In hours 2–4, scholar and researcher Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove discussed his academic work in parapsychology, as well as a number of other issues he's studied over his career. As a graduate student at UC Berkeley, Mishlove successfully created his own doctoral program in parapsychology, becoming the first and only person to ever earn a PhD in the field at an accredited university in the United States. Despite this accomplishment, however, he's dismayed that subjects like parapsychology and life after death are not taken seriously as legitimate fields of study. "This has become something of a ghetto science," Mishlove lamented. Despite large amounts of evidence for its claims, "It's a small, underfunded area that exists on the margins of society," he went on, also noting that it's a field of study that explores topics central to existence, like consciousness and death.
Research into parapsychology and extrasensory experience is now at an especially exciting stage, Mishlove related, comparing it to the surge in the exploration of the Earth that took place in the fifteenth century. Present-day "psychonauts" are leading the way in mapping out the vast territories of the mind, making new discoveries in near-death experiences, psychedelic drugs, lucid dreaming, and the nature of the afterlife. Although the open and free-form nature of such exploration is a benefit in his opinion-- the government can't easily regulate or take over research in these areas, for example—Mishlove indicated that some of its limitations are self-imposed, with many psychonauts keeping their discoveries secret out of fear of the stigma attached to the serious study of supernatural phenomena.
Mishlove also speculated as to why unusual and otherworldly activity has been observed to concentrate into specific geographical areas. He suggested that supernatural entities may pass through shared portals, causing activity in those locations to be more frequent. The concept of hyperspace may be at work around us well, he continued; with multiple dimensions of psychic and spiritual space being discovered, it's conceivable that clusters of activity are accounted for in this way.
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In the first hour, podcaster and comedian Duncan Trussell talked about the topics that have shaped his life and career. The prospect of runaway AI concerns him, for instance, because we're unprepared for the extent of its influence and how to defend against it. Trussell also discussed near-death experiences and the role of clairