brilliant

a brilliant collection of relevant questions that should be addressed in our current science.

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Stick with it . . .

Rupert Sheldrake’s ‘The Science Delusion: Freeing the spirit of enquiry’ commences with an enticing promise to shrug off dogmatism and intolerance in key areas of scientific enquiry. Despite many interesting and appropriate examples, half-way through I was becoming disappointed that the book was more of a rear-guard action against the critics of Sheldrake’s pet theory of morphic resonance. He also has a few personal gripes, some of which take a little ‘bravery’ to get off his chest.

However, fresh insights, based on Sheldrake’s own experience, research and sense of history, drag the book back into a convincing treatise for scientists to acknowledge and move beyond myopia and conformism. Sheldrake’s examples will resonate with many readers. While many of these points are addressed at the level of society, there are insights for individual thinking too.

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An intellectual tour de force

Wow. I loved it. Rupert Sheldrake covers such a huge expanse of knowledge with the perfect balance of breadth and depth. His narration is therapeutic and reflects both his formidable intellect and sincerity. Without any bombast or zealotry, he calmly dismantles the materialist worldview and the pretensions of those who champion it as their religion.

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Yep ... great points

Basically about making the sciences and scientific research into more of a dialogue of ideas rather than an upholding of dogma. Great brief history of scientific philosophy over the centuries in the introduction, which sets the book up well for an exploration and criticism of the materialistic and mechanistic nature of science and scientific research today. His argument is repeated throughout the book and unfortunately it became a bit tiresome after a while. However the book is littered with lots of examples of anomalies in nature (e.g. the process of DNA coupling) that materialistic science can not explain. His hypothesis of "morphic resonance" to explain such anomalies (and more), is risky , but is fascinating and draws on already established fundamental explanations like quantum mechanics. I plan to read his original book on this proposed theory. Yep recommended.

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Wrong title, right analysis

A gem for the thinking person. Sheldrake is not anti-science (hence wrong title), rather, he is dismayed at the intellectual incuriousness of materialism (hence right analysis). Materialism believes the world can be explained by reducing reality to it's constituent parts and physical forces, including you. Thoughts are the product of physics, chemistry and laws of their interaction, and therefore deterministic.

Which makes me and you a form of i-robot. If you think you disagree it's only because a molecule having a chemical reaction told you so! So claim materialists. Sheldrake takes apart the obvious logical fallacies, and takes recourse to scientific methods to take on dogmatism and open up questions about the effects of thought on matter, the evidence for telepathy, questions about the nature of life as an existing phenomenon that materialists explain away, rather than explain.

Read it. It will bring a little bit of wonder back into your daily life, confronted as we are are everyday by the great mysteries of our existence, and our experience of that existence.

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Most important book on science since Kuhn’s Structure if Scientific Revolutions

A genuine example of scientific enquiry in the spirit of actual true skepticism.

Anyone ready to take a truly scientific approach by looking into the unfounded assumptions of the modern scientific community.

This book is meticulously researched and it earnestly invites those with a truly skeptical mind to analyse it and offer an retort.. as long as the retort actually relies on actual evidence, instead of blanket dismissal of what is believed to be possible. If there is one thing this book is founded on it is the idea that science can not be founded on dogmatic belief. If you are a true skeptic or a true scientist this idea should appeal to you so read on!

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A breath of fresh air!

As a western student scientist with an upbringing based around eastern philosophy I always find great holes in the materialistic model of education.

I am very happy to have discovered the works of Rupert Sheldrake who is conducting a rational inspection of 1. Aspects of our realty that are avoided by materialist science and 2. The dogmas or mechanisms that restrict materialistic science from investigating anything beyond or behind matter.

The fact that so many label Sheldrake as a quack yet they have not read his books or looked at his research just shows that he is a threat to something they hold dear. This is a clear tell tale sign of a dogmatic institution.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Good insistes on the history and philosophy of science and materialism contrasted with other views and some interesting questions to investigate scientifically for the future.

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4 people found this helpful

Essential review of assumptions in science

Exceptional expose of science's dogmatic presuppositions. Call to revitalise scientific thought and revisit unquestioned assumptions.

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Great summary of the gaps in scientific knowledge

If you are honest about what science knows you realise there is a lot that is not explained and the gaps are bigger than the puzzle pieces we have.

It should give us a lot of humility to really assess this and an open mind to investigate the possibilities instead of writing off large swathes of human experience as delusion.

Listed to this book and learn

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Absolutely refreshing perspective not just on science, but querying anything relevant to life.

Opened minded approach to re-thinking all things. Thoroughly enjoyable, highly relevant to personal and humankind’s growth.

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