The Extension of Mind Through Space and the Sense of Being Stared At

Do our minds reside solely inside our heads, or perhaps bodies?
Or do they extend into the wider world, perhaps even reaching to
the stars? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues,
Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon discuss the extended mind
theory, taking a lead from recent work of Rupert’s on the sense
of being stared at, and also the problems that contemporary
science has with understanding vision. The discussion considers
new research carried out by Rupert and others, as well as the
theories of A.N. Whitehead. The way in which science since
Maxwell has considered light as moving backwards as well as
forwards in time is explored, alongside the way that William
Blake described how we see, which itself fits the ancient
understanding, that seeing is an active process of engagement,
not a passive mode of reception.

Rupert references two published papers. One is on the nature of
visual perception, co-written with Alex Gomez-Marin, online
here:
https://www.sheldrake.org/files/pdfs/papers/The-Nature-of-Visual-Perception.pdf


The other is on directional scopaesthesia, co-written with Pamela
Smart, online here:
https://www.sheldrake.org/vision

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Dr Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, is a biologist and author best known
for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. At Cambridge University,
as a Fellow of Clare College, he was Director of Studies in
biochemistry and cell biology. As the Rosenheim Research Fellow
of the Royal Society, he carried out research on the development
of plants and the ageing of cells, and together with Philip
Rubery discovered the mechanism of polar auxin transport. In
India, he was Principal Plant Physiologist at the International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, where he
helped develop new cropping systems now widely used by farmers.
He is the author of more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed
journals and his research contributions have been widely
recognized by the academic community, earning him a notable
h-index for numerous citations.  On ResearchGate his
Research Interest Score puts him among the top 4% of
scientists.

https://www.sheldrake.org?svd=82

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Dr Mark Vernon is a psychotherapist and writer with a rich
academic background in physics, theology, and philosophy. He
contributes to programmes on the radio, writes and reviews for
newspapers and magazines, gives talks and podcasts. His books
have covered themes including friendship and God, ancient Greek
philosophy and wellbeing. His new book, out August 2019, is "A
Secret History of Christianity: Jesus, the Last Inkling and the
Evolution of Consciousness". He has a PhD in ancient Greek
philosophy, and other degrees in physics and in theology, and
works as a psychotherapist in private practice. He used to be an
Anglican priest.

Mark's latest book is...
A Secret History of Christianity: Jesus, the Last Inkling, and
the Evolution of Consciousness
http://www.markvernon.com/books/a-secret-history-of-christianity?svd=82