Robert Sheldrake

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Rupert Sheldrake is a biochemist and cell biologist, although today he most widely recognized for being a parapsychology researcher and author of the book, A New Science of Life (1981) along with his coinciding theory of morphic resonance. According to Sheldrake’s unsubstantiated claims, “memory is inherent in nature” through repetition meaning “natural systems […] inherit a collective memory from all previous things of their kind” [4]. This notion has been a highly controversial topic among the professional scientific community and was ultimately the cause of his fall from greatness within it; however, the public shunning of Sheldrake speaks to the nature of scientific thought and discourse while proving to be a juxtaposition to the emergence …show more content…
They refused to accept his hypothesis, arguing that it was not only erroneous and inconsistent but entirely unprovable and therefore dismissed his theory as nonsense. Furthermore, his grandiose ideas labeled him as delusional and an advocate of “magical thinking [1]” as opposed to tangible and established scientific methods. His talks and videos were banned, and his work was referred to as “a book for burning [2]”, in an attempt to silence and discredit him. Simply put, the scientific community shunned Sheldrake and his theory based on the lack of evidence to support his claims, but also for being bold enough to challenge the factuality of science, and he was punished greatly for it. In comparison, the concept of morphic resonance gained momentum within the New Age movement while still accepted as a valid notion amongst members. This act of expulsion by the scientific community sheds light on the often closed minded and authoritarian nature of scientific thought and …show more content…
As a methodical and practical means by which to study the natural world, science combines both observation and experimentation resulting in it being the authoritative voice among modernists, especially those who do not follow a specific religion. Attributable to the relieving proof of evidence, it is often considered a more reliable source of information than religion, and less of a leap of faith. However, science itself is still a religion of sorts. Science is an institution whose primary objective is to provide answers to the big questions of our existence. The absolute, inflexible, and all-powerful nature of scientific thought and discourse, draws major parallels between religion and those who follow and practice it; the most notable difference, however, is that in science there needs to be concrete evidence for claims to be accepted as truth. Although Sheldrake’s theory is one to be approached critically, maybe we should not be so quick to discredit him. After all, just because something is not yet proven does not necessarily mean it is untrue. An example of this is when Galileo challenged the church with his theories, and just like the scientific community has done to Sheldrake, they put sanctions on him and suppressed his notions for being so boisterous as to challenge the word of
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