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The Science Delusion

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The Science Delusion

By: Rupert Sheldrake
Narrated by: Rupert Sheldrake, David Timson, Jane Collingwood
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About this listen

The science delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality. The fundamental questions are answered, leaving only the details to be filled in.

In this book, Dr Rupert Sheldrake, one of the world's most innovative scientists, shows that science is being constructed by assumptions that have hardened into dogmas. The sciences would be better off without them: freer, more interesting, and more fun.

According to the dogmas of science, all reality is material or physical. The world is a machine, made up of dead matter. Nature is purposeless. Consciousness is nothing but the physical activity of the brain. Free will is an illusion. God exists only as an idea in human minds; imprisoned within our skulls. But should science be a belief-system, or a method of enquiry?

Sheldrake shows that the materialist ideology is moribund; under its sway, increasingly expensive research is reaping diminishing returns. In the sceptical spirit of true science, Sheldrake turns the 10 fundamental dogmas of materialism into exciting questions, and shows how all of them open up startling new possibilities.

The Science Delusion will radically change your view of what is possible. And give you new hope for the world.

©2012 Rupert Sheldrake (P)2012 Hodder & Stoughton Religious Studies Consciousness Mathematics Human Brain
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a brilliant collection of relevant questions that should be addressed in our current science.

brilliant

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Rupert Sheldrake’s ‘The Science Delusion: Freeing the spirit of enquiry’ commences with an enticing promise to shrug off dogmatism and intolerance in key areas of scientific enquiry. Despite many interesting and appropriate examples, half-way through I was becoming disappointed that the book was more of a rear-guard action against the critics of Sheldrake’s pet theory of morphic resonance. He also has a few personal gripes, some of which take a little ‘bravery’ to get off his chest.

However, fresh insights, based on Sheldrake’s own experience, research and sense of history, drag the book back into a convincing treatise for scientists to acknowledge and move beyond myopia and conformism. Sheldrake’s examples will resonate with many readers. While many of these points are addressed at the level of society, there are insights for individual thinking too.

Stick with it . . .

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Wow. I loved it. Rupert Sheldrake covers such a huge expanse of knowledge with the perfect balance of breadth and depth. His narration is therapeutic and reflects both his formidable intellect and sincerity. Without any bombast or zealotry, he calmly dismantles the materialist worldview and the pretensions of those who champion it as their religion.

An intellectual tour de force

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Basically about making the sciences and scientific research into more of a dialogue of ideas rather than an upholding of dogma. Great brief history of scientific philosophy over the centuries in the introduction, which sets the book up well for an exploration and criticism of the materialistic and mechanistic nature of science and scientific research today. His argument is repeated throughout the book and unfortunately it became a bit tiresome after a while. However the book is littered with lots of examples of anomalies in nature (e.g. the process of DNA coupling) that materialistic science can not explain. His hypothesis of "morphic resonance" to explain such anomalies (and more), is risky , but is fascinating and draws on already established fundamental explanations like quantum mechanics. I plan to read his original book on this proposed theory. Yep recommended.

Yep ... great points

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A gem for the thinking person. Sheldrake is not anti-science (hence wrong title), rather, he is dismayed at the intellectual incuriousness of materialism (hence right analysis). Materialism believes the world can be explained by reducing reality to it's constituent parts and physical forces, including you. Thoughts are the product of physics, chemistry and laws of their interaction, and therefore deterministic.

Which makes me and you a form of i-robot. If you think you disagree it's only because a molecule having a chemical reaction told you so! So claim materialists. Sheldrake takes apart the obvious logical fallacies, and takes recourse to scientific methods to take on dogmatism and open up questions about the effects of thought on matter, the evidence for telepathy, questions about the nature of life as an existing phenomenon that materialists explain away, rather than explain.

Read it. It will bring a little bit of wonder back into your daily life, confronted as we are are everyday by the great mysteries of our existence, and our experience of that existence.

Wrong title, right analysis

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A genuine example of scientific enquiry in the spirit of actual true skepticism.

Anyone ready to take a truly scientific approach by looking into the unfounded assumptions of the modern scientific community.

This book is meticulously researched and it earnestly invites those with a truly skeptical mind to analyse it and offer an retort.. as long as the retort actually relies on actual evidence, instead of blanket dismissal of what is believed to be possible. If there is one thing this book is founded on it is the idea that science can not be founded on dogmatic belief. If you are a true skeptic or a true scientist this idea should appeal to you so read on!

Most important book on science since Kuhn’s Structure if Scientific Revolutions

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I am not a scientist nor an expert in any scientific discipline. I would consider myself a student of life. Everyone should listen to this and consider the content and make up their own mind. Personally, I loved it.

For anyone with a curious mind

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Every human-being should be reading this book. Couldn’t be more fitting in the era we now find ourselves in. Absolutely brilliant

MIND BLOWING

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I’ve always had the same thoughts and questions about science that Rupert talks about in this book. It’s so nice to finally find a book that looks into scientific dogma in such a clear and detailed way. It also made a big difference having the author narrate his own book. Rupert was a real pleasure to listen to. I definitely recommend all science and medicine students read or listen to this book. It’s time to overcome the blatant ignorance and follies of science and allow humanity to tap into its full potential.

By far one of the best books on Science

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It was a good listen. Many challenges to assumed ideas. I wish I had found it forty years ago.

Ideas to dangerous to utter

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