The Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance and the Habits of Nature - Hardcover

Sheldrake Rupert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0812916662 ISBN 13: 9780812916669

Publisher: Times Books, 1988

Synopsis

This book develops the revolutionary theory that behaviour and social systems are not only governed by immutable and mechanistic laws, which is the traditional viewpoint, but also by habits transmitted by nature's inherent memory. Rupert Sheldrake's hypothesis is that all natural systems from crystals to man inherit a collective memory of their kind. Thus, rabbits are rabbit-shaped not only because their DNA encodes their proteins, but also because nature has a "morphic field", in their case, a rabbit-habit, that informs their growth and instinctive behaviour. This inherent memory depends on "morphic resonance", a process that involves action at a distance in both space and time. The author also wrote "A New Science of Life".

About this title

Review:

'Engaging, provocative ... a tour de force' --New Scientist

'One of the most profound and far-reaching books of modern scientific philosophy ... eminently accessible to the general reader.' --Fortean Times

From the Back Cover:

Why are rabbits rabbit-shaped? Once blue tits began pecking the tops off milk bottles, why did the habit spread magically across Europe? After Roger Bannister ran the four-minute mile, why did it begin to be broken everywhere?

In 'The Presence of the Past' Rupert Sheldrake's explosive scientific theory provides a new and radical solution to the conundrums of life. Dr Sheldrake's hypothesis is that memory is inherent in nature – all natural systems from crystals to man inherit a collective memory of their kind. Thus, rabbits are rabbit-shaped not only because their DNA encodes their proteins, but also because nature has a 'morphic field', in their case, a rabbit-habit, that informs their growth and instinctive behaviour. According to Dr Sheldrake's theory of 'formative causation', this inherent memory depends on 'morphic resonance', a process that involves action at a distance in both space and time. Far from being stored as material traces within our brains, our own memories result from our tuning in to ourselves in the past.

"...few of us recognize revolutions in the making. Anyone who wants to be able to say in the future, 'I was there', had better read 'The Presence of the Past'
NICHOLAS HUMPHREY

"engaging, provocative ... a tour de force"
NEW SCIENTIST

About this edition

• Publisher: Times Books
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0812916662
• ISBN 13: 9780812916669
• Binding: Hardcover