It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
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?
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.
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
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
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.