Hundredth monkey effect
Hundredth monkey effect
The story of the hundredth monkey effect was published in Lyall Watson's foreword to Lawrence Blair's Rhythms of Vision in 1975, and spread with the appearance of Watson's 1979 book Lifetide. The claim is that scientists were conducting a study of macaque monkeys on the Japanese island of Koshima in 1952 purportedly observed that some of these monkeys learned to wash sweet potatoes, and gradually this new behavior spread through the younger generation of monkeys—in the usual fashion, through observation and repetition. Watson then claimed that the researchers observed that once a critical number of monkeys was reached—the so-called hundredth monkey—this previously learned behavior instantly spread across the water to monkeys on nearby islands.
Dis-creditors
In 1985, Elaine Myers re-examined the original published research in "The Hundredth Monkey Revisited" in the journal In Context. In her review she found that the original research reports by the Japan Monkey Center in Vol. 2, 5, and 6 of the journal Primates are insufficient to support Watson's story.
An analysis of the literature by Ron Amundson, published by the Skeptics Society, attempted to demystify the supposed effect.
Claims that there was a sudden and remarkable increase in the proportion of washers in the first population were exaggerations of a much slower, more mundane effect. Rather than all monkeys mysteriously learning the skill it was noted that it was predominantly younger monkeys that learned the skill from the older monkeys through observational learning, which is widespread in the animal kingdom.
The use of the term predominantly younger monkeys tells us some older monkeys did learn new tricks. Then there is the question of where did the first monkey obtain the inspiration to wash the sweet potato in the first place?
Matrix download
The science fiction idea of simply downloading skills and knowledge without sweat equity may have an objective component hidden the wishful thinking of the enthusiasts looking for confirmation rather than pure truth.
The concept of multiple discovery is the hypothesis that many complex scientific discoveries and even many technical inventions are made independently and more or less simultaneously by multiple scientists and inventors. Is this merely coincidence or is there a quantum connection in realms not observed or categorized as physical?
Can learning be a combination of sweat equity and quantum connection not forgetting that time is a dimension and not merely the tick of a clock? The desire to learn is clearly a factor in learning just as pride in what we know already can be a block to learning more. And where does the desire to learn come from? Is it a personal choice or a product of genetic or even spiritual Karma? We are clearly influenced by what people say to us, the way they say it and the relationship we have with those people but are we also influenced by their thinking and desires on more subtle levels? And can other people be a conduit to the other string dimensions or dominions both benevolent ones and malevolent ones?
Were the Israelite's 40 years the result o a lack of faith that required more sweat equity to learn the new tricks of a free society taught by Moses? Was the ability of the Apostles in the Bible to suddenly speak foreign languages the result of a cosmic download of information?
Sheldrake
Alfred Rupert Sheldrake, born in 1942, was a biochemist and cell biologist at Cambridge University from 1967 to 1973 and then the principal plant physiologist at the International Crops Research Institute. As an English author, lecturer, and researcher, he is best known for his idea that "memory is inherent in nature".
He has primarily worked on developing and promoting his concept of "morphic resonance" which posits that "natural systems, such as termite colonies, or pigeons, or orchid plants, or insulin molecules, inherit a collective memory from all previous things of their kind". He says that morphic resonance is also responsible for "telepathy-type interconnections between organisms".
Sheldrake also argues that science has become a series of dogmas rather than an open-minded approach to investigating phenomena,and has suggested that scientists are susceptible to "the recurrent fantasy of omniscience".
A phenomenon is a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, esp. one whose cause or explanation is in question. The question is often due to the fact that the observation does not fit accepted scientific dogma.
Sheldrake says he took French philosopher Henri Bergson's book Matter and Memory and his concept of memories not being materially embedded in the brain and generalized it to morphic resonance, where memories are not only immaterial but also under the influence of the collective past memories of similar organisms. The idea of similar organisms brings us to genetic code and DNA as a collective receiver that allows us or omples us to tap into other sources of perception.