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Posted by Tam Hunt on Nov. 4, 2010
Absent-Minded Science, Part II: The Zombie Defense
Can zombies argue that they don’t exist? Empirical evidence suggests they can. Or does it? The philosophy of mind is a thriving field in recent decades, with new books and articles appearing with increasing frequency. This article is the second in an occasional series on the role of mind in the universe and, thus, in science.
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Posted by Dr. William Benda, MD on Nov. 2, 2010
Rustum Roy: Ode to a Contrarian
Very few have heard of Dr. Roy, as his books and lectures focused on geochemistry, glass ceramics, and nanocomposites rather than low-fat diets and the number of steps to optimal health. But he was the consummate unsung hero of healthcare, and he passed away on August 26, 2010, at the age of 86, a true visionary in a realm where the word is applied a bit too freely and often with a taste of self promotion.
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Posted by Dean Radin, PhD on Oct. 3, 2010
Of Mice, Men, and… Miracles?
Does hands-on "energy healing" really work or are outcomes attributed to such healing merely a matter of self-healing, as in the placebo effect? This is what sociologist (by day) and energy researcher (by night?) William Bengston set out to test, motivated by his own remarkable experience with an energy healer who cured his intractable back pain. Bengston got his evidence… and then some.
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Posted by James O'Dea on Oct. 2, 2010
Social Healing: Rwanda Has Much to Teach Us
On a recent trip to Rwanda to explore how societies heal from massive collective trauma, violent conflict, and human rights abuse, I was shocked to find more evidence of societal healing than I could have imagined possible.
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Posted by Peter Russell, MA, DCS, FSP on Oct. 1, 2010
What is Wisdom?
What is wisdom? We hear the word a lot these days – the need for wisdom, the wisdom traditions, wisdom schools. We each would like to have more wisdom…and for others to have it as well. Too much human hurt and suffering comes from lack of wisdom. There is something about wisdom that we all aspire to. But what is this quality we hold in such high regard?
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Posted by Elliott Dacher, MD on Sept. 21, 2010
Meditation: Relaxation or Awakening
Meditation allows us to penetrate the surface experiences of the mind and gain a more detailed understanding of its workings and essential nature. That understanding allows us to remove the veils that obscure our authentic nature, revealing the qualities of human flourishing.
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Posted by Dean Radin, PhD on Sept. 9, 2010
The Psi Taboo in Action
I have lectured and written about the scientific taboo that prohibits scientists from openly studying psi. One way this prejudice manifests is by being invited to give a lecture at a scientific conference, and then finding yourself disinvited after someone on the conference committee discovers that the invitee has an interest in parapsychology.
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Posted by Matthew Gilbert on Sept. 9, 2010
A Twittering of Consciousness, Part II
Are we deluding ourselves into thinking that technology is the answer to the most persistent challenges of existence, or are we blessed by a tool that may only be at the cusp of its potential to help spark a global social and spiritual renaissance?
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Posted by Marilyn Schlitz, PhD on Sept. 8, 2010
Engaging the Global Consciousness Community
Each day the world seems to grow smaller and more complex. Wars rage. Intolerance breeds contempt across races, ethnicities, and nations. Refugees wander, far from their homes. In too many parts of the planet, children go hungry—ending their days filled with fear and hopelessness. There are plenty of reasons ...
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Posted by Claudia Welss on Aug. 19, 2010
Beingness-In-Action
“To be or not to be—that is the question.” (And then, the joke continues, the man lost in the motel asks himself…“or is it 3C? 4D?") A common interpretation of this famous Shakespearean quote is that Hamlet was contemplating suicide, but wasn’t sure if death would actually be preferable to the alternative ...
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Posted by Kate McCallum on July 26, 2010
The Power of Media to Transform
It wasn’t always the case that Hollywood, the media capital of the world, could be expected to embrace a day-long symposium on the power of arts and media to transform. When I broke into the industry in 1985, power was held by the major studios...
