Publisher's Synopsis
Human beings are scientific creatures, using reason and intuition to forge ever greater autonomy over the powers of nature. We live in an age where the doctrines of science reign supreme, where the scientific method provides humanity with a formidable tool to elucidate the objective truths of nature. But we are as much spiritual beings as we are rational, and there are parts of the human mind that can never be nurtured by science. Our deeply entrenched desire to believe in something beyond ourselves, or to transcend the familiar pastures of reason and rationality into the realms of unreason and irrationality, are as fundamental to our nature as sleeping and eating. Addressing humanity's ancient desire to give a wider context to its own existence, Dr English explores issues such as astrology, UFOs, alien abductions, and the use of psychoactive drugs to alter our perception of reality. He shows how science and mysticism have undergone a remarkable synthesis through the revolution in physics brought about by the indeterminism and counter-intuition of quantum mechanics. These ideas enable Dr English to advance his own personal account of how we can achieve a higher level of consciousness unrestrained by the familiar laws of nature. This timely book brings into context many of the scientific phenomena that are of broad interest to society. It is aimed particularly at those who have a predilection for science and its future, but the jargon-free presentation makes it accessible even to the uninitiated, who will discover that not everything is predestined by laws of nature and that our evolutionary journey contains a strong component of serendipity.
