Future of the Body: Explorations into the Further Evolution of Human Nature

A projection of the future of the species documents reports of extraordinary perception, cognition, volition, and spiritual development, predicting a continuing evolution of humanity. By the author of Golf in the Kingdom. National ad/promo. Tour.

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.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An impressively researched, authoritative, and absolutely mind-boggling survey of ``the transformative capacities of human nature.'' As to be expected from a co-founder of California's Esalen Institute, the emphasis here is very much on mind-body phenomena, with the focus on individuals who apparently have extended the usual reach of human possibility--saints, mystics, psychics, artists, geniuses, etc. Drawing on an astonishing array of eyewitness accounts, scientific studies, biographies, letters, monographs, etc., Murphy rigorously organizes his vast material into three categories: ``Possibilities for Extraordinary Life''; ``Transformative Practices''; and ``Evidence for Human Transformative Capacity.'' In the last category, for example, he discusses and documents placebo effects, spiritual healing, hypnosis, ``somatic'' disciplines such as the Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method, yogic powers, the charismas of saints, etc. All this fascinating if sometimes sensational information does serve a purpose, of course--to illuminate the author's ``central observations and proposals,'' e.g., that ``the evidence for extraordinary human attributes strongly supports some sort of penentheism....the doctrine that Divinity is both immanent and transcendent to the universe.'' Whatever one thinks of Murphy's conclusions, even a casual dipping into his text, which will no doubt become a primary source for future mind-body investigation, will reveal a world of inspiring wonders. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Murphy, 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
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.