The Future of the Body: Explorations into the Further Evolution of Human Nature
In the oral and written histories of every culture, there are countless records of men and women who have displayed extraordinary physical, mental, and spiritual capacities. In modern times, those records have been supplemented by scientific studies of exceptional functioning.\ Are the limits of human growth fixed?\ Are extraordinary abilities latent within everyone?\ Is there evidence that humanity has unrealized capacities for self-transcendence?\ Are there specific practices through which...
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In the oral and written histories of every culture, there are countless records of men and women who have displayed extraordinary physical, mental, and spiritual capacities. In modern times, those records have been supplemented by scientific studies of exceptional functioning. Are metanormal attributes latent within everyone? What is the evidence that all humanity has unrealized capacities for self-transcendence, that the limits of human growth are not fixed? And are there specific practices that ordinary people can do to develop these abilities? Michael Murphy has studied these questions for over thirty years. In The Future of the Body, he presents evidence for metanormal perception, cognition, movement, vitality, and spiritual development from more than 3,000 sources. Surveying ancient and modern records in medical science, sports, anthropology, the arts, psychical research, comparative religious studies, and dozens of other disciplines, Murphy has created an encyclopedia of exceptional functioning of body, mind, and spirit. He paints a broad and convincing picture of the possibilities of further evolutionary development of human attributes. By studying metanormal abilities under a wide range of conditions, Murphy suggests that we can identify those activities that typically evoke these capacities and assemble them into a coherent program of transformative practice. Such practice, he believes, if embraced by enough people, would constitute a crucial next step in the world's evolutionary adventure. Publishers Weekly Esalen cofounder Murphy has produced a massive tome that could become a bible of the New Age movement. His main thesis is that each of us harbors latent metanormal capacities rooted in biological evolution: ESP, clairvoyance, extraordinary movement abilities, uncanny somatic awareness and self-regulation, superabundant vitality and universal love, among others. Our genetic inheritance, he argues, predisposes us toward developing these powers, which can be mediated by Christian grace, the Tao or the workings of Buddha Mind, and also can be developed through specific practices. These include psychotherapy, fitness training, martial arts, meditation, biofeedback and prayer. Murphy's claims for extraordinary human potential are annotated with references to 3000 sources, ranging from physiological studies of meditators to reports of near-death experiences. In closing he scans the impulse toward wholeness in ancient and modern cultures and warns of the mental imbalance that misuse of transformation discipline can cause. An exciting synthesis. Author tour. (May)
Pt. IPossibilities for Extraordinary Life1Introduction32The Varieties of Evidence for Human Transformative Capacity73Evolution and Extraordinary Functioning244Analogies Between the Products of Separate Evolutionary Domains365Developing Human Attributes646Culture, Genes, and Extraordinary Functioning1607Philosophy, Religion, and Human Development1718Metanormal Embodiment in Legend, Art, and Religious Doctrine2019Evolution in a Larger Earth21410Evolution and Postmortem Survival221Pt. 2Evidence for Human Transformative Capacity11Psychosomatic Changes in Abnormal Functioning23312Placebo Effects24613Spiritual Healing25714Extraordinary Capacities of Disabled People28415Mesmerism and Hypnosis29116Biofeedback Training35017Psychotherapy and Imagery Practice36918Somatic Disciplines38619Adventure and Sport41520The Martial Arts44821Extraordinary Capacities of Religious Adepts46422The Charisms of Catholic Saints and Mystics47823Scientific Studies of Contemplative Experience527Pt. 3Transformative Practices24The Bases of Transformative Practice54325Elements of Transformative Practice55526Integral Practices567Frequently Used Terms587AppendicesA.1Sources of Information Regarding Parapsychology and Psychical Research590A.2Highly Regarded Parapsychology Experiments590A.3Studies of Spontaneous Paranormal Phenomena591A.4Studies Concerning the Prevalence of Paranormal Phenomena592A.5Psychiatric and Psychological Studies of Paranormal Phenomena593A.6Studies of Parent-Child Telepathy594A.7Experiments with Suggestion at a Distance595A.8Paranormal Photography597BScientific and Commonsense Assumptions Which Inhibit Belief That Paranormal Events Occur600CScientific Meditation Studies603D.1Spiritual Healing Studies and Psychokinesis Studies Involving Living Materials612D.2Cross-Cultural Studies of Spiritual Healing617EStudies of Near-Death, Out-of-Body, Reincarnation-Type and Otherworld Experiences618FExperimental Studies and Historical Accounts Regarding the Subtle Body622GCreativity Studies623HClinical and Experimental Studies of Progressive Relaxation624IReadings on the Cultural Shaping of Individual Development626J.1Processes Critical to Living Systems627J.2Some Analogies Between Activities in Different Evolutionary Domains628K.1Incorruptible Cadavers of Roman Catholic Saints630K.2Levitated Ecstatics of the Roman Catholic Church with References to Accounts of Their Lives633Notes634Bibliography676Permissions and Copyrights762Index765
\ Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly\ Esalen cofounder Murphy has produced a massive tome that could become a bible of the New Age movement. His main thesis is that each of us harbors latent metanormal capacities rooted in biological evolution: ESP, clairvoyance, extraordinary movement abilities, uncanny somatic awareness and self-regulation, superabundant vitality and universal love, among others. Our genetic inheritance, he argues, predisposes us toward developing these powers, which can be mediated by Christian grace, the Tao or the workings of Buddha Mind, and also can be developed through specific practices. These include psychotherapy, fitness training, martial arts, meditation, biofeedback and prayer. Murphy's claims for extraordinary human potential are annotated with references to 3000 sources, ranging from physiological studies of meditators to reports of near-death experiences. In closing he scans the impulse toward wholeness in ancient and modern cultures and warns of the mental imbalance that misuse of transformation discipline can cause. An exciting synthesis. Author tour. (May)\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalMurphy, a cofounder of the Esalen Institute, believes that all human beings possess the capacity for extraordinary development, and that at least part of this capacity can be intentionally developed through what he calls transformative practices. He uses much of the text to provide examples of metanormal functioning in literature, religion, science, and psychology from many cultures and historical eras. The sheer magnitude of examples lends weight to his theory of the possibility of mind-body unity as a universally available phenomenon. In a brief final section, he suggests ways that individuals may begin searching for their own wholeness. This book will definitely appeal to a wide audience. Notes, appendixes, and a bibliography not seen, so the book's scholarly value cannot be assessed. Recommended for most libraries.-- Lucy Patrick, Florida State Univ. Lib., Tallahassee\ \