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Posted by Dr. William Benda, MD on July 20, 2010
Thought Balloons
No one ever mentioned thoughts in medical school, or throughout my residency training. Come to think of it, the term was rarely mentioned during my years with the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Mind, mindful, mind-body, yes. But no professorial lecture or class discussion on what actually constitutes our thoughts...
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Posted by Dean Radin, PhD on July 9, 2010
Wikipedia – ‘Reader Beware’ When it Comes to Psi Research
The Wikipedia entry on Masaru Emoto is a good example of why no one should trust an encyclopedia written by anonymous amateurs. I know it is possible, at least in principle, to edit Wikipedia pages to make corrections. But it is also possible for pranksters to change information on any page just for fun.
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Posted by Larry Dossey, MD on June 29, 2010
Are the Thought Police Knocking on Our Door?
"You can't go to jail for what you're thinking," wrote Frank Loesser in his 1956 hit song “Standing on the Corner.” His observation no longer applies in India, the world’s largest democracy, where you can now be convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to life imprisonment ...
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Posted by Mickael Drouard on June 22, 2010
The Sustainability Movement in Europe
Building a sustainable future? Of course that’s what we all want…but how?
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Posted by Diane Hennacy Powell, MD on June 11, 2010
"Facts" and Their Interpretations
As a scientist and neuropsychiatrist, I agree with the late physicist Sir William Lawrence Bragg’s statement that, “The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.” One problem with research on anomalous phenomena such as out-of-body ...
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Posted by Cassandra Vieten, PhD on June 3, 2010
Restoring the Balance
When people ask me what I do for a living, I answer that I direct the research program at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. What follows are a range of responses. For some, a light of recognition is ignited in their eyes: “Oh, I love that place…cool!” For a few, there is the “Never-heard-of-it” glaze. And ...
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Posted by Peter Russell, MA, DCS, FSP on June 1, 2010
Praying for Peace – A Different Take
Each of us would rather experience peace than suffering. One reason we do not experience as much peace as we would like is the result of how we see things, the interpretations we put on our experience.
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Posted by Marilyn Schlitz, PhD on May 31, 2010
7 Noetic Steps to Surviving a Volcanic Ash Cloud
I was preparing for my lecture on consciousness transformation to the League of Optimists in Brussels, Belgium when I got the news: All flights from Europe were cancelled. I was due to go on stage shortly and nothing about the implications of this information had sunk in. I just wanted to be here tonight and home tomorrow...
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Posted by Dean Radin, PhD on May 31, 2010
Make Ignorance your Friend
Non-scientists may not realize that most of the time in scientific research – especially research at the edge of the known, where all the excitement is – we really don’t know what we’re doing. Those few things we think we do understand are taught in elementary college textbooks.
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Posted by Elliott Dacher, MD on May 12, 2010
Aristotle and Human Flourishing
In the 4th century BC, Aristotle gave a series of lectures in Athens that became know as the Nicomachean Ethics. There he introduced the word eudaimonia, now translated to mean “human flourishing” – the innate potential of each individual to live a life of enduring happiness, penetrating wisdom, optimal well being...
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Posted by Marilyn Schlitz, PhD on May 10, 2010
The Brain and Beyond
Scientists from across the world fill the meeting hall at the Bial Conference in Porto, Portugal. Movement toward scientific precision around mind and brain defines this exceptional gathering. Tables, graphs, data – all transport the participants toward deeper engagement with a sense of proof...
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Posted by James O'Dea on May 10, 2010
Social Healing: Sri Lanka at a Tipping Point
Social—or societal—healing is an emerging field. It seeks to bring learning in a variety of adjacent fields such as peacemaking, peace building, conflict resolution, trauma recovery, and restorative justice together with insights from the new sciences including consciousness studies, neuroscience, and an integral approach to mind-body medicine...
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Posted by Matthew Gilbert on May 5, 2010
A Twittering of Consciousness, Part I
According to a recent Retrevo Gadgetology Report, almost half of social media users say they check Facebook or Twitter sometime during the night or when they first wake up. Nearly 50 percent of those under 25 don’t mind being interrupted by a text message during dinner...
