Let's talk about morphic resonance

[Gryfyd]

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(Please don't just post to attack Dr. Sheldrake. Ad hominem attacks are not helpful--they don't disprove the ideas being discussed.)

The business of philosophy is to explore new ideas.

I want to discuss the idea of morphic resonance. I'm somewhat acquainted with it through a couple videos, a book and the web site. Maybe on this web site are some people who know about biology and can give some insight.

I want to ask about the following natural phenomenon.
You know how a large school of fish will suddenly change course as though they all have one mind?
What law of nature causes that?

One hypothesis is a so-called "morphic field."

I quote Sheldrake:

"2. This field is within and around the system it organizes, and is a vibratory pattern of activity that interacts with electromagnetic and quantum fields of the system...including (c) Social fields that link together and coordinate the behavior of social groups."
Sheldrake, Science Set Free, p. 100

What laws of physics are involved here?

[surreptitious57]

I have read his book The Science Delusion and I have also watched his TED video [ which should not have been banned ]
I dont know if the specific phenomenon which he describes is morphic resonance but the reason for it will be scientific
That is because it is observable and as such is therefore something science should at some point be able to investigate

[Harbal]

Please don't just post to attack Dr. Sheldrake.

It is against my principles to attack a man who is not here to be offended by what I say about him. That would be a waste of time.

Ad hominem attacks are not helpful

Even so, it still seems pointless making them if their target is unaware of them.

I want to discuss the idea of morphic resonance.

That's not much to go on. Do you have any other symptoms?

You know how a large school of fish will suddenly change course as though they all have one mind?
What law of nature causes that?

I doubt that even the fish know why they do it.

One hypothesis is a so-called "morphic field."

I suppose Sheldrake came up with that.

I quote Sheldrake:

I thought as much.

[Walker]

.
(Please don't just post to attack Dr. Sheldrake. Ad hominem attacks are not helpful--they don't disprove the ideas being discussed.)

The business of philosophy is to explore new ideas.

I want to discuss the idea of morphic resonance. I'm somewhat acquainted with it through a couple videos, a book and the web site. Maybe on this web site are some people who know about biology and can give some insight.

I want to ask about the following natural phenomenon.
You know how a large school of fish will suddenly change course as though they all have one mind?
What law of nature causes that?

One hypothesis is a so-called "morphic field."

I quote Sheldrake:

"2. This field is within and around the system it organizes, and is a vibratory pattern of activity that interacts with electromagnetic and quantum fields of the system...including (c) Social fields that link together and coordinate the behavior of social groups."
Sheldrake, Science Set Free, p. 100

What laws of physics are involved here?

Fish in schools.
Birds in a flying flock.
Folks on a packed New Jersey beach.
None touch one another in or outside the group.

Does this morphic resonance also apply to people in some way?

[FlashDangerpants]

I want to ask about the following natural phenomenon.
You know how a large school of fish will suddenly change course as though they all have one mind?
What law of nature causes that?

One hypothesis is a so-called "morphic field."

I quote Sheldrake:

"2. This field is within and around the system it organizes, and is a vibratory pattern of activity that interacts with electromagnetic and quantum fields of the system...including (c) Social fields that link together and coordinate the behavior of social groups."
Sheldrake, Science Set Free, p. 100

What laws of physics are involved here?

That would be Occam's monkey operated facial lawnmower. *

Less well known than his razor (which boringly postulates that we shouldn't introduce unnecessary entities to explain phenomena that are explicable in normal terms), the Monkey Operated Lawnmower insists that we should find ways to add intriguing elements into explanations of quite mundane systems.

So for instance, in circumstances where a herd of animals simply observe the movements of their fellows and respond according to instinct, and in spite of the fact that they cannot do so in the dark, we reject an explanation based on vision and group behaviour because that is too obvious. So we insert undetectable morphic fields to spice things up.




* Monkey Operated Facial Lawnmower is a registered trademark, this product must not be used on lawns or faces. Application of the lawnmower to face, lawn or groin may result in bleeding, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

[Walker]

I was watching sardines in a big tank at the Monterey aquarium, in the USofA.

They apparently simultaneously change direction quicker than reaction time, but who knows. They're animals, quite speedy. If it is reaction time it would seem to move in a ripple, and if you watch films of very large sardine schools in the wild that appear as a large mass to fool predators, there does appear to be ripple effect.

[Atla]

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I don't know about morphic resonance. However European robins are now largely accepted to be using the interplay between quantum entangled particles and the Earth's magnetic field to navigate. The entangled particles are embedded in the bird's eyes.

So maybe when birds or fish in a flock simultaneously change direction, they are sometimes all reacting to some change in a field without actually communicating with each other. They may even anticipate the behaviour of the flock in advance, based on the field(s) they are reacting to.

[surreptitious57]

However European robins are now largely accepted to be using the interplay between quantum entangled
particles and the Earths magnetic field to navigate . The entangled particles are embedded in the birds eyes

This is the first time that I have ever heard of this and it is very interesting indeed
And so I wonder if it is used by other bird species that navigate over long distances

[Walker]

The other day while watching a flock of flying birds I noticed that when they turn, those on the outside of the turn fly much faster than those nearer the center, which causes each individual to maintain its relative position in the formation.

Maintaining the overall pattern of the group by means of varying individual speeds indicates that more is going on than just each bird reacting to those close by.

[Dontaskme]

The other day while watching a flock of flying birds I noticed that when they turn, those on the outside of the turn fly much faster than those nearer the center, which causes each individual to maintain its relative position in the formation.

Maintaining the overall pattern of the group by means of varying individual speeds indicates that more is going on than just each bird reacting to those close by.

Infinite intelligence is not a force to be reckoned with, no, respected,yes.

.

[PeteJ]

I wonder if you're slightly underselling morphic resonance. It says a lot more than just this suggestion about flock-behaviour.

[Sculptor]

.
(Please don't just post to attack Dr. Sheldrake. Ad hominem attacks are not helpful--they don't disprove the ideas being discussed.)

The business of philosophy is to explore new ideas.

What laws of physics are involved here?

No laws of physics are involved here. Parapsychology is about a useful as astrology.
I think if there is any thing in this, it has more to do with selective bias.

I've no need to throw an ad hominem at Sheldrake. Simply enough he has abandoned science in favour of mysticism.
What is there to discuss?