Message from the President Approaching a...
Transcript of Message from the President Approaching a...
62 www.parapsych.orgMindfield Volume 5 Issue 2
Thattheirscientificstudyisgainingacceptancemaybepartlybecauseimprovedexperimentationproce-duresandnewinstrumentationhaveyieldedbetterconfirmedresults.Itisprobablyevenmoreaconsequenceofculturalchangesthatallowthesephenomenato“fitin”toadegreethatwouldhavebeenhardtoforeseeeventwentyyearsago.Thusitwillnotdotoexaminethe
impactofpsychicphenomenainiso-lationfromthechangingparadigmofscientificunderstandingandtheculturalmovementsevidentinrecentyears.Iusethewordparadigm,inthesensemadepopularbyThomasKuhn,torefertothebasicpatternofper-ceiving,thinking,valuing,andactingassociatedwithaparticularvisionofreality.Thewholesocialorganismmovestogether,andappearstobefastapproachingametamorphosisin
whichthefieldofparapsychologyisdestinedtoplayasignificantrole.Parapsychologyandthekindred
consciousnessstudiesarenotjustanemergingsetofnewfindingsandtheories,aboutwhichwemaycon-jectureastosocialimpacts.Wehaveinsteadtoask,“Whatnewpatternisthisapartof?”Watt’sinventionofthesteamengineprovidesaparallel.Thenarrowqueryastosocialimpactofthesteamenginemighthaveledtotheanswerthatitwouldmakepossi-blethepumpingofwateroutofdeepcoalminesandhencewouldfacilitatetheshiftfromwoodfueltocoal.Butthequestion,“Whatnewpattern?”yieldstheanswer,theIndustrialRevolution.
The Discomforts of ScientistsWebeginoursearchforcluesastotheformofthisnewpatternbyre-
by alEJandro Parra, Instituto de Psicología Paranormal
Message fromthe President
MetamorphosisApproach ing a
in Parapsychology
Foratleastacenturyandahalfpsiphenomenahaveheldafascinationforsomescientists
andhavebeenanathematoothers.
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callingafeweventsinthepastcen-turyandahalfofscientifichistory.Allsocietieshavetheirofficialorrecog-nizedtruth-seekingandtruthvalidat-ingactivitiesandinstitutions;intheWesternworldthishasbeenscience.Accordingly,whatcametobeaccept-edinthescientificcommunityastruthhashadimportantconsequencesforthebasicbeliefsoftheculture.Thereareanumberofinstructiveinstanceswherescientistshavestumbledforawhileoversomeawkwarddataandthenrecoveredfromtheirtemporarydiscomfortsandincorporatedthenewwithlimitedstrain.Oneoftheoldestareasofpsy-
chologicalknowledgehastodowiththosestrangephenomenagroupedtogetherundertheterm“hypno-sis.”Hypnotismhasbeenstudiedsystematicallyforoveracenturyandahalf,althoughithasbeenadmittedtoscientificrespectabilityonlymuchmorerecently.Amongthescientifical-lydemonstratedaspectsofhypnosisarethathypnoticsuggestioncanbringaboutanesthesiaandanalgesia,localorgeneral;positiveandnegativehallucinations;regressiontoanear-lierage;unusualmuscularstrength,rigidity,resistancetofatigue;andorganiceffectsnormallyoutsidevoluntarycontrol.Forexample,ahypnotizedsubjectmaybeinducedtoperceiveanimaginarykittenplacedinherlap.Sheexperiencesstrokingthekittenandhearingitpurr;thesensesofsight,touch,andhearingseemtocorroboratethehypnotist’ssugges-tion.Yetthisisa“positivehallucina-tion”thereisnokittythere.Otherexamplesarefamiliar.Asub-
jectacceptsthesuggestionthataper-sonsittinginaparticularchairreallyis
reactiontothehypothesesofFreudandotherpioneersinthisareawasoneofdiscomfort,rationalizedinanumberofingeniousways.Tobesure,thesearestrangeideas-thatofmentalprocessesoverwhichIexertnocontrolandofwhichIhaveonlysporadicorinferredknowledge;theconceptofmyselfrepressinginforma-tion,distortingitorhidingitfrommyconsciousawareness,andlyingtomyself;thewholesenseofonepartofmyselfdeceivingorsendingcrypticmessagestoanotherpartofmyself.Butthestrangebecamefamiliar,theuncomfortablebecamecomfortable,andunconsciousprocessesbecameausefulandlegitimatedconcept.Similarly,theconceptsofpsycho-
