Sheldrake and His Critics: The Sense of Being Glared At (Paperback)

~ Rupert Sheldrake (Author), Anthony Freeman (Editor) "In September 1981 the prestigious scientific journal Nature carried an unsigned editorial (subsequently acknowledged to be by the journal's senior editor, John Maddox) titled 'A..." (more)
Key Phrases: remote staring detection, staring effect, staring trials, Rupert Sheldrake, Psychical Research, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Highly recommended.' Human Nature Review 'Full of interesting arguments ... a manageable and at times amusing introduction to a classic argument.' Susan Blackmore, Times Higher Education Supplement

Product Description

Rupert Sheldrake outraged the scientific establishment in the early 1980s with his hypothesis of morphic resonance, and his book A New Science of Life was denounced by the journal Nature as ‘the best candidate for burning there has been for many years’. With his academic career torpedoed, Sheldrake has become the champion of ‘the people’s science’. Books such as Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home and The Sense of Being Stared At have won him popular acclaim and continued academic opprobrium in equal measure.

In "Sheldrake and his Critics" (a special issue of the Journal of Consciousness Studies), Sheldrake summarizes his case for the ‘non-visual detection of staring’ and his claims are scrutinised by 14 distinguished researchers, to whose commentaries Sheldrake then responds. Anthony Freeman, in his editorial introduction, explores the concept of ‘heresy’ in science and in religion and asks why it provokes such hostility.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Imprint Academic (July 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845400437
• ISBN-13: 978-1845400439
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #442,393 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Staring at Sheldrake, September 19, 2005

By	Mike (Lakewood, CA) - See all my reviews

I am a lay reader of this particular text, but still found it a very useful critical analysis of Sheldrake's theories. To gain a thorough understanding of Sheldrake's views, there is nothing more helpful than to examine Sheldrake's study being scrutinized by his peers. I would recommend this text to anyone who wants to gain a fuller understanding of Sheldrake's methodology and conclusions and the profound implications they have for the entire realm of science.