Morphic resonance

Morphic resonance is a concept proposed by Rupert Sheldrake, suggesting that self-organizing systems, including molecules, cells, plants, animals, and societies, have a collective memory influencing their present and future behaviors. This idea challenges traditional scientific views of nature's laws, proposing instead that they function more like habits formed over time 1.

Sheldrake suggests that experiences and behaviors of past generations create morphic fields, which new generations tap into, forming a kind of collective memory. For instance, a giraffe's development and behaviors are influenced by those of previous giraffes 1. Sheldrake extends this to explain intuitive phenomena like knowing someone is staring at you or how animals like bees know how to construct hives in specific ways 2 3.

He also connects morphic resonance to psychedelics, suggesting that when people take substances like Ayahuasca, they resonate with the collective past experiences of previous users, often leading to similar visual and experiential outcomes despite cultural differences 4. Telepathy, according to Sheldrake, can be explained through morphic fields that link individuals over space and time, such as the intuitive feeling parents have about their children's needs 5.

Critics argue that while intriguing, morphic resonance lacks empirical evidence and can be ascribed to other explanations like learned behaviors or genetic encoding 3.