somaticillnessandaccidentprone-ness,thepowerofself-suggestion–theideathatmentallyIcausemyownheadachesandstomachulcers,ordisturbmyownkidneyfunctioning,orunconsciouslycontrivemy“acci-dentally”brokenleg,orself-suggestmysuccessesandmyfailures-wereextremelydiscomforting.Theybe-cameacceptableonlyafteraninitialrejection.WhenF.W.H.Myers’sHuman Per-
sonalitywaspublishedin1903,sum-marizingpreliminaryexplorationsoftabooareasofextraordinarypsychicphenomena,includedinthisforbiddencategorywerenotonlyunconsciousprocessesandhypnosis,butsleepanddreams,andcreativity(“inspira-tion”).Theuniversaltestimonyofhighlycreativepersonshasbeenthattheircreatedprojectsaretheresultofhigher,unconsciousprocessesoverwhichtheyhaveonlylimitedcontrol.Myers’svanguardparapsychologi-
caltreatisestressestheessential
notthere;heperceivesanemptychair.Ahypnotizedpersonispersuadedthatasmallwastebasketisfastenedtothefloor;strugglingmightily,heisunabletoliftit.Asubject’sbodyisrenderedrigidbyappropriatesuggestions;heisthenusedtobridgethespacebetweentwochairs,andoneormoreindividualsmountandstandontopofhisunsup-portedchestandabdomen.Blistersandburnedspotscanbeproducedbyhypnoticsuggestion;orapersonmayberenderedunsusceptibletoheatthatordinarilywouldproducesevereburns.Theanalgesicandanestheticpo-
tentialitiesofhypnosisweredem-onstratedacenturyagoinhundredsofapparentlypainlessmajoropera-tions,somewitnessedbyscoresofphysicians.Yetthepossibilityofthephenomenon’sexistencewasdeniedandmedicaljournalsrefusedtopub-lishpapersdocumentingthework.Patientswereaccusedofdeludingorcolludingwiththeirdoctorsinpre-tendingtofeelnopainwhilelimbswerecutofforabdominaloperationswereperformed.Hypnosisclearlyhasalonghistory
ofirrationalopposition.Itislessclearjustwhatwassodiscomfortingaboutthesephenomena.Perhapsitisthattheysoobviouslyraisedoubtsthatweknowwhatisreal.Buttheimportantpointinourcontextisthatscientistsoncefeltveryuncomfortablewithhypnosisandnowfeelquitecomfort-able–althoughtheyarereallynotmuchbetteroffintermsofanysortof“mechanism”or“explanation.”Thephenomenaremainmysterious;how-ever,itisnowacomfortablemystery.Theconceptofunconsciouspro-
cesses,too,becameacceptabletoscientistsonlyrecently.Theinitial
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similaritiesbetweensuchpsychicphenomenaastelepathyandclair-voyanceandtheexperiencesofcre-ativegeniusesandofmathematicalprodigies.Threequartersofacenturyagocreativitywaspartofthedomainof“psychicalresearch”–hardlysci-entificallyrespectable.Biofeedbacktechniquesandthe
relatedexplorationsofthepastquar-tercenturyprovidedstartlingreve-lations.Subjective,innerstateshavephysicallymeasurablecorrelates–rapideyemovement,changesinskinresistance,muscletensions,EEG(brain-wave)components,electricandmagneticfieldsaroundthebody.Furthermore,whentheseindicatorsarepickedupbysensorsandreturnedtothebodyasinputsignals,allsortsofinvoluntarybodilyprocessesandstatescanbebroughtundervolun-tarycontrol.Herewasanewbasisforlegitimationofstudiesofhuman’sinnerworldofexperience(sinceatleastsomeaspectsofthephenomenaaresubjecttophysicalmeasurement)
andalsoawholenewkitoftools.Againtheimplicationsareprofound.ApparentlyIdoknow,insomesense,howIgrowmyhairandassimilatemyfoodandconstructafetus–exceptthatbecauseoftheabsenceofsuit-ablefeedbacktheprocessesgoontotallyoutsidemyrealmofordinaryconsciousness.AndtheIndianyogiswhoclaimedcontroloverinvolun-taryprocesseswereontosomethingWesternsciencehasmissed.Again,scientistsexperiencedsomediscom-fortoverimplications,intimebecom-ingcomfortable.
