Rating: 
Summary: Are individual experiences valid scientific data?
Review: This is one of the most provocative books I have read in years. In the first few chapters Mr. Talbot describes the emerging holographic paradigm in science, drawing on David Bohm's work in quantum physics and Karl Pribam's work in neuroscience. I found both descriptions to be fascinating, and especially enjoyed the historical context for the work of these two seminal thinkers. As a person with a master's degree in neuroscience and chaos/complexity theory, I found a couple of his simplifications misleading, but would give him high marks for his overall comprehension of the conclusions of Pribam and his followers.The remaining 2/3 of the book is a discussion of how the holographic paradigm may provide a rational basis for interpreting a wide variety of phenomenon located around the fringes of established science. He looks at everything from strange historical "miracles" like stigmata and appearances of the Virgin Mary to modern psychic abilities and LSD experiences, from out-of-body and near-death-experiences to UFO abductions. In addition, he compares language used in the modern scientific discussion of holography with the language used by ancient mystical traditions. Mr. Talbot's writing style is unusually clear and lucid. All of this makes for a highly engaging book. It kept me up late every night for more than a week. I am a person who has had an OBE/NDE (out-of-body, near-death-experience), and can tell you that his description of such events is an astoundingly accurate portrayal of what I experienced. I am also a scientist, and know that most of my highly rational, empirical colleages would have trouble accepting a majority of Mr. Talbot's conclusions. This work addresses something so completely out of the realm of everyday experience for most people, and probes a world that is normally invisible to the five senses. Hence, objective, empirical science -- as defined by a conventional theorist or practicing technician -- simply cannot address these experiences. They are outside the range of focus of the tool that Western minds currently rely on. The service that Mr. Talbot provides is a challenge to rethink the conventional definition of science so that it can take into account a much wider range of human experience. What he argues for is the acceptance, as valid scientific data, of the experiences of individual humans, across cultures and throughout history, that are remarkably consistent with one another. These experiences address aspects of reality that are invisible to the skeptical eye, but become obvious to the person who chooses to develop other forms of perception. As a person who was unwittingly thrown into an OBE/NDE experience, I am naturally inclined to read a book like this one with an open mind, and felt immensely rewarded for doing so. However, if I had reviewed the same book before having my own personal experience of some of the phenomena it describes, I would have reviewed it as a new-age excursion into a realm of fantasy. I am completely sympathetic to some of the reviewers who see it that way, and respectfully disagree. I believe there is an extraordinary synthesis happening among the realms of human experience, one that can validate each individual's story, however unusual, and also one that honors all the different ways of knowing. I see Mr. Talbot's work as one of the more important bridges yet constructed between traditional science and spirituality, between rational discourse about repeatable, empirically verifiable phenomenon and the quirky, esoteric or mythological elements of personal experience that actually define most people's experience of reality. This book is a "must read" for any passionate seeker of truth.
Rating:
Summary: A very thought provoking book!
Review: The Holographic Universe, by Michael Talbot
Harper Perennial, 1992 This book was recommended to me by a good friend who had read my book ('The Road to Damascus', iUniverse, 1999). I am grateful to her. It is a book I would not have wanted to miss. I had just finished 'The Elegant Universe,' by Brian Greene, which is a remarkable exposition of the so-called 'superstring theory, ' as well as the best, most easily understandable explanation of relativity and quantum theory that I have yet read. 'The Holographic Universe,' however, is in a different category altogether. Talbot's formal educational accomplishments, background or qualifications are not given in the book, save to say that he is the author of 'Mysticism and the New Physics' and 'Beyond the Quantum.' He lives in New York City. He does, however, inform us that he has a personal background that includes psychical abilities (the ability to perceive auras, and a history of causing poltergeist phenomenon as a child.) His basic thesis is that the universe is a hologram, composed of interference patterns, and, basically, that mind and 'matter' are interactive, and that essentially, the human mind can and does exercise some control over the material world, including causing and healing illness and psychokinetic effects. He names several scientists and others who are in agreement with him, and in fact does not claim to be the originator of the theory. As I understand holography, and I freely admit that my understanding is rudimentary, a holographic image of an object is created by the use of a laser beam which is bounced off the original object and then split (by mirrors) into a reference beam and an interference beam which come together again to form an image on film composed of an unintelligible pattern of interference waves (like concentric circles on a pond caused by dropping two or more rocks in the water at different locations.) The film image remains unintelligible until another laser beam is passed through it (any part of it) which forms a three-dimensional image of the original object, in mid-air. Thus, it is difficult for me to correlate