The Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance and the Memory of Nature

Rupert Sheldrake presents fundamental biological evidence and plausibility for a new way of understanding inheritance, patterns, and life itself. This is an essential read for anyone interested in the nature of life.

This is incredibly informative and detailed. Anyone who wants to know about morphic fields should read this. Easily one of Sheldrake's best works.

Dr. Sheldrake proposes “morphic fields” as a plausible explanation for the unexplainable – everything from hydrogen atoms to termite colonies and beyond. His theory of “causative formation” seems to provide reasonable explanations for these otherwise unexplainable events – e.g., where is the gene that codes a fungus-farming termite colony to build a carbon dioxide / oxygen gas exchange apparatus? (Pgs. 278-279.) Well – there isn’t one – there is only a “field” that guides this behavior (according to Sheldrake). Sheldrake’s theory is no less speculative than the theories of dark matter, dark energy, and gravity itself. Bottom line – just because you can’t detect it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. So far, so good. But …Where Dr. Sheldrake loses some credibility is in trying to extend his theory too far – specifically, in Ch. 14 he attempts to explain the evolution of sociology by the use of morphic fields – but it just doesn’t accord with reality over the last 100 years. Basically, while much can be explained by morphic fields, not everything fits within this framework.Another reason for my 4 star rating (vs. a 5 star rating) is that Sheldrake seems to get lost in abstract philosophical ruminations from time to time (e.g., Ch. 18). To be frank, I never could get my mind around obtuse philosophers such as Jung and Freud (esp. as presented at pgs. 301-303).Where Sheldrake deserves accolades is: (i) in admitting to the speculative nature of his theory; (ii) in proposing experiments to support his theories; and (iii) in formulating a theory that explains a lot, and provides a better explanation than the “materialist” version. Give it a try – you might find it fits pretty well in explaining a lot of otherwise odd behavior in nature.

Named “the most controversial scientist on Earth” by Robert Wilson (author of Prometheus Rising and The Illuminati Papers) Rupert Sheldrake, a Biologist with a PhD in Biochemistry from Cambridge University is rocking the foundations of current scientific thinking and method. A concerned and forward thinking scientist, Sheldrake questions the current scientific establishment and where society is being led by this way of thinking. He proposed his concepts of Formative Causation, Morphic Resonance, and the memory of nature (Sheldrake, 1988) as a way of explaining how a species retains it form through many generations as well as the migratory patterns of some animals, birds and insects. Updated in 2012, The Presence of The Past: Morphic Resonance and the Memory of Nature, Sheldrake brings his ideas and concepts of Formative Causation closer to becoming a valid theory. “Fields” were first proposed by James Clerk Maxwell then expanded by Albert Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity and are now well accepted in the scientific community. In The Presence of the Past (2012) Rupert Sheldrake advances his concept of morphogenetic fields; fields of influence specific to a species, connected through morphic resonance, or a kind of species memory. Morphogenetic Fields and Morphic Resonance provide a possible basis for modeling Sheldrake’s process of Formative Causation, where a species develops in the patterns set down by previous members of the same species. A Foxglove flower, in average, will grow in much the same way as all previous Foxgloves, a kind of composite of its ancestors, guided through morphic resonance and the knowledge contained in its morphogenetic field; its species field. Also through this resonance, the life experience of each species member informs its field adding to the stored knowledge and history and therefore the potential resiliency of that species.Morphic Resonance and a memory within Nature could have huge impacts on how post-modern people relate to a shrinking and increasing violent world. Perhaps we humans have a morphogenetic field of our own that is the accumulation of human experience and interactions over our species entire evolutional history. If we have lost our ability to connect or understand the resonance flowing to us from our field we are then cut off from the vast collected knowledge of the human race, to our loss. However, to reawaken this connection could heal our deep-held existential angst, lead to the florescence of human-being, and create a thriving future for all species.The Presence of the Past delves into the history of the scientific perspective and the assumptions, generalizations, and ideals that have guided the scientific community up to this day. This provides a framework and invitation for the reader to decide for themselves if Sheldrake’s arguments sensible and sound. One may agree or not agree with Rupert Sheldrake’s ways of thinking and relating, but everyone will be stimulated into thought and probably into taking copious notes by the reading. This remarkable book is sure to please all who are thinking out of the box and seeking new ways of understanding the world around them. Written in clear and friendly language this is a good read for the non-scientific and scientist alike, I highly recommend this book.

I have always appreciated Rupert Sheldrake's out of the box thinking since I first read his book on how dog's know their owners are coming home. This book is an updated version (2012) of a very similar earlier work describing his morphic fields and causative formation theories. They make a tremendous amount of sense, but the scientific community is not very open to his theories as they do not jive with much of the culturally based attitudes cemented into much of their attitudes. I applaud his courage to spread a very good set of theories that are quite encompassing. The theories themselves can be summed up in a lot fewer pages, but Sheldrake gives us a great philosophical, scientific, biologic background of how theories and ideas have evolved through the centuries resulting in the current parameters that scientists are unknowingly stuck in. This book is both historically and theoretically illuminating.

This might seem like nonsense to those with no concern for spiritual things, but it makes sense to me. It ties in. So, too, since mainstream science hasn't the answers, alternatives should be considered. Admittedly, spiritual experiences are somewhat subjective. But it's supposed to be that way.

As we learn from Sheldrake, scientists need to free their minds and think out of the box in order to see the much wider dimensions and most profound horizons of reality.

Highly controversial but thought provoking book.Recommended read for anyone interested in fringe science.

A difficult read. Each point raised was so meticulously detailed, that I found I lost interest. Not ideal for a lay-person on this subject.