The Domain of “Ordinary” Science and the “Private” World of Subjective ExperienceNowallthatpreliminarydiscussionwaspreparationforthepointthattherearepresentlytwoareasofre-searchaboutwhichthemajorityofscientistsstillfeelsomediscomfort–discomfortwhichwemayassumewillintimegoaway.Oneoftheseisthebeginningsofasystematizationofknowledgeaboutdifferentstatesofconsciousness,includingthosein-nerexperienceswhichhaveformedthebasesfortheworld´sreligionsandoutofwhichhavecomehuman-ity’sdeepestvaluecommitments.Theotheristheimportanttestinggroundofparapsychology.Thelatterisacrucialareaprecisely
becauseitliesmidwaybetweenandlinkstheobjectiveworldofpublicobservation,thedomainof“ordinary”science,andthe“private”worldofsubjectiveexperience.Thephenom-enaofpsychicresearchareanoma-lous–theiroccurrenceiswidelyattestedto,yettheydonot“fitin.”Stilltheyspeakclearlytothepointthatsomethingisfundamentallyin-
completeaboutaworldviewwhichcannotaccommodatethem.Theyalsoserveasasortofrealitytestfortheuniverseofinnerexperience.Theyarenotwhollyinner–theyarecharac-terizedbysomethingbeingpubliclyobservable.Neitheraretheywhollyouter,sincesomeactivityofthemindisclearlyinvolved.Thefollowingpartiallistwillserve
todelineatetheterritoryunderdis-cussion:telepathy,theapparentlyextrasensorycommunicationofonemindtoanother;clairvoyance,theapparentlyextrasensoryperceptionofaspectsofthephysicalworld,asin“remoteviewing”or“outofbody”experience;clairvoyantdiagnosisofillness;clairvoyantperceptionofinformationaboutapastowneroruserofaphysicalobject;rapid“faith”healing;retrocognition,the“remembering”ofeventsthathap-penedtosomeotherperson,orpriortothebirthofthe“rememberer”;precognition,the“remembering”ofeventssometimeinthefuture;psy-chokinesis,theapparentinfluencingofthephysicalworldthroughmentalprocessesotherthanbytheusualpsychomotorprocesses(e.g.levita-tion);unusualcontrolofinvoluntaryprocesses(e.g.stigmata,firewalk-ing);thoughtphotography,theap-parentproductionofanimageonaphotographicfilmthroughmentalprocessesalone;andunusualmentalabilities(e.g.speakinginunknowntongues,thepowersofmathemati-calprodigies).Evidencemountsthatthesesorts
ofpreternormalknowingsandabili-tiesarelatentinallpersons,buttypicallyhighlyrepressed.Onesortofexperimentthathasbeenper-formedinvariousversionsmakes
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And the Indian yogis who claimed control over involuntary processes were onto something Western science has missed. Again, scientists experienced some discomfort over implications, in time becoming comfortable.
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useofastimulusthatproducesasubliminaleffect(e.g.,aflash-ingstroboscopiclightwhich,whentheflashingfrequencyisnearthealphafrequency,around10cyclespersecond,inducesadistinctivecomponentintheEEGwave).Thestimulusisappliedtoonepersonandtheresponseispickedupfromasecondperson,remoteandiso-latedfromthefirst.Thesecondper-sonistypicallyunabletoguessatbetterthanachancebasiswhetherornotthestimulusisappliedtotheotherpersonduringagiventimeinterval–buthissubliminalre-sponseindicatesthatunconsciouslys/heknows.(Anecessaryconditionseemstobethatthetwopersonsareinsomerapport,thatoneispayingattentiontotheother–butthenwehavenoadequateexplana-tionforwhatitmeansto“payat-tention.”)Theimplication,ifweextrapolatebeyondthisparticularsituation,isthatprobablywewilleventuallydiscoverthatallper-sonshavethefullrangeofpsychicphenomenaaspotentialities,allunconsciouslyunderstoodandallthoroughlyrepressed.
