Last August famous cosmologist and physics professor Sean Carroll was the guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Among other things Joe and he discussed was poo-pooing the ‘woo’ of the movie What the Bleep?, and the way people like Deepak Chopra have hijacked the theory of quantum mechanics in order to promote dubious spiritual snake oil. At one point in the interview, Carroll matter-of-factually says to Joe: “there’s no Magic in the world.”
I wonder what he and most of his colleagues would think on the title for Dean Radin’s latest book, Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe. Radin is definitely not a Chopra wannabe; he’s one of the most respected figures in the field of Parapsychology, Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and Associated Distinguished Professor of Integral and Transpersonal Psychology at the CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES (CIIS). He has conducted many experiments and written over 250 scientific and popular articles (some 80+ in peer-reviewed journals) discussing the reality of ESP and PSI-related phenomena. He’s always approached these controversial topics from the perspective and rigor of modern Science, and yet what this new book seems to suggest is something akin to a ‘coming out’ of the esoteric Cabinet of Wonders, if you will, and acknowledging a rather bold fact: that what he and his colleagues have been analyzing and attempting to reproduce using the scientific method, is basically the same stuff shamans and other practitioners of magickal arts have claimed to be able to control for hundreds or even thousands of years –in other words, there’s not only Magic in the world, but it is fundamental aspect of Reality itself.
Here’s a promo video in which Dean explains the main topics covered by Real Magic:
Real Magic will be released by Penguin Random House on April 10th, 2018. Here’s hoping once it’s out Dean will be invited to JRE to discuss it personally with Joe. Who knows? Maybe Dean might manage to convince him ESP is not “total bull$#it.” That would be pretty magical indeed.