that understanding into a theory of the composition of the universe. I can understand that the universe might be composed of interference waves, but where is the original 'object'? Michael Talbot speaks of an 'implicate order' and an 'explicate order.' If I understand him, and I think I do, he is substituting the term 'implicate order' for the original, causative source of everything. The explicate order is the 'reality' in which we are entrapped. In my book, I simply use the word 'God' for essentially the same radical root of reality (the implicate order.) Perhaps our versions of reality are for all intents and purposes the same, except for terminology. I rather suspect that is true. Talbot speaks of, and quotes, many sources. The only one whom I have personally met is Dr. Stanislav Grof, who spoke at a seminar I attended once at Asilimar in central California. He was impressive. Talbot describes 'miracles,' including healing, therapeutic touching and a variety of strange and unusual happenings which require a suspension of disbelief, but which, if you can subscribe to his theory are explainable within that framework. He gives, names, cites his sources, and provides a subject index. The book appears to be a scholarly work, on which he has spent considerable time and effort. Whether the universe is technically a hologram, or not, will be debatable for some time to come, no doubt, as the scientific proof seems as difficult to obtain as proof of string theory. Do I recommend his book? By all means! And then, or even before you buy it, I recommend my own book to you. Mine is only 124 pages, and it is, I think, far easier to understand. And, we seem to be saying much the same thing. Regardless, Talbot's book is well worth reading, and will hold your attention, I'm sure. I rate it at an easy five stars. Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity.
Rating:
Summary: brother, can you paradigm?
Review: Talbot has created a great book. The Holographic Universe is a discourse on a new way (paradigm) for viewing life and the Universe, based primarily on revelations from quantum physics. While my copy is over 10 years old, and physics has moved forward a bit since then, much of the material in the book is as revelant today as it was when my copy was published in 1991.
The basic premise of the book concerns the nature of holography, and how the Universe and our existence and experience can be viewed through a holographic model. For those who don't know, a holgram or holograph is a photographic image created by splitting a laser beam and recording interference patterns between the two beams after one has been reflected off the subject to be photographed. It has the remarkable property of containing the entire image on each piece if you cut it or break it into smaller pieces. This idea of the whole contained in each piece is the basis of the Holographic principle. It has been found to be very useful in explaining the behavior of many natural systems, hence the purpose of this book. Talbot discusses many areas of life, including particle physics and physical health. He quotes and cites authorities like Bohm, Grof, Pribram, and many others too numerous to mention here. The book is an incredible resource for a new view of reality as well as a huge listing of people, books, and research to go into more depth on the subjects covered. It is one of my favorite books, and I have given more than one away as a gift. At one time, I kept two additional copies just to loan out. My favorite parts of the book are the experiment in mass dreams near the end, and the section starting on page 90 dealing with the placebo effect and Multiple Personality Disorder(MPD). The fact that placebo effect can cure illness at a higher rate than many pharmaceuticals should make people sit up and take notice. If that doesn't wake you up, then the research on the health capabilities of people with MPD ought to really rattle your sense of reality darned hard. (If not, then relax, comb your wool, say "baaaa," and go back to munching grass. Someone will be along to shear you.) The fact that people with MPD can turn illnesses on and off totally destroys the whole Cartesian-clockwork view of physical reality, not to mention the Western allopathic model of medicine. These people can experience radical changes in their biology just by changing which personality is "in charge" of the body. I'm talking total disappearance of diabetes, complete changes in vision (color blindness as well as refractive errors), allergic reactions, erasing the effects of drugs and alcohol; tumors, scars, and cysts coming and going, and more. All of these things are well-documented in the scientific literature (cited in the book). I personally know know of a case (not in the book) of a broken bone that would not show on x-rays unless the personality who broke the bone was present! The person who recounted this to me was very much frightened by it, and reluctantly revealed it only when I raved about this sction of the book. The MPD research alone should force a total redirection of our health research. Of course it won't, because trillion-dollar industries rely on expensive cures that don't work, and those industries couldn't care less about your and my health, only our ability to pay. This book is a terrific read and will open your eyes to wonderful new things. It may even open you up to a whole new life, it is that powerful. It is still vital after a decade, and well worth reading. A no-holds-barred 5.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever written