The Extent of the ChallengeItisimportanttounderstandbothwhythesetworesearchareasofcon-sciousnessexplorationandpsihavecausedscientistssuchacutediscom-fortandalsowhythereconciliationseemsnowcloseathand.Theextentofthepotentialimpactoftheseareasonthescientificworldviewissug-gestedbythefollowinglistofpremis-eswhichthescientificparadigm,untilrecently,hastendedtoimply:
(7)Thenatureoftimebeingwhatitis,thereisobviouslynowayinwhichwecanobtainknowledgeofthefutureotherthanbyrationalpredictionfromknowncauses.(Thusitisimpossibleforanyoneto“remember”aneventhappeningthreeweekshence.)
(8)Sincementalactivityissimplyamatteroffluctuatingstatesinthephysicalorganism,itiscompletelyimpossibleforthismentalactiv-itytoexertanyeffectdirectlyonthephysicalworldoutsidetheor-ganism.
(9)Theevolutionoftheuniverseandofhumanshascomeaboutthroughpurelyphysicalcauses,throughrandommutationsandnaturalselection.Thereisnojusti-ficationforanyconceptofuniversalpurposeorteleologicalurge,eitherintheevolutionofconsciousnessorinthestrivingsoftheindividual.
(10)Theindividualdoesnotsur-vivethedeathoftheorganism,orifthereisanysenseinwhichtheindividualexistsafterthedeathofthephysicalbodywecanneithercomprehenditinthislifenorinanywayobtainknowledgeregardingit.
Thereasonconsciousnessresearchissuchabitterlycontestedbattle-groundisthatthedataintheseareaschallengealloftheabovepremises.Yetitwasonthebasisoftheseposi-tivisticpremisesthattheincreasinglyprestigiousscientificworldviewwasable,inthepast,todismissasofsecondaryconsequencethereligious,aesthetic,andintuitiveexperiences
(1)Theonlyconceivablewaysinwhichhumanscometoacquireknowledgearethroughthephysicalsensesandperhapsthroughsomesortofmemorystorageinthegenes.
(2)Allqualitativepropertiesareultimatelyreducibletoquantitativeones;thatis,colorisreducedtowavelength,hateandlovetothechemicalcompositionofglandularsecretions,etc.
(3)Thereisacleardistinctionbe-tweentheobjectiveworld,whichisperceivablebyanyone,andsubjec-tiveexperience,whichisperceivedbytheindividualalone,inthepri-vacyofthemind.
(4)Theconceptofthefreeinnerpersonisaprescientificexplanationforbehaviorcausedbyforcesim-pingingupontheindividualfromtheenvironment,interactingwithinter-naltensionsandpressurescharac-teristicoftheorganism.“Freedom”isbehaviorforwhichscientistshavenotyetfoundthecause.
(5)Whatweknowasconsciousnessorawarenessofourthoughtsandfeelingsisreallyonlyasideeffectofphysicalandbiochemicalpro-cessesgoingoninthebrain.
(6)Whatweknowasmemoryissimplyamatterofstoreddatainthephysicalorganism,strictlycomparablewiththestorageofinformationinadigitalcomputer.(Thusitisimpossibleforapersonto“remember”aneventthathap-penedtosomeoneelse,inadiffer-entlifetime).
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ofhumanity,andhencetoerodethevaluepostulatesbasedinthosesub-jectiveexperiences.Thereasonthatalltheseinter-
relatedresearchareas–alteredstatesofconsciousness,hypnosis,psychosomaticillness,unconsciousprocesses,psi–havetendedtobediscomfortingisthattheysoevident-lyimplicatetheultimatequestion:“HowdoIknowwhatIknow,andhowdoIknowitistrue.Saint-Exupèrylaiddown(inhisbookWind, Sand, and Stars)thefundamentaldefini-tionoftruth:“Truthisnotthatwhichisdemonstrable.Truthisthatwhichisineluctable”thatwhichcannotbeescaped.HowdoIknowwhatisineluctable?
