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Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality — Mysticism

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Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality

Name: Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality
Price: 15.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Horgan, John
ISBN: 9780618446636

✍️ Horgan, John

Reader Score

4.5

(1 review) 91 sold

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

John Horgan, a celebrated investigative journalist, ventures into the fascinating intersection of spiritual phenomena and scientific understanding. This book meticulously explores the underlying mechanisms of mystical experiences, from ancient trances to modern meditative states. Horgan probes how our physiology and psychology contribute to transcendent moments, employing insights from neuroscience, anthropology, and even psychedelic chemistry. He seeks to illuminate the shared threads connecting diverse spiritual practices, offering a compelling bridge between rigorous rational inquiry and the often-ineffable world of spiritual wonder, without reducing one to the other.

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Mysticism

Praise for this book

“A marvelous book....[Horgan has] a gift for pulling back the curtain to unveil diminutive wizards, a technique he employs adroitly in this new book....”

— Dick Teresi The New York Times Book Review

“[A] great read, full of amusing vignettes and thoughtful reflections.”

— Stephen Mihm The Washington Post

🏛 HarperOne 📅 2004 📖 292 pages 🌐 en 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9780618446636

Fun Fact

Horgan delivers a masterclass in intellectual curiosity, offering a refreshingly balanced and rigorously researched exploration of spiritual experiences through a scientific lens. This isn't a book for those seeking dogmatic answers or a purely reductionist view of the divine; instead, it's for the intellectually honest seeker. It excels at synthesizing vast amounts of information from disparate fields, making it a cornerstone text for anyone navigating the intricate borderlands of consciousness and the sacred, pushing the conversation forward with journalistic integrity.

📝 Description: Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality

John Horgan, author of the best-selling The End of Science, chronicles the most advanced research into the mechanics--and meaning--of mystical experiences. How do trances, visions, prayer, satori, and other mystical experiences "work"? What induces and defines them? Is there a scientific explanation for religious mysteries and transcendent meditation? John Horgan investigates a wide range of fields -- chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, theology, and more -- to narrow the gap between reason and mystical phenomena. As both a seeker and an award-winning journalist, Horgan consulted a wide range of experts, including theologian Huston Smith, spiritual heir to Joseph Campbell; Andrew Newberg, the scientist whose quest for the "God module" was the focus of a Newsweek cover story; Ken Wilber, prominent transpersonal psychologist; Alexander Shulgin, legendary psychedelic drug chemist; and Susan Blackmore, Oxford-educated psychologist, parapsychology debunker, and Zen practitioner. Horgan explores the striking similarities between "mystical technologies" like sensory deprivation, prayer, fasting, trance, dancing, meditation, and drug trips. He participates in experiments that seek the neurological underpinnings of mystical experiences. And, finally, he recounts his own search for enlightenment -- adventurous, poignant, and sometimes surprisingly comic. Horgan's conclusions resonate with the controversial climax of The End of Science, because, as he argues, the most enlightened mystics and the most enlightened scientists end up in the same place -- confronting the imponderable depth of the universe.

💎 Expert review

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Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Horgan’s rigorous journalistic approach demystifies spiritual phenomena by anchoring them in neuroscience and anthropology. While this scientific lens provides clarity and accessibility, it may disappoint readers seeking purely devotional, theological, or esoteric guidance. Those looking for magical theory or faith-based validation might find the reductionist tendencies frustrating. However, for those willing to engage with hard data, the text offers a compelling, unbiased exploration of how human brains generate transcendent experiences. It is a valuable resource for skeptics and believers alike who want to understand the 'how' without losing the 'why'.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

Readers who find traditional mysticism too vague or hard science too cold will find profound satisfaction in this bridge between worlds. It is ideal for the intellectually curious seeker who demands evidence alongside wonder. By unpacking the physiological and psychological mechanics of transcendence, Horgan offers a respectful, grounded perspective on spiritual experience. You gain clarity on how neuroscience and anthropology explain altered states without diminishing their beauty. If you have ever wondered if your mystical moments are merely brain chemistry, this book provides a nuanced answer that honors both the mystery and the mechanism, making it essential for anyone navigating the border between rational thought and spiritual depth.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you are a seeker who yearns to understand the 'how' behind spiritual experiences, or a scientist open to the profound depths of human consciousness, this book is for you. It appeals to those who embrace inquiry over dogma in exploring the sacred.

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Horgan’s rigorous journalistic approach demystifies spiritual phenomena by anchoring them in neuroscience and anthropology. While this scientific lens provides clarity and accessibility, it may disappoint readers seeking purely devotional, theological, or esoteric guidance. Those looking for magical theory or faith-based validation might find the reductionist tendencies frustrating. However, for those willing to engage with hard data, the text offers a compelling, unbiased exploration of how human brains generate transcendent experiences. It is a valuable resource for skeptics and believers alike who want to understand the 'how' without losing the 'why'.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, Horgan's objective is not theological proof. Instead, he applies a journalistic and scientific lens to understand the *mechanics* and *meaning* of mystical experiences themselves, irrespective of their ultimate source or divine attribution.

Horgan, as an award-winning journalist, strives for a balanced perspective. He engages with a diverse array of experts, from theologians to psychedelic chemists and skeptics, presenting a panoramic view rather than advocating a single stance.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Science Meets Spirituality

Horgan masterfully navigates the dialogue between empirical science and subjective spiritual experience. He investigates how fields like neuroscience and psychology can offer insights into the nature of visions, prayer, and enlightenment, not to debunk them, but to understand their genesis within the human mind and body. It's an exploration of synthesis, not opposition.

Mechanisms of Mysticism

This work delves into the various 'technologies' and conditions that induce altered states of consciousness. From sensory deprivation and fasting to intense prayer, trance, and psychedelic compounds, Horgan examines the physiological and psychological pathways through which these diverse practices lead to profound mystical experiences, seeking common patterns.

Universal Paths to Transcendence

The book highlights the striking similarities found across a wide spectrum of mystical traditions and practices. By consulting theologians, psychologists, and practitioners from different cultures, Horgan reveals a shared human capacity for transcendent states, suggesting that the quest for spiritual insight transcends specific dogmas and manifests in remarkably consistent ways.

📜 Historical context

Horgan's work stands firmly within a lineage of inquiry that seeks to bridge the chasm between scientific materialism and spiritual understanding. It draws on traditions of transpersonal psychology, the psychology of religion, and nascent fields like neurotheology, continuing a centuries-old quest to reconcile inner experience with external observation, updated for the modern scientific era.

📚 Glossary

Mysticism
Satori
Transpersonal Psychology

📔 Questions to reflect on

Reflect on a time you experienced an altered state of consciousness, perhaps through nature, art, or meditation. How did it change your perception, and how might science explain its mechanisms?
Considering the 'mystical technologies' Horgan explores (fasting, dance, drugs), which ones resonate with you, and how might they be incorporated responsibly into a personal spiritual practice?
How does the idea of a 'rational mysticism' challenge or affirm your existing beliefs about the relationship between scientific understanding and spiritual faith?