The Future of the Body: Explorations Into the Further Evolution Of Human Nature

In the oral and written histories of every culture, there are countless recordsof men and women who have displayed extraordinary physical, mental, and spiritualcapacities. In modern times, those records have been supplemented by scientific studiesof exceptional functioning. Are the limits of human growth fixed? Are extraordinary abilities latent within everyone? Is there evidence that humanity has unrealized capacities for self-transcendence? Are there specific practices through which ordinary people can develop theseabilities? Michael Murphy has studied these questions for over thirty years. In The Future of the Body, he presents evidence for metanormal perception,cognition, movement, vitality, and spiritual development from more than 3,000 sources.Surveying ancient and modern records in medical science, sports, anthropology, the arts,psychical research, comparative religious studies, and dozens of other disciplines,Murphy has created an encyclopedia of exceptional functioning of body, mind, and spirit.He paints a broad and convincing picture of the possibilities of further evolutionarydevelopment of human attributes. By studying metanormal abilities under a wide range of conditions, Murphy suggeststhat we can identify those activities that typically evoke these capacities and assemblethem into a coherent program of transformative practice. A few of Murphys central observations and proposal include: The observation that cultural conditioning powerfully shapes (or extinguishes)metanormal capacities. The proposition that we cannot comprehend our potentials for extraordinary lifewithout an empirical approach that involves many fields of inquiry and different kinds ofknowing. The notion that a widespread realization of extraordinary capacities wouldconstitute an evolutionary transcendence analogous to the rise of humankind from itsprimal ancestry. The proposal that all or most instances of significant human development areproduced by a limited number of identifiable activities such as disciplined self-observation, visualization of desired capacities, and caring for others. The idea that a balanced development of our various capacities is possiblethrough integrated practices. In The Future Of The Body, Murphy states that such practices cancarry forward Earths evolutionary adventure and lead humanity to the next step in itsdevelopment.

Author: Michael Murphy

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

Pages: 785

Publisher: TarcherPerigee

Publication Date: 1993-04-21