Thisquestionistheheartofthedisci-plineofepistemologyandtoonewiththestaminatopursueitthere,muchexaminationofthesubjectcanbefound.Essentiallytherearetwoquite
differentformsofknowing(modernwritersarefondofassociatingthesewiththeleftandrightsidesofthebrain),andweallusebothdaily.Oneis“knowingabout”thingsintheman-nerofscientific“facts”;theotherisknowingbyintuitiveidentificationwith,asinknowinganotherperson.Thissecondkindofknowingiswhat
thepoetArchibaldMacLeishreferredtowhenhewrote:“Wereallyknowathingonlywhenwearefilledwithawonderfullyfull,newandintimatesenseofitand,aboveall,ofourrela-tionwithit.Thissense–thisknowl-edge–artcangivebutabstraction(science)cannot.“TheIndianscholarRadhakrishnandescribedperceptioninthehigherstagesofconsciousnessthus:“Theconsciousdivisionandsep-arationof[...]theobjectfromthesub-ject,whichisthenormalcondition,isbrokendown.Theindividualsurren-derstotheobjectandisabsorbedbyit.Hebecomeswhathebeholds.”Bothkindsofknowingaresubject
tothepossibilityoferror.Thesci-entificwayof“knowingabout”in-volvesmeticuloustestingtoensurethatwhatisclaimedasfactcanbevalidatedbyotherscientistsmakingsimilarexperimentsorexplorations.Intuitiveknowingalsodemandsthemostcarefulcheckingagainstself-deception.Theastonishingex-tenttowhichmymentalprocessesarediscoveredtobeoutsideofcon-sciousnessshedsdoubtonhowwellIknoweventhatmostintimatebe-ing,myself.AtbestIseemtorevealtomyconsciousselfonlyasmallandbadlydistortedfragmentofthewholenessthatis“me”.Neverthe-less,thetaskofself-knowledgeisnotfutile;fromeachnewvantage
pointIseemtobeabletolookbackandobservehowIhavefooledmy-selfinapreviousandlesserstateofawareness.Thusinopeninguptheexplora-
tionofconsciousness,scientistsareforcedtoconfrontquestionsthattheyhave,throughoutmostofthehistoryofscientificactivity,managedtoputasideforthephilosopherstopuzzleover.Whataretheessentiallimitationsof“knowledgeabout”?Whataretheultimatecapabilitiesofthemindasobservinginstrument,discerningintuitiveknowledgeoftheuniverse,andofminditself?Whatarethewaysinwhichthelatterknowl-edgeisbestsharedandconsensu-allyvalidated?Insomesenseallknowledgeisultimatelysubjective,sincetherootofallexperienceiscon-sciousness;consequently,thesenewexplorationsthatprobetheproblemofconsciousnessarefundamentalindeed.Thisiswherescience,religionandphilosophymeet.Wecanhardlyblamethescientistsifatthispointtheirresolutionquaversandtheiranxietiesbecomemoreevidentthanusual.Inpaperscurrentlypresentedat
scientificmeetingsandinarticlespublishedinthemostprestigiousscientificjournalsareindicationsthat,withregardtobothconsciousnessresearchandparapsychology,thetransitionfromdiscomforttocomfortmaybeathand.Thisisonlypartlybecauseofthepsychologicaleffect,notedearlier,ofhavingsomephysicalandphysiologicalcorrelatestoin-nerexperience,servingtolegitimatetheinquiryintoconsciousness.Moreimportantly,ithastodowiththegrowingrealizationwithinscience
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Thus in opening up the exploration of consciousness, scientists are forced to confront questions that they have, throughout most of the history of scientific activity, managed to put aside for the philosophers to puzzle over. What are the essential limitations of “knowledge about”?
