Monday, December 09, 2013

Rupert Sheldrake, William Tiller, John Mack

These three gentlemen get a mention in my book, Metaphysical Odyssey Into the Mexican Revolution, in the introductory chapter which provides some background, relevant for my subject, Francisco I. Madero, about 19th century psychic research-- though they are researchers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Sheldrake, a biologist, and Tiller, a Stanford University physicist (emeritus), are active as I write; Mack, a member of Harvard University's Medical School faculty, passed away in 2004. Sheldrake's TEDx talk was removed from the website; Tiller has encountered no end of resistance to his ideas; and the Dean of Harvard's Medical School attempted to revoke Mack's tenure. My point is simply that the Torquemadas of orthodoxy persist.

For those interested in a fascinating bit of surfing:

Rupert Sheldrake's homepage
Rupert Sheldrake talk at TEDx Whitechapel
The controversy about his TEDx talk

William Tiller's The Tiller Foundation: Institute for Psychoenergetic Science.
Meryn José's Merlian News Podcast interview with Dr Tiller

John Mack Biography
John Mack Institute
And--not for the faint-of-heart--John Mack and Budd Hopkins in conversation in 1997.

Among the scientists on Francisco I. Madero's radar were Sir William Crookes, a distinguished Oxford University chemist whose psychic research earned him no end of disrespect, and French Nobel -prize winner Charles Richet, who did--there is no other word-- wild experiments with Italian medium Eusapia Palladino and who coined the term ectoplasm.


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