Let's make this the book review thread:

I am not sure whether this belongs here, since it's not psychology or philosophy (except tangentially) or metaphysics, but if anyone is looking for a good non-fiction summer read, I would recommend:

The Forgotten Fatherland: the Search for Elisabeth Nietzsche

I would also love to hear comments from anyone who has also read it.

Originally posted by Vanitas

The Holographic Universe

One of my most often read books - and that's despite its many, many flaws.
I'd love to write a recension (if I had the time), but since it's rather well known, perhaps we could just discuss its merits and flaws?

Yes, add some of the flaws you see in it. This IS a book-review thread. I only read it once a long time ago so I dont remember its exact flaws but I do remember one or two chapters not "feeling quite right" (despite the fact that its a must-read).

I reckon this thread shoud be stickyfied. Could be a useful thread to have around,to refer back to.

Anyone else agree?

reply to post by Acidtastic


I certainly agree.
I flagged it (as well as the other, BTS thread), so I can have it at hand, so to speak.

reply to post by Skyfloating



Well, for one thing, the material used in "The Holographic Universe" should have been better organised and edited. Many instances and anecdotes don't really lead anywhere, creating an impression of non sequitur and thereby easily "discrediting" (in the eyes of those who look for flaws) the concept itself.

Also, I think Talbot - may he rest in peace - should have displayed much more healthy skepticism when needed. It would have only furthered his purpose. Instead, he just "swallowed" certain stories without going into them - not in depth, anyway. (A story about Sai Baba illustrates this well. I'll gladly discuss it at some later time if anyone is interested.)

Furthermore, there are factual mistakes in it. Right now I can remember one in particular: his description of the famous Versailles "time slip" (Moberly & Jourdain). He keeps referring to the Tuileries - which is in Paris, i.e. some 20 kilometres from Versailles. It's not a typo; and it is not totally irrelevant either - I naturally started thinking about other possible errors, unknown to me.

None of this means - not in my opinion, anyway - that the idea, the concept itself is in any way compromised. But it certainly doesn't add to the credibility of his presentation. He sets himself as a very easy target.

Still, for those who already subscribe to the main concept (of the universe working as a "hologram") it is a very entertaining read.

And I do believe it made a lasting impact on the popular perception of contemporary "cosmology", so to speak.




[edit on 19-6-2008 by Vanitas]

reply to post by Vanitas


Now that you mention it I remember. I think what made it exciting and a "must read" back then was that many people hadnt even heard of the holographic concept yet and the concept was indeed mind-expanding and a must-know for anyone. I remember getting bored or impatient later in the book though.

If he were still alive he probably would have had a new version published, omitting the mistakes and stuff like sai baba.

About 5 years ago I bought a book in a charity shop by J.W. Dunne called 'An Experiment with Time'. I think it's one of the most interesting and thought provoking books I have ever read.

Amazon Link

From it's wikipedia page:

Dunne's theory, elaborated from years of experiments into precognitive dreams and induced precognitive states, is that in reality all time is eternally present, that is, that past, present and future are all happening together in some way. Human consciousness, however, experiences this simultaneity in linear form. Dunne posits that in the dreaming state this way of interpreting time ceases to be as concrete as when we are awake. Thus we are capable of having what we call precognitive dreams as consciousness finds itself free to roam across past, present and future. From this Dunne posited that we exist on two levels ourselves, both inside and outside time, thus suggesting the notion of Immortality contained in his later books The New Immortality and Nothing Dies.

In An Experiment with Time, Dunne discusses how a theoretical ability to perceive events outside the normal observer's stream of consciousness might be proven to exist, and some of the possible other explanations of this effect, such as déjà vu.

He proposes that observers should place themselves in environments where consciousness might best be freed, and then, immediately upon waking, note down the memories of what had been dreamed, together with the date. At a later time these notes should be scanned, and possible connections drawn between them, and real life events which occurred after the notes had been written.

While the first half of the book is an explanation of the theory, the latter part comprises examples of notes and later interpretations of them as possible predictions. Statistical analysis was at that time in its infancy, and no calculation of the significance of the events reported was able to be made.