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thatitdealsnotwithrealityinsomeultimatesense,butwithmodelsandmetaphors.Thishasbroughtachangeinattitudeandamorepromisingcli-mateforexplorationofinnerexperi-encethanheretofore.Theprecursortothatrealization
camewiththeresolutionofthebattleinphysicsoverthewaveorparticlenatureoflight.Thiswasessentiallyresolvedthroughrecognitionthatbothareonlymetaphors(asisthemathematicalequationthatincorpo-rateselementsofboth)eachbeingusefulforexpressingcertainaspectsofthetranscendentalnatureoflight.Certainphotoelectriceffectshaveno“explanation”intermsofthewaveimageoflight.Ontheotherhand,theelectronmicroscopeis“unexplain-able”throughaparticlemodelofelectronsandisunderstoodthroughawaveimage.Theresolutionofthisissuesetapatternforothers.Otherfacets,especiallyofdeeperinnerexperience,demandotherkindsofmetaphors.Wehaveyettodiscoverwhatparticularmetaphorswillbemostusefulforourtime;manyofthosethathadthepowertomovepeople’sheartsinthepastseemlessusefulnow.Eventhoughthesefrontierscientific
developmentshavenotprogressedveryfar,itispossibletoinferinwhichdirectiontheywillpushtheimageofhuman-in-the-universe.Whereverthenatureofhumanhasbeenprobeddeeply,inEasternorWesterntradi-tions,theparamountfactthathasemergedisthedualityofexperience.Humansarefoundtobebothphy-sicalandspiritual,bothaspectsbeing“real”andneitherfullydescribableintermsoftheother.“Scientific”and
ofBeing,Brahman,Godhead).Fromthisvantagepointone’sowngrowthandcreativity,andone’sparticipa-tionintheevolutionaryprocess,areseentobeundertheultimatedirectionofahighercenter(Atman,theOversoul,the“trueSelf”).IntheUpanishadsitisput,“Aninvisibleandsubtleessenceisthespiritofthewholeuniverse.Thatisreality.Thatistruth.Thouartthat.”Thepowerofsuggestionissuch
thatpeopleareliterallyandines-capablyhypnotizedbythesugges-tionstheyhaveabsorbedfromtheirculturesinceinfancy.Thushumansgothroughlifeinasortofhypnoticsleep,feelingthattheyaremakingdecisions,havingaccidentshappentothem,meetingchanceacquain-tances,etc.WithmoreawarenessthedirectionofthehigherSelf,“supraconsciouschoosing,”be-comesapparent.PeoplefindthatdecisionstheyfelttheyhadcometologicallyorthroughintuitionwerereallyreflectionsofchoicesmadeonthehigherleveloftheSelf;thattheir“inspirations”or“creativity”isessentiallyabreak-ingthroughofthesehigherpro-cesses;thatexperiencesandrela-tionshipsneededforgrowthwereattractedtothembytheSelfandwerebynomeanssoaccidentalastheyhadassumed.Withincreasingawarenessthe
pullofmaterialandegoneedsisgreatlylessenedandpeoplefindthattheirdeepestmotivationistoparticipatefullyintheevolutionaryprocess,achievingwholeness(ha-leness,health)throughalignmentofsupraconscious,conscious,andsubconsciouschoices.Evolutionis
“religious”metaphorsarecomple-mentary;neithercontradictstheother.AldousHuxleyfoundattheinner
coreofalltheworld’sreligions,EastandWest,ancientandmodern:“[It]recognizesadivineRealitysubstan-tialtotheworldofthingsandlivesandminds;...findsinthesoulsome-thingsimilarto,orevenidenticalwith,divineReality;...placesman’sfinalendintheknowledgeoftheim-manentandtranscendentGroundofallbeing.”Thebasicexperimentalpropo-
sitionisthathumanscanundercertainconditionsattainahigherawareness,a“cosmicconscious-ness,”inwhichstatetheyhaveimmediateknowledgeofarealityunderlyingthephenomenalworld,inspeakingofwhichitseemsap-propriatetousesuchwordsasinfiniteandeternal(DivineGround
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The basic experimental proposition is that humans can under certain conditions attain a higher awareness, a “cosmic consciousness,” in which state they have immediate knowledge of a reality underlying the phenomenal world [...]
