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Sir Alister Clavering Hardy
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The Spiritual Nature of Man: A Study of Contemporary Religious Experience Paperback – November 10, 1983

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3 ratings
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  1. Print length
    172 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    November 10, 1983
  5. ISBN-10
    019824732X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0198247326
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (November 10, 1983)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 172 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 019824732X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198247326
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.5 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3 ratings

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  1. Sir Alister Clavering Hardy

    Sir Alister Clavering Hardy
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  2. Sir Alister Hardy

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
3 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

greg
5.0 out of 5 stars A long way to go
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024
Verified Purchase
Arrived in very reasonable time considering that it came from the UK. Packaging was excellent. Condition was amazing considering that the book is 45 years old and was once a library book.
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Dr. H. A. Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars The documenting of spiritual experience
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2012
Despite the subtitle of this book, the author, a distinguished marine biologist at Oxford and Fellow of the Royal Society, makes it clear that he wants to examine spiritual experience rather than make a case for any specific dogmatic religion. What Sir Alister classifies as spiritual experience is made clear in Chapter 2: numinous religious feelings and visions, prayer, psychic experiences such as telepathy and clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences and, because they are now so well defined, what we call near-death experiences. As he says, `I regard all of these experiences as part of the "natural world" . . . [God] is not a person "out there" but has none the less an equally important "personal" reality of a psychological nature.'

During the latter half of the 20th century, this has been a view that has been expressed often by both theistic scientists and, especially, Christian clerics like John Robinson, Don Cupitt and Anthony Freeman. As a biologist himself, Hardy wanted `to work out an ecological outlook which took into account [man's] emotional and spiritual behaviour'. As with all subjective experiences, Hardy is intent upon teasing out the rational, scientific force of argument for the validity of spiritual experience by induction from the mass of evidence. We might say that this is a supplement to the classics by William James and Edwin Starbuck. Hardy quotes his friend Julian Huxley's contention that `there is no dualistic split between soul and body, between matter and mind, between life and non-life . . . all phenomena . . . from radiation to religion are natural.'

Spiritual beliefs are part of our ancestral mythical heritage and are not to be disparaged or discarded because they are social activities. Hardy quotes Peter Medawar: `our newer style of evolution is Lamarckian in nature. The environment cannot imprint genetical information upon us, but it can and does imprint non-genetical information which we can and do pass on. Acquired characteristics are indeed inherited'. As Hardy points out, this is the role of Richard Dawkins' memes.

This book points up the richness and importance of spiritual experience in our lives, whether or not we are of a rational or scientific bent. It makes the case for the divine as a spirituality within. It is lucidly written and is highly recommended - destined no doubt to be another classic in the field.

Howard Jones is the author of The World as Spirit

 William James: The Varieties of Religious Experience (The Library of America Paperback Classics Series)
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Top reviews from other countries

Mike N.
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
Seminal work of its time. A must have reference book for the self - once you have read it.
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