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Alfred Rupert Sheldrake (born 28 June 1942) is an English author, parapsychologist, and former biochemist and plant physiologist. His writings are largely centred around his hypothesis of "morphic resonance", which posits that "natural systems, such as termite colonies, or pigeons, or orchid plants, or insulin molecules, inherit a collective memory from all previous things of their kind" and is responsible for "mysterious telepathy-type interconnections between organisms". As such, it encompasses topics such as animal and plant development and behaviour along with various parapsychological claims involving memory, telepathy, perception and cognition.

Sheldrake's work in this area is widely rejected within the scientific community, with some calling it pseudoscience and based on magical thinking. Concerns include the lack of reproducible evidence, the inconsistency of the hypothesis of "morphic resonance" with scientific theories and associated evidence for them, and concern that the hypothesis is overly vague and unfalsifiable. Sheldrake's experimental methods have also been criticised for being poorly designed and subject to experimenter bias, and subsequently poorly interpreted.

Sheldrake's publications include A New Science of Life (1981), Seven Experiments That Could Change the World (1994), Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home (1999), The Sense of Being Stared At (2003), and The Science Delusion: Freeing the Spirit of Enquiry, called Science Set Free in the US (2012).

Early life and education

Sheldrake was born in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire to Doris (née Tebbutt) and Reginald Alfred Sheldrake (1903-1970), a family of Methodists. His father graduated from Nottingham University with a degree in pharmacy, was also an amateur naturalist and microscopist who encouraged his son's interest in plants and animals.

Sheldrake was educated at Worksop College and Clare College, Cambridge (with a year at Harvard University) where he obtained a BA and PhD in biochemistry.

Academic career

After working as a post-doc, Sheldrake became a fellow of Clare College, where he was director of studies in biochemistry and cell biology. According to Sheldrake, he ended this line of study when he concluded, "The system is circular, it does not explain how established to start with. After nine years of intensive study, it became clear to me that biochemistry would not solve the problem of why things have the basic shape they do." He then worked on the physiology of tropical crops in Hyderabad, India, as Principal Plant Physiologist at ICRISAT, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics from 1975 to 1985. For a year and a half he lived in the ashram of Bede Griffiths, where he wrote his first book, A New Science of Life.

Since 2003, Sheldrake has been a visiting professor at the Graduate Institute in Bethany, Connecticut, where he was also academic director of the Holistic Learning and Thinking Program from 2003 to 2012. From September 2005 until 2010, Sheldrake was the Perrott-Warrick Senior Researcher in psychical research, appointed by Trinity College, Cambridge.

Books

A New Science of Life and The Presence of the Past

Sheldrake published his first book, A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Morphic Resonance, in 1981. In this book he proposed that "morphic resonance" explained various perceived phenomena – particularly biological ones – become more probable the more often they occur, and therefore biological growth and behaviour become guided into patterns laid down by previous similar events. As a result, newly acquired behaviours are subject to inheritance by subsequent generations – a form of Lamarckism. He suggested that this underlies many aspects of science, from evolution to laws of nature. He also suggested that the laws of nature are mutable habits which have evolved since the Big Bang.

In September 1981, Nature published an editorial written by John Maddox, the journal's senior editor, entitled "A book for burning?" Maddox said:

...Sheldrake's argument is in no sense a scientific argument but is an exercise in pseudo-science... Many readers will be left with the impression that Sheldrake has succeeded in finding a place for magic within scientific discussion – and this, indeed, may have been a part of the objective of writing such a book.

Maddox concluded that the book shouldn't be burned, but this didn't prevent the article title from being widely repeated. Some reviewers granted Sheldrake some leeway based upon his past work, for instance a generally positive review appeared in New Scientist by Theodore Roszak which called the book "engaging, provocative... a tour de force", however New Scientist would no longer endorse the book today.

The Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance and the Habits of Nature (1988) continued the topic of morphic resonance, one aspect of the "formative causation" hypothesis Sheldrake introduced in A New Science of Life.

In 2009 a revised and expanded edition of A New Science of Life was published in the United States under the title Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation.

Since the first publication of A New Science of Life until the present, scientists have failed to find reliable evidence for Sheldrake's "morphic resonance" and some consider it to be pseduoscience.

