The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena

by Dean Radin

Book Overview

This myth-shattering book explains the evidence for the veracity of psychic phenomena, uniting the teachings of mystics, the theories of quantum physics, and the latest in high-tech experiments. With... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062515020
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.2" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Important book showing the impressive findings of psi research

This is a good book about psi research. Dean Radin shows the research done up to that point showing findings beyond chance in tests of mental activity like telekinesis, telepathy, and precognition. He is very careful in laying out the case. The cynicism that abounds in the scientific community about psi warrants a cautious approach, however. Radin's new book Entangled Minds builds on this research, and should also be read; this book is a good primer, however.

5 Stars for writing style, clarity, analysis, and scope...

I consider Dr. Radin to be a man that takes a lot of heat for his experiments and beliefs. Whether or not you agree with him, I think this book shows that Dr. Radin didn't come to the conclusion that psi phenomenon are real overnight. He spent years investigating subtle aspects of "psi phenomena", analyzed large bodies of this type of experimental research, and learned to implement numerous statistical techniques. I do not consider him to be a "quack". Dean Radin is a dedicated scientist. Whether or not he is a misguided scientist depends upon your point of view. I am not convinced that he is misguided. This book has made me open to investigating more and learning more before I draw any conclusions. I simply am not sure what to believe. Dean Radin has a very expressive and easy to read writing style. In addition, he has an uncanny ability to explain the ins and outs of statistics by utilizing simple analogies. For me, this resulted in a book that I was able to read and digest very rapidly. I decided to give the book 5 stars for all of the above reasons. Potential psi research criticisms that were addressed reasonably well by Dr. Radin include: 1) The File Drawer problem 2) The problem of fraud 3) Statistical significance of results (ie. effect size) 4) Replicability of results 5) The use of Meta-analysis 6) Sensory Leakage 7) Randomization of tests There is one area of criticism that I wish were addressed more thoroughly: A fair amount of skepticism about psi phenomena appears to stem from the fact that so much of the evidence is based on "statistical deviations". Granted, (p) values are important, but isn't there even one form of psi that can be captured upon demand? Not one? How about a psi effect that can be looked at tangibly? Where is that? I understand Dr. Radin's point that psi phenomena are inherently complex, but there has to be at least one truly tangible demonstration of its effects. After all, parapsychology is a very broad field of inquiry. Consider, for instance, that physicists can actually conduct a quantum teleportation experiment. It can be observed. Nobody can deny it anymore. With enough effort, it can be VISIBLY reproduced. Psychologists can give a rat a certain narcotic and OBSERVE its unusual behavior. Chemists can form compounds, and you can VIEW them with a microscope. I mean there has to come a point where you actually isolate at least one aspect of a phenomenon and make it tangible. Statistics are inherently complex and there can be so many confounding factors that it's easy for skeptics to dismiss results one way or another. For instance, I feel that parapsychologists need to find a way to create a tangible demonstration of psychokinesis so that skeptics will truly be lost for words. Not tangible with statistics, I mean truly tangible. Personally, I would be elated if any of the following happened: 1) A large group of psychics is able to bend a piece of metal even a millionth

Suprisingly good work that will leave you wondering

Radin's book was a surprise to me. I have been often interested in the paranormal, but have always felt it completely lacked any scientific truth, and was worth little more than entertainment. Eventually, I became very sceptical to any issues that could not be easily accepted by science. This book has made me think twice by finally providing some meta-analysis that convinced me to at least stop to wonder.To keep it short, Radin basically claims that the paranormal is real and has proof of it. He starts by defining the concept of Psi, and dedicates many pages trying to explain you the mathematical and statistical background you will need to understand the studies and the meta-analysis of the results. Radin then proceeds to expose all the evidence that has been gathered for the past years, for Telepathy, Perception at a distance and through time, Mind-Matter interaction, Mental interaction with living organisms and field consciousness. His next theme dedicates 50 pages to explain the why scepticism has been limiting the knowledge of Psi phenomena, and even approaches some metaphysics.The book is very well organized, there is some redundancy, but no more than normal and it is often necessary. Subjects are well separated and the index is very good. What impressed me most was perhaps the way Radin provides the reader with external sources that back up his claims. The text is full of marks to references. You have about 40 pages with notes and references, which you will be able to check for yourself. If Radin claims something you might want to confirm, it most likely tells you where to go find the original document. This aspect alone would be enough to separate this work from many of the pseudocience junk on the market.You will be left under the impression that the experiences known as "psychic phenomena" are real. Radin never refuses the possibility that these phenomena might be fully understood by science in the future, losing its "paranormal" label, but dedicates his energy in trying to prove that they are no longer based solely upon faith or absorbing anecdotes, or even in few experiments - It shows that these phenomena exist because they have been evaluated in massive amounts of scientific evidence.Carl Sagan said extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence, and Radin does provide most of the evidence. As younger scientists become aware of these matters and innovative corporations pour resources into psi investigation, there is no doubt that the scientific community is getting very, very curious about something that is going on but cannot be explained.Radin is very persuasive, many people might not be impressed with his writing on sociology and metaphysics, but his technical expertise on the rest of the book is obvious.This is a very dense book to review in a short space, so I'll end up by warning those who are expecting a lot of hocus-pocus, ghost stories and x-files scripts. This book has almost no

