Research Catalog

Soul searching : human nature and supernatural belief

Title
Soul searching : human nature and supernatural belief / Nicholas Humphrey.
Author
Humphrey, Nicholas.
Publication
London : Chatto & Windus, 1995.

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Details

Description
244 pages : illustrations; 24 cm
Summary
"How many of us believe in telepathy? Or in ghosts? Or the power of prayer? In this provocative and disturbing book, Nicholas Humphrey reviews the battle between materialist and spiritual versions of the cosmos, explaining why so many people still cling, like children seeking reassurance, to belief in supernatural forces: an immaterial soul, universal connectedness and life after death." "Using a novel approach, 'The Argument from Unwarranted Design', Humphrey mounts a devastating critique of the existing evidence for paranormal phenomena, ranging from miracles to the laboratory experiments for extra-sensory perception. He asks why so many sensible people refuse to give up the search, and especially why certain exceptional individuals - from Jesus of Nazareth to Uri Geller - may become convinced they do have supernatural powers. He discusses the emergence of 'paranormal fundamentalism', the unshakeable conviction that no matter what the evidence, 'there must be something there', and traces this to our deep-seated attachment to mind-body dualism. Yet, in the end, it is not only the facts of science but the laws of logic that rule out the truth of most paranormal claims." "Does this leave us without hope of consolation? Far from it. In a surprising twist, Humphrey concludes that the world as it is, governed by natural laws without the possibility of psychic powers or supernatural intervention, has been and is the best cradle for human development. Witty, philosophical, sometimes shocking, always absorbing, Soul Searching throws light - welcome or unwelcome - on many coveted ideas about our relationships with God, with each other, and with nature."--BOOK JACKET.
Subject
  • Parapsychology
  • Supernatural
  • supernatural
  • Spiritualismus
  • Transzendenz
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-239) and index.
ISBN
  • 0701159634
  • 9780701159634
LCCN
96147573
OCLC
  • ocm34082062
  • 34082062
  • SCSB-2127541
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library