Seven Experiments and Dogs That Know

In 1994 Sheldrake proposed a list of Seven Experiments That Could Change the World. He encouraged lay people to contribute to scientific research and argued that scientific experiments similar to his own could be conducted on a shoestring budget. This included the seed of Sheldrake's next book, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, which covered his research into telepathy between humans and animals, particularly dogs.

Prior to the publication of Dogs That Know, Richard Wiseman independently conducted an experimental study with one of the dogs mentioned in the book and concluded that the evidence gathered did not support telepathy.

The Sense of Being Stared At

In 2003 Sheldrake published The Sense of Being Stared At which explored telepathy, precognition, and the "psychic staring effect." It included an experiment where blindfolded subjects guessed whether persons were staring at them or at another target. He reported that, in tens of thousands of trials, 60% of subjects reported being stared at when being stared at; 50% of subjects reported being stared at when they were not being stared at.

Despite various efforts, scientists have been unable to duplicate these results.

The Science Delusion / Science Set Free

The Science Delusion, published on 1 January 2012 in the UK and in the US on 4 September 2012 as Science Set Free: 10 Paths to New Discovery, summarises much of his previous work and encapsulates it into a broader critique of modern materialism, with the title apparently mimicking that of The God Delusion by one of Sheldrake's critics, Richard Dawkins. (In an interview with Fortean Times, Sheldrake denied that Dawkins' book was the inspiration for his own. "The title was at the insistence of my publishers, and the book will be re-titled in the USA as Science Set Free. Dawkins is far less important outside Britain (...) Dawkins is a passionate believer in materialist dogma, but the book is not a response to him - although I do object to his dumbed-down representation of science.") Sheldrake proposes a number of questions as the theme of each chapter, which seek to elaborate on his central premise that science is predicated on the belief that the nature of reality is fully understood, with only minor details needing to be filled in. This "delusion" is what Sheldrake argues has turned science into a series of dogmas, rather than a genuinely open-minded approach to investigating phenomena; he argues that there are many powerful taboos that circumscribe what scientists can legitimately direct their attention towards.

Graham Lawton, deputy editor of New Scientist, characterised Science Set Free as "woolly credulousness" and chided Sheldrake for "uncritically embracing all kinds of fringe ideas".

The book was positively reviewed in The Guardian by philosopher Mary Midgley and writer Mark Vernon.

Bibliography

• A New Science of Life: the hypothesis of formative causation, Los Angeles, CA: J.P. Tarcher, 1981 (second edition 1985, third edition 2009). ISBN 978-1-84831-042-1.
• The Presence of the Past: morphic resonance and the habits of nature, New York, NY: Times Books, 1988. ISBN 0-8129-1666-2.
• The Rebirth of Nature: the greening of science and God, New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1991. ISBN 0-553-07105-X.
• Seven Experiments That Could Change the World: a do-it-yourself guide to revolutionary science, New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 1995. ISBN 1-57322-014-0.
• Dogs that Know When Their Owners are Coming Home: and other unexplained powers of animals, New York, NY: Crown, 1999 (second edition 2011). ISBN 978-0-307-88596-8.
• The Sense of Being Stared At: and other aspects of the extended mind, New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-609-60807-X.
• The Science Delusion: Freeing the spirit of enquiry, London: Coronet, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4447-2795-1.
• Science Set Free: 10 Paths to New Discovery. Deepak Chopra, 2012. ISBN 978-0770436704.

With Ralph Abraham and Terence McKenna:

• Trialogues at the Edge of the West: chaos, creativity, and the resacralization of the world, Santa Fe, NM: Bear & Co. Pub., 1992. ISBN 0-939680-97-1.
• The Evolutionary Mind: trialogues at the edge of the unthinkable, Santa Cruz, CA: Dakota Books, 1997. ISBN 0-9632861-1-0.
• Chaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousness, Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 2001. ISBN 0-89281-977-4.
• The Evolutionary Mind: conversations on science, imagination & spirit, Rhinebeck, NY: Monkfish Book Pub. Co., 2005. ISBN 0-9749359-7-2.