Review: I've read The Holographic Universe often, and have gained new insights into the nature of consciousness and reality from its riches every time. I consider it to be author Michael Talbot's most important work, as well as one of the best books ever written on the subject of so-called paranormal phenomenon. Talbot's fascination for finding scientific explanations for psychic and paranormal activity began when he noticed objects moving inexplicably around him, regardless where he lived. He would sometimes awaken to find socks draped on his houseplants, and occasionally found objects in his apartment that he knew for a fact had been hundreds of miles away. His real-life experiences with such shifts in reality combined with his training in physics led him to explore possible reasons for these and other mysterious happenings. Talbot begins his book with an excellent introduction to physicist David Bohm's concept of the holographic model of the universe, and combines the physics model with Karl Pribram's work on the holographic model of the brain. The result is a marvelous description of a non-local, interconnected and alive universe that moves in response to our every thought and feeling. I am very impressed with the clarity with which Talbot presents the concept of a holographic universe and how various paranormal phenomenon can be explained within that model. Talbot's discussion is comprehensive, fascinating, clear, and packed with relevant and intriguing stories of paranormal phenomenon. Out of body experiences (OBEs), near death experiences (NDEs), auric readings, psychokinesis, acupuncture, X-ray vision, healing, and psychic readings are all described and considered for placement into the holographic model. Talbot presents a wealth of relevant research studies and scientific theories from David Bohm, Helmut Schmidt, Marilyn Schlitz, Robert Monroe, Charles Tart, Larry Dossey, Paul Davies, PMH Atwater, Ian Stevenson, Fred Alan Wolf, Harold Puthoff, Russell Targ, Lyall Watson, Stanislav Grof, and many others.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent work!
Review: An excellent work!
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I liked the in-depth research and scientific bridge to what seams to be a very flexible and dynamic subject matter - ENERGY - in it's many forms from concrete physical matter to the and subtle forms produced and experienced by psychic phenomena. Some hard-core scientists might disregard the evidence of experiments shown in this book only because it ALSO includes personal experiences and popular stories (experienced by many!), but not me. Where would we be with out the great scientists of the past willing to debunk "comfort zone" theories and tunnel vision. Do people really think that our tendency towards rigid theory-frameworks of reality is that much less then 1000 years ago? I don't think so! Its books like this that need to be more widely read and digested for the empirical evidence they contain. Let's not ignore this stuff anymore, everyone! The earth STILL isn't flat!!!
Rating:
Summary: great reading!
Review: The first two chapters intrigued me greatly. The whole book is great, though the book gets bogged down in the middle with too many descriptions of various supernatural occurrances straight from C. Fort and others to back up the holographic theory. Still, the book is a great read for anyone interested in quantum physics or books such as the Tao of Physics.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: This is a great book on physics crossing into the metaphysical and spiritual realms. The holographic universe is really another way of explaining Quantum mechanics and Superstring theories. The more we dig down for the ultimate TOE the closer we seem to get to the inner mysteries of the human soul. I am starting to believe that the ultimate answer to all science is not out there, but within us.
Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting Read
Review: One evening years ago while listening to Public Radio, Mr. Talbot was interviewed about his book and I sat and listened transfixed to what he had to say. The story that most stuck in my mind was the story of the hypnotism of a man where the hypnotist stood behind a subject with a watch and asked the gentleman to tell him what he had in his hand and the man told him he had a watch. I immediately went out and bought this book and though it's in the science section, it may very well be in the paranormal section. An interesting and intriguing read! Highly recommended for concepts such as the paranormal and the brain's power to heal the body and mind.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally Intriguing
Review: The Holographic Universe is at times truly spellbinding, offering a number of revolutionary ideas explained in a straightforward manner that a non-scientist can understand and apply to daily life. The central premise -- that the universe is a common creation of humans projecting our ideas and mental images -- is not as startling as it first seems once Talbot explains the basis for his theory. And the really intriguing thing is that the concept draws nearly as heavily from spiritual traditions as it does from scientific principles. For years I have struggled to bring together my intuitive spiritual convictions with my analytical turn of mind and basic common sense. This book goes a long way toward helping me integrate those various approaches to knowledge, without forcing me to discount or deny one or another frame of reference. I highly recommend this and other books by Michael Talbot to anyone who is curious, and open-minded, about the nature of reality.
Rating: 
Summary: doesn't stand up
Review: people give five stars too easily.
After having thought about this book for awhile I find that it doesn't hold up to inquiry.
Yes the world has many undiscovered areas but this book should be taken with a large grain of salt.
I look forward to what science has to offer not some hypothesis ...what people are reacting to is wishfull thinking...though I admit some of this wishfull thinking could turn out to be true, but probably in some stranger way than this book. Consulting the amazing Randi isn't such a bad idea...skepticism first-daydreaming later.
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