Rational Mysticism

Rational Mysticism
Author :
Publisher : HMH
Total Pages : 305
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780547347806
ISBN-13 : 0547347804
Rating : 4/5 (06 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Rational Mysticism by : John Horgan

Download or read book Rational Mysticism written by John Horgan and published by HMH. This book was released on 2004-03-22 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of The End of Science chronicles the most advanced research into such experiences as prayer, fasting, and trances in this “great read” (The Washington Post). How do trances, visions, prayer, satori, and other mystical experiences “work”? What induces and defines them? Is there a scientific explanation for religious mysteries and transcendent meditation? John Horgan investigates a wide range of fields—chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, theology, and more—to narrow the gap between reason and mystical phenomena. As both a seeker and an award-winning journalist, Horgan consulted a wide range of experts, including theologian Huston Smith, spiritual heir to Joseph Campbell; Andrew Newberg, the scientist whose quest for the “God module” was the focus of a Newsweek cover story; Ken Wilber, prominent transpersonal psychologist; Alexander Shulgin, legendary psychedelic drug chemist; and Susan Blackmore, Oxford-educated psychologist, parapsychology debunker, and Zen practitioner. Horgan explores the striking similarities between “mystical technologies” like sensory deprivation, prayer, fasting, trance, dancing, meditation, and drug trips. He participates in experiments that seek the neurological underpinnings of mystical experiences. And, finally, he recounts his own search for enlightenment—adventurous, poignant, and sometimes surprisingly comic. Horgan’s conclusions resonate with the controversial climax of The End of Science, because, as he argues, the most enlightened mystics and the most enlightened scientists end up in the same place—confronting the imponderable depth of the universe.


Rational Mysticism Related Books

Summoning the Night
Language: en
Pages: 293
Authors: Jenn Bennett
Categories: Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-04-24 - Publisher: Simon and Schuster

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The second in a not-to-be-missed urban fantasy series about a freewheeling magician who slings drinks at a demon-friendly tiki bar. MAGICAL TRICKS. DEMONIC TREA
Binding the Shadows
Language: en
Pages: 275
Authors: Jenn Bennett
Categories: Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-05-28 - Publisher: Simon and Schuster

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Demons sure know how to kill a girl’s buzz. Renegade mage and bartender Arcadia Bell has had a rough year, but now the door to her already unstable world is b
Rational Mysticism
Language: en
Pages: 305
Authors: John Horgan
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2004-03-22 - Publisher: HMH

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The author of The End of Science chronicles the most advanced research into such experiences as prayer, fasting, and trances in this “great read” (The Washi
Leashing the Tempest
Language: en
Pages: 87
Authors: Jenn Bennett
Categories: Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-12-17 - Publisher: Simon and Schuster

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Dating a demon, defeating evil, running a tiki bar: Arcadia Bell is a great occult mage in many respects. But then there’s the challenge of her boyfriend’s
Eartailia
Language: en
Pages: 284
Authors: Tanya L. Parman
Categories: Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2007-12 - Publisher: Vantage Press, Inc

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A gifted and passionate storyteller, Parman has fashioned an amazing tale about the Groundstalkers, a catlike and unusual race who have adopted the planet Earta