Many eons ago, someone gave me a copy of a prepublication manuscript, “A New Vision of Evolution - Introduction to the Psi Field Theory” by Ervin Laszlo. In it, Laszlo applies quantum and wave mechanics, systems theory and non-equilibrium thermodynamics to Rupert Sheldrake's morphogenetic field theory, advancing a new theory of evolution as the development of a kind of universal holographic memory bank at the heart of nature, with applications in both the mutation of species and the perceptual functions of the brain.

I'm wondering if people at are familiar with Laszlo's work and how it stands in relation to current developments in the field. When I read it many years ago I thought it was crap in terms of trying to explain a new leap-forward in our understanding, and the possibility of a whole host of hitherto unimaginable new applications and new areas for research. Fortunately, it was not to be. Last thing I heard, the publishing house passed on the manuscript. The majority verdict from peer review being it was way too left-field.

Since then, Sheldrake, Laszlo, and anyone else who dares mention such non-materialistic field theories, seem to have increasingly been tarred as 'woo merchants' and pushed from the radar as they should; unfortunately they were replaced by the largely mechanistic materialism of the likes of Dawkins and the Bad Science skeptics, whose main interest seems to be measuring how many bits of material they can get to fly out of gazillion dollar particle colliders, and whipping up arguments on how many particles can dance on the head of a pin. Is this an accurate characterisation of the course of international science over the past 2 decades I'm wondering? If so, why? How might we use Bacon's scientific method to determine the underlying causes of such phenomena and events?

It takes considerable effort to explain why such inane and physics-illiterate writings don't even really amount to sensible theories of any kind - let alone physical field theories - and reading that kind of stuff leaves a very bad taste in the mouth to boot. What really irks - apart from the unwarranted soft science background smears ;-) - is the ironic insinuation that we alI lack enthusiasm for 'thinking outside of the box' etc. and are just being peremptorily dismissive. Show me a well-informed and cogent attempt at some new idea in mathematical physics or whatever and it'll get the respect it deserves - no matter how wacky it appears prima facie. Show me someone’s moronic Morphic/Akashic/PSI/Intention 'field theory' - yet again! - And it will indeed be dismissed as pseudoscience - because that is exactly what it is.

The Akashic Field is sillier mambo-jumbo from Laszlo. Enough said. ( )