Show Notes Today my guest is Professor Ed Kelly. Ed has a BA in psychology from Yale and a Phd in psycholinguistics and cognitive science from Harvard. From 2002 to the present he has been a research professor in the Division of Perceptual Studies, which is part of the department of psychiatry and neurobiological sciences at the University of Virginia. His research interests are psychical research and functional neuroimaging. Ed is also a member of the survival seminar or ‘Sursem’ group at Esalen. The Sursem group was formed in 1998 to examine and collate evidence suggestive of the survival of human personality beyond bodily death. The group ended up producing three large volumes exploring post-materialist theories of consciousness. These were Irreducible Mind in 2007, Beyond Physicalism in 2015 and Consciousness Unbound in 2021. Each of these volumes is co-edited by Ed. In today’s talk we discussed Ed’s early disillusion with the theory of computer-as-mind, and his lab work with a psychic ‘star’ that convinced him of the reality of psi phenomena. We go on to discuss his work with the Sursem group, developing an alternative to mainstream, materialist theories of mind and consciousness. We finish looking at signs that a major revolution might be underway in terms of our understanding of life and consciousness. Thanks for reading What Lies Beyond! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. The Division of Perceptual Studies https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/ Sursem group Kelly, E.F. (2015b). ‘Toward reconciliation of science and spirituality: A brief history of the “Sursem” project’, Edgescience No. 22, pp. 3— 7. Available here. Esalen’s website: https://www.esalen.org The Sursem Group books: Kelly, E.F., Kelly, E.W., Crabtree, A., Gauld, A., Grosso, M., Greyson, B. (2007). Irreducible mind: toward a psychology for the 21st century. Rowman & Littlefield. Kelly, E.F., Crabtree, A. & Marshall, P. (eds) Beyond Physicalism: Toward Reconciliation of Science and Spirituality. Rowman & Littlefield. Kelly, E.F. & Marshall, P. (2021). Consciousness unbound: Liberating mind from the tyranny of materialism. Rowman & Littlefield. My essay review of Irreducible Mind can be downloaded here. Parapsychology Cardeña, E. (2018) ‘The experimental evidence for parapsychological phenomena: A review, American Psychologist Vol. 73 No. 5, 663–677. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000236 Skeptical response: Reber, A. S., & Alcock, J. E. (2020) ‘Searching for the impossible: Parapsychology’s elusive quest,’ American Psychologist 75(3), 391–399. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31192620/ Stigmata: Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers - Ep. 4 - Stigmata: The Wounds of Christ ‘Voodoo death’: Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers - Ep. 11 - The Roots of Evil Consciousness and Life Eastman, T. (2021). Untying the Gordian Knot: Process, Reality, and Context (Contemporary Whitehead Studies). Lexington Books. Faggin, F. (2024). Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature. Essential Books. Nagel, T. (2012). Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False. Oxford University Press. A video of the biologist Dennis Noble discussing the current revolution in biology is available here. The great biologist Lynn Margulis’ last interview can be heard here. Includes an introduction to her work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whatliesbeyond.substack.com
