Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality

by John Horgan

Book Overview

John Horgan, author of the best-selling The End of Science, chronicles the most advanced research into the mechanics--and meaning--of mystical experiences. How do trances, visions, prayer, satori, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618060278
• ISBN13: 9780618060276
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Skeptic with a Heart

A previous, and until now, only reviewer (you can see below!) has referred to this book as small minded and foolish. I disagree wholeheartedly. The book takes a very open minded look at what science might discover about the mystical experience. Rather than reading this book as though it were written by a reductionist (which I am certain that John Horgan is ultimately not, judging from his discussions on the importance of Love towards the end of the book), read it through the eyes of a man who is seeking to reconcile mysticism with science. Not to resolve reductively, by ignoring the emergent while focusing on the "fundamental," but to engage in discussion about the mechanisms of the mystical experience. Please don't believe that he wants to deny that mystical experiences happen, or that they are real. That is certainly not the way that I have read this book.Horgan writes with a rare wit and charm that is at once entertaining and disarming. His candor in his retelling of interviews with researchers in the field of so-called "neurotheology" is a delightful read, and the interviews have a very honest and earnest feel to them. I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style and have even found myself reading other, omitted, excerpts from the book, as well as additional articles. They are also revealing as to the more personal beliefs of the author. Search for his name online, you'll find his website, excellent stuff there. http://www.johnhorgan.org/This book is for those who are open-minded and willing to have their beliefs challenged. Horgan has a heart that finds its way into his writing, but he is a skeptic no less. Come to it with your mind made up and your heart heardened and you will not hear what the author has to say; but if you are willing to allow yourself to ask at least a question or two, then he has accomplished his goal of opening up a dialogue about a question which has its roots deep in the history of humankind: "What is Mysticism, and Where Can I Get Some?" :)All in all an excellent book by an excellent science journalist! The reader would do well to remember that it is not Horgan's job to give you what you want to hear, or to soothe your ego. He asks questions and looks for answers, and does the best he can while he's at it.Read the book. Ask questions. Open your mind.

A Refreshingly honest look, but no final answers

I have read lots of Buddhist books that praise Buddha above all else or make it sound like enlightenment is good and great, etc. John Horgan does a most amazing thing...... he doesn't take any of that on faith. Instead, he uses the tools of science, which include honest skepticism and inquiry, to find out for himself. What he came up with is a *WONDERFUL* book! It investigated psychedelic drugs, shamans, ideas of heaven and hell and God, and especially enlightenment. I can imagine many "true believers" will label him a heretic since he dared ask, "Maybe enlightenment isn't all its cracked up to be? Maybe it is not even good for you!!!" He starts his book with a story about a foundling crow that grows up to be the family's pet, Lena. One day Lena is accidentally killed when the boys hit her while swinging in the backyard. Horgan, his kids and esp. his wife are devastated. He keeps coming back to the question, what is a crow's life worth and why did she impact us so deeply? Almost at the end of the book, he returns to the question of just exactly what are we looking for in life, and concludes that it is love and the companionship of others. He says, Buddha might not have had a very tender heart. AFter all, he left his wife and son to seek his own enlightenment. But my wife's heart was broken by a crow. A crow!?! If you are a spiritual seeker, you *MUST* read this book, if for no other reason than to shake you up a little bit. If you are on a quest for enlightenment, somebody should ask you, Why? What for? What do you expect to get out of it? Horgan tells of researchers who are honestly trying to seek answers to questions about what is mysticism, who is God, and what do we really want out of life. That he should come round to the rather mundane, maudlin answer, "Love", is surprising but rings quite true.... especially when he mourns the death of one little bird. Wow!

Mysticism for Skeptics (and Vice Versa)

The always skeptical, occasionally cranky and generally brilliant Horgan tackles a timely subject and wrestles it away from the dippy New Agers and hard-nosed scientific materialists who have, until now, dominated the literature of mystical states. This survey of a wide range of current 'mystical technologies' -- from meditation to psychedelic drugs to Buddhism -- benefits from Horgan's trademark incredulousness while displaying the author's own yearning for something more satisfying than superstring theory or an Esalen workshop can provide. A natural progression from his previous two books, "Rational Mysticism" is an entertaining, intellectually rigorous and thought-provoking read.