With Matthew Fox:

• Natural Grace: dialogues on creation, darkness, and the soul in spirituality and science, New York, NY: Doubleday, 1996. ISBN 0-385-48356-2.
• The Physics of Angels: exploring the realm where science and spirit meet, San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996. ISBN 0-06-062864-2.

Miscellaneous

Sheldrake has received some popular coverage in newspapers, on radio and on television. A morphic field experiment of his was conducted by the BBC popular science programme Tomorrow's World. He was one of the subjects of a six-part documentary series called Heretic, broadcast on BBC 2 in 1994. On 18 May 2009, he appeared on The Museum of Curiosity on BBC Radio 4.

Sheldrake has been accused of self-promotion and of negatively impacting the public understanding of science.

Sheldrake has entered into a scientific wager with fellow biologist Lewis Wolpert on the importance of DNA in the developing organism. Wolpert bet Sheldrake "a case of fine port, Quinta do Vesuvio 2005" that by the First of May 2029, "given the genome of a fertilised egg of an animal or plant, we will be able to predict in at least one case all the details of the organism that develops from it, including any abnormalities." Sheldrake denies that DNA contains a blueprint of morphological development. If the outcome is not obvious, the British Royal Society will be asked to determine the winner.

In April 2008, Sheldrake was stabbed in the leg by a mentally ill man during a lecture in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sheldrake has since recovered.

Personal life

Rupert is married to Jill Purce, and they have two sons.

Sheldrake has a Methodist background but after a spell as an atheist found himself being drawn back to Christianity when in India, and is now an Anglican.

See also

• Fritjof Capra
• Epigenetics
• Hundredth monkey effect
• Noosphere
• Bodo Sperling
• Synchronicity
• Lyall Watson