Comment from the author

Of the 26 reviews posted here (not counting this comment), 22 are rated 4 or 5 stars. Only 3 reviews give 1 star, and all three of those are posted by one person.This individual first claimed that the book is flawed because it relies too heavily on anecdotal evidence to make its case. This is false, as anyone who actually reads the book will immediately see. Then he claimed that the statistical methods are wrong. The implication is that psi research relies on methods that are different from those used in the conventional behavioral and social sciences. This too is false. The case for psi in The Conscious Universe relies on conventional methods that are widely accepted and used in other scientific disciplines. The critic apparently prefers other statistical methods. But while the merits of such techniques may be debated, it overlooks an important point: For psi research to appeal to mainstream science, it must first demonstrate that conventional methods of analysis lead to a strong prima facie case that there is something interesting going on. Later (and only later), other proposed analysis techniques may be explored. As one reviewer commented, don't take my word for it. Read this book and the associated literature and learn why well-informed skeptics, including the late Carl Sagan, have conceded that the usual criticisms (selective reporting, design flaws, fraud, etc.) are insufficient to explain away the cumulative scientific evidence for psi effects.

Great book finally lays to rest any doubt

Dean Radin's The Conscious Universe forever lays to rest anyquestion as to the experimentally demonstrated existence of at leastsome psychic (or "psi") phenomena. Using the statistical technique of meta-analysis, Radin methodically and forcefully examines the results from nearly a century of increasingly sophisticated experiments. Notwithstanding the possibility of thousands of researchers committing fraud in a massive decades-long conspiracy, or a complete misapplication and misunderstanding of meta-analysis, the existence of telepathy (mind-to-mind perception), clairvoyance (perception at distance), precognition (perception through time), psychokenesis (mind-matter interaction), and perhaps other psi phenomena (e.g., mental interactions with living organisms) is incontrovertible. Now, a statement such as "forever lays to rest any question" may, to a careful audience, seem extreme. But that's just the point. If carefully read, Radin's thorough, relentless, and pointed volume will -- or should -- win over even the crustiest and most skeptical (but open-minded) mainstream scientist. The hows and whys of psychic phenomena remain unknown, but whether they occur is now settled. Post-Radin, a refusal to accept the reality of psychic phenomena is itself prima facie unscientific and untenable. New Ideas are Accepted in Stages In the Introduction, Radin describes how the acceptance of a new idea occurs in four stages. First, skeptics "confidently proclaim that the idea is impossible because it violates the Laws of Science"; second, "skeptics reluctantly concede that the idea is possible but that it is not very interesting" and its effects are extremely weak; third, the mainstream realizes the importance of the idea and "that its effects are much stronger and more pervasive than previously imagined"; and fourth, those who were originally skeptical now "proclaim that they thought of it first." With psi, we are currently in the most important and the most difficult of the four transitions -- from Stage 1 into Stage 2. While the idea itself is ancient, it has taken more that a century to demonstrate it conclusively in accordance with rigorous, scientific standards. This demonstration has accelerated Stage 2 acceptance, and Stage 3 can already be glimpsed on the horizon. The book has 4 main parts: Motivation, which discusses science, replication (or reproducibility), and meta-analysis; Evidence, where meta-analysis is applied to the various types of psi research, and the leveraging of skeptics' objections into continually improving experimental designs is described; Understanding, which presents a field guide to skepticism and skeptics, a discussion of why scientists can't "see" psi, and a comparison between "Orthodox 'Separateness' Science" and psi-friendly "Proposed 'Wholeness' Science"); and finally, Implications, a short discussion of psi theory and what it might all mean. Motivation and Evidence constitute the heart of the book. From the beginning, R