The things that struck me about this book are firstly, that it was first published in 1927 and secondly, J.W. Dunne was very skeptical about anything 'paranormal'. He is thorough and consistent in his experiments and paints an extremely convincing picture. He sees dreams of things (mundane as well as quite striking) that one is to experience in the very near future as something totally normal, rather than paranormal.

Further links:

A book review of An Experiment with Time

An Experiment with Time - A tribute to the dream work of J.W. Dunne

A book review from the American Journal of Public Health (1928)


Has anyone else on the board read this book or tried Dunne's experiment? I have never spoken to anyone else who has and would really like to hear other people's opinions on it.

I rarely remember any of my dreams anyway, and Dunne's method of combatting this by writing dreams down in a journal upon waking has proved very difficult for me (I only remember dreams for about 30 seconds after waking and I take a long time to wake up).


[edit on 20/6/08 by Asnivor]

I read Dunnes book a while back and agree that its an all-time-classic on pre-cognitive dreaming. In fact, I only noticed my own pre-cogs after reading that.

reply to post by Asnivor



Oh yes! Dunne is one of the pioneers of (open minded) time research.

Possibly because of the association with Jung (he mentions and analyses at least one of Dunne's precognitive experiences in the book he co-wrote with Pauli), he was also taken seriously enough.

And while this is sort of off-topic, Dunne's foreword to Moberly & Jourdain's book "An Adventure" (1911), about their "time slip" at Versailles, gave the book added credibility, if only retrospectively.

I wish there were more people like him around - and publishing - today.
(There are, of course - just not nearly enough.)







[edit on 20-6-2008 by Vanitas]

Originally posted by Asnivor


About 5 years ago I bought a book in a charity shop by J.W. Dunne called 'An Experiment with Time'. I think it's one of the most interesting and thought provoking books I have ever read.

Amazon Link

Hey, thanks for that, Asnivor. It looks incredibly interesting. I'm going to pick up a copy. My library is lacking slightly in this field.

This book is a personal favorite, and I hope others will enjoy it as much as I have.



Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman

This is fictionalized account of a series of dreams regarding time that Einstein experiences while contemplating his Theory of Relativity. Lightman's prose is simple, yet lyrical, and the dreamworlds he paints are nothing short of facinating.

If you have not read this book yet, I highly recommend it!

reply to post by Cadbury




It's not "An Experiment with Time", but here's another utterly fascinating Dunne's book (free of charge):

The Serial Universe


Enjoy.




[edit on 20-6-2008 by Vanitas]

reply to post by Vanitas


Great find, cheers for that.

It might be time for me to face my 'reading books on a computer screen' phobia

Originally posted by Asnivor
reply to post by Vanitas

 

It might be time for me to face my 'reading books on a computer screen' phobia

I know what you mean...
I've been trying for years now, but I am still making slow progress.

But from time to time there is a book worth the effort.
Dunne's certainly are.

Originally posted by Vanitas

It's not "An Experiment with Time", but here's another utterly fascinating Dunne's book (free of charge):

The Serial Universe


Enjoy.

Thank you.

reply to post by Asnivor


I forgot to include a link to an interesting "tribute" page on J.W Dunne's book.

An Experiment with Time

An old bestseller - a fascinating (and profound!) book:

Zen in the Art of Archery

I have offered it as a gift to some of my friends.
They all LOVED it.

reply to post by maria_stardust


Haven't read it yet, but hope to soon.
Thanks!

It reminded me of one of my (and many other people's) old favourites:

C. G. Jung: 'Memories, Dreams, Reflections'


Those who can read German, can find it on Scribd, free of charge.

OK, now I just need to pick one of these suggestions and start it. Reading has never been a strong point of mine and I really need to be "Grabbed" early on in the book or it will take me months to finish, if I finish it at all.

I am leaning toward the holographic universe or the 3rd Jesus. I will go to the book store this weekend to pick it out. Time to put down Atlas Shrugged for a while. Maybe if I get through a good book, it will re-inspire me and help me keep plugging away at it.

reply to post by Vanitas


I just wanted to say that the layout for reading that online is fantastic. I am using the page flip view and it really is great for my situation where I am forced to sit in front of my PC for hours and hours at night.