According to the hypothesis of formative causation, all self-organizing systems, including crystals, plants and animals contain an inherent memory, given by a process called morphic resonance from previous similar systems. All human beings draw upon a collective human memory, and in turn contribute to it. Even individual memory depends on morphic resonance rather than on physical memory traces stored within the brain. This hypothesis is testable experimentally and implies that the so-called laws of nature are more like habits.
Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D., is a biologist and author of more than 80 scientific papers and several books, including The Presence of the Past. His web site is sheldrake.org