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seentobenotarandommatter,butdirectedbyahigherconscious-nessandcharacterizedbypurpose–thispurposeincludingdevelop-mentofindividualcentersofcon-sciousnesswithfreedomofchoice,graduallymovingtowardever–in-creasingknowledgeofthemselves,ofSelf,andoftheWhole.Itfollowsfromtheforegoingthat
humanpotentialityislimitless;thatallknowledgeandpowerwouldbeafunctionofeveryinstitutioninsociety.Ratherthanbeingasegre-gatedactivitycarriedoutatacer-tainplaceatacertaintimeperiod,learningtowardhumanfulfillmentwouldbearecognizedaimofallofthevariousinstitutionalizedactivi-tiesinwhichtheindividualspendstime.Societymightbetermeda
“learning-and-planningsociety”,sincelearningandplanningarethetwomainkindsofactivities(be-yondthoseactuallyrequiredforthefunctioningofthesociety)thataremeaningful,nonstultifying,andnon-polluting.Underthenewtranscendentalism,
sciencewouldbeclearlyunder-stoodtobeamoralinquiry.Havingabalancedeffortofsystematicex-plorationofboththeobjectiveandsubjectiverealmsofhumanexperi-ence,itcouldnotbe,aspastsci-encehastendedtobe,value-empty.Itwouldresemblethehumanitiesandreligion,andtheboundariesbe-tweenthesethreedisciplineswouldbecomelesssharp–asisalreadypresagedintherecentwritingsofsomepsychotherapists.Themodelsandmetaphorsusedwillbemulti-leveled,correspondingtodifferentlevelsorrealmsofexperience,andnoconflictwillbeperceivedif,forexample,mysticalexperiencesarecongenialtooneofthesemeta-phoricalframeworksandoperantconditioningtoanother.Newimpetuswillbegiventobio-
logicalsciences(withawhole-sys-temsemphasis)andconsciousnessstudies.Thelatterwilllookstronglyinthedirectionofnewpotentialitiessuggestedbythenewlyappreciatedpowersofbelief,imagination,andsuggestion.Socialsciencewillbeparticipative,inmarkedcontrasttothe“objective”observationsofpastsocialscientists.Experimenterandsubjectexploretogether,inanat-mosphereofmutualtrustandwithequalstatus.(Theresultingsciencewouldbesignificantlydifferentfromtheindustrial-agesocialscience,
sincetheimplicitgoalsaresodif-ferent,predictionandcontrolbeingreplacedbytheaimofguidanceinindividualandsocialdevelopment).
ConclusionAswitheducation,manyinstitutionswouldshareresponsibility,medicine,psychotherapy,education,religion,welfare,environmentalhealth.Therewouldbearecognitionthatthewholesocietyistheenvironmentthataffectshealth.Thus,forex-ample,equityinaccesstoeconomicresourcesisanaspectofenviron-mentalhealth.Finally,thereisnothinginhistory
tosuggestthatasocialtransforma-tionofthemagnitudesuggestedcouldoccurwithoutthemostsevereeconomicandsocialdisruptionsandsystembreakdowns.Onlywide-spreadunderstandingofwhythetransformationistakingplaceandofthekindofsocietythatmightemergefollowingourtimeoftrou-blecankeepanxietylevelsdownandtransitionpainsfrombecomingintolerable.Developmentsinparapsychol-
ogyandconsciousnessstudiesarepartofthislargerpattern.Thenexttwentyyearswillshowwhethertheseforcesarestrongenoughtobringaboutamajorsocietalwrenching,whethertheywillsome-howquietdownanddieaway,orwhethertheconfrontationbetweenthenewdemandsandtheoldrigidi-tiesissoviolentthattheresultisdestructionwithoutapromisingre-building.Thiswillnotbeoneofthecomfortableperiodsofhistory.Itwillnodoubtbeanexcitingone.
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The next twenty years will show whether these forces are strong enough to bring about a major socie tal wrenching, whether they will somehow quiet down and die away, or whether the confrontation between the new demands and the old rigidities is so violent that the result is destruc tion without a promising rebuilding.
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