Notes

References

1. ^ Whitfield, John. "Telepathy debate hits London". Nature. Retrieved 13 Jul. 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
2. ^ "Biography of Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D." sheldrake.org. Retrieved 18 Mar. 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
3. ^ Shermer, Michael. "Rupert's Resonance". Scientific American. Retrieved 13 Jul. 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
4. ^ Maddox, J. (1999). "Dogs, telepathy and quantum mechanics". Nature. 401(6756): 849–850.
5. ^ Gardner, M. (1988). The New Age: notes of a fringe-watcher. Prometheus books. Almost all scientists who have looked into Sheldrake's theory consider it balderdash.
6. ^ Samuel, L. R. (2011). Supernatural America: A Cultural History: A Cultural History. ABC-CLIO. ...most biologists considered Sheldrake's theory of morphic resonance hogwash...
7. ^ Lewis Wolpert (11 January 1984). "A matter of fact or fancy?: SECOND OPINION". The Guardian. p. 11.
8. ^ "A book for burning?" (PDF). Nature. 293 (5830): 245–246. 24 September 1981. Bibcode:1981Natur.293R.245.. doi:10.1038/293245b0. ...Sheldrake's argument is in no sense a scientific argument but is an exercise in pseudo-science.
9. ^ Rose, S. (1992). "So-called "Formative Causation". A Hypothesis Disconfirmed. Response to Rupert Sheldrake" (pdf). Riv. Biol./Biol. Forum. 85: 445–453. Along with parapsychology, corn circles, creationism, ley-lines and "deep ecology", "formative causation", or "morphic resonance" has many of the characteristics of such pseudosciences... {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
10. ^ L'Imposture Scientifique en Dix Lecons, "Pseudoscience in Ten Lessons," By Michel de Pracontal. Editions La Decouverte, Paris, 2001. ISBN 2-7071-3293-4.
11. ^ Sharma, Ruchir (2012). Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles. WW Norton & Company. Despite Sheldrake's legitimate scientific credentials, his peers have roundly dismissed his theory as pseudoscience.
12. ^ Robert Todd Carroll. "Morphic Resonance". Skepdic.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
13. ^ Rutherford, Adam (6 February 2009). "A book for ignoring: Sheldrake persists in his claims, despite the fact that there's no evidence for them. This is bad science". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 Jul. 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
14. ^ Sue Blackmore (4 February 2009). "An idea with resonance: More than anything, Sheldrake's continuing popularity is rooted in our need to believe". The Guardian.
15. ^ Steven Rose (13 April 1988). "Some facts that just don't resonate: Second opinion". The Guardian. p. 27.
16. ^ Blackmore, S. (27 August 1999). "If the truth is out there, we've not found it yet". The Times Higher Education Supplement. 18.
17. ^ David F. Marks and John Colwell (2000). The Psychic Staring Effect: An Artifact of Pseudo Randomization, Skeptical Inquirer, September/October 2000. Reprint. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
18. ^ Psi wars: Getting to grips with the paranormal. Imprint Academic. 2003. Rupert Sheldrake's (1994) popular book Seven Experiments That Could Change the World is more of a collection of seven deadly sins of science and, from a philosophy of science standpoint, a documentation of the reasons why parapsychology is regarded as pseudoscience. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
19. ^ Wiseman, Richard; Smith, Matthew; Milton, Julie (2000). "The 'psychic pet' phenomenon: a reply to Rupert Sheldrake" (pdf). Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
20. Marriage record registered in September 1934, @ FreeBMD Images ref 1934M3-T-0308
21. "Birth record". Findmypast.com.
22. Marriage record registered in September 1934, @ FreeBMD Images ref 1934M3-S-0193
23. "Reginald Sheldrake Upon his Graduation, Newark, c 1924". Picturethepast.org.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
24. ^ "Biography of Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D. – Part II". Sheldrake.org. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
25. ^ Brad Lemley; Cannon, C; Barbour, R; Burke, RL; Games, D; Grajeda, H; Guido, T; Hu, K; Huang, J (2000). "Heresy". Discover. 6 (8): 916–9. doi:10.1038/78682. PMID 10932230. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
26. ICRISAT
27. ^ Biography of Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D., www.sheldrake.org/. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
28. Faculty and Administrative Staff, The Graduate Institute, Bethany, Connecticut
29. "The Perrott-Warrick Project". Sheldrake.org. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
30. Sheldrake, Rupert. "2011 Perrott-Warrick Lecture: The Evolution of Telepathy". University of Cambridge Computing Service. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
31. Jay Walljasper (2005). "A Heretic for our times". Ode (28). Retrieved 31 August 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
32. Palmer, Trevor (2003). Perilous Planet Earth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 173–174. ISBN 0-521-81928-8.
33. ^ Graham Lawton (14 June 2011). "Sheldrake book: Did we really say that?". New Scientist.
34. Rupert Sheldrake. Seven experiments that could change the world: a do-it-yourself guide to revolutionary science, New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 1995. ISBN 1-57322-014-0.
35. ^ Wiseman, R.; Smith, M.; Milton, J. (1998). "Can animals detect when their owners are returning home? An experimental test of the 'psychic pet' phenomenon" (pdf). British Journal of Psychology. 89(3): 453–462.
36. ^ Baker, R. A. (2000). "Can We Tell When Someone is Staring at Us?". Skeptical Inquirer. 24(2): 34–40.
37. Marshall, Steve (2012). Fortean Times. 286: 38. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
38. Lawton, Graham (31 August 2012). "Science's greatest critic is no mood to recant". New Scientist.
39. ^ Mary Midgley (27 January 2012). "The Science Delusion by Rupert Sheldrake - review".
40. ^ Mark Vernon (28 January 2012). "It's time for science to move on from materialism".
41. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3NQ9TTwabs
42. What can DNA tell us? Place your bets now New Scientist, 8 July 2009.
43. "Ein Portwein auf die Gene," Die Zeit, 11 July 2009 Die Zeit
44. Sheldrake, Rupert (2012) The Science Delusion, pp. 172-173
45. "Alleged assailant says he's not crazy". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
46. Sharpe, T. (2008) Judge orders mental-health help for man who insists his mind is being controlled. Santa Fe New Mexican, 5 December.
47. Jill Purce's website
48. Why I am Still an Anglican, Continuum 2006, pages 119-131

External links

• Official website
• Sheldrake, Rupert ♦ The Variability of Fundamental Constants
• On Overlapping Morphic Fields An interview with Dr Sheldrake

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• English Anglicans
• Living people
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• English writers on paranormal topics
• Parapsychologists
• Telepathy
• Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge
• People educated at Worksop College
• People from Newark-on-Trent