhere to traditional scientific methodologies. The controversial nature of the theory means it lacks broad consensus, which might alienate skeptics expecting definitive answers. It is best suited for philosophical explorers rather than hardline empiricists. While intellectually stimulating and beautifully argued, its speculative depth requires a willingness to embrace uncertainty and non-material connections as valid explanatory tools.

❓ Frequently asked questions

It is the concept that self-organizing systems, from molecules to organisms, inherit a collective memory or 'habit' from similar past systems, influencing their form, structure, and behavior through non-material morphogenetic fields, rather than solely genetic or physical laws.

It directly confronts the prevailing mechanistic, materialist understanding of life by proposing non-local, non-material connections and 'habits' of nature instead of immutable physical laws. This redefines causation and evolution, questioning the fundamental assumptions of mainstream biology and physics.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Resonant Forms & Habits

Sheldrake posits that organisms, and even crystals, are not merely products of genetics or physical forces, but inherit a collective memory from similar past systems. This 'morphic resonance' influences their development and behavior, suggesting that nature operates through ingrained, evolving habits rather than strict, unyielding laws, fundamentally altering our understanding of inheritance.

Beyond Material Limits

This book boldly ventures beyond the confines of purely material science, introducing the concept of non-physical 'morphogenetic fields.' These fields are proposed to facilitate direct, non-local communication across time and space, providing a framework for understanding how systems are organized and connected in ways that defy conventional reductionist explanations, fostering a holistic worldview.

Evolution Reimagined

By proposing that formative causation, guided by morphic resonance, shapes development, Sheldrake offers a profound reinterpretation of evolution. He suggests that the past experiences and forms of a species contribute to the development of its future generations, providing a dynamic, memory-infused model of natural development that complements and extends Darwinian theory.

📜 Historical context

First published amidst the mechanistic scientific consensus of the late 20th century, Sheldrake's work ignited a firestorm, challenging established paradigms with its 'heretical' ideas. It found its place among other pioneering theories exploring consciousness and non-local phenomena, becoming a cornerstone text within the burgeoning fields of new thought, parapsychology, and consciousness studies, despite initial academic resistance.

📚 Glossary

Morphic Resonance
Morphogenetic Fields
Formative Causation

📔 Questions to reflect on

How might the concept of morphic resonance influence your understanding of personal habits, cultural traditions, or even collective human consciousness?
If organisms inherit collective memory, what profound implications does this have for the processes of evolution, learning, and the very nature of biological inheritance?
Consider a phenomenon you observe in nature or society. How might Sheldrake's ideas offer an alternative or complementary explanation to purely mechanistic or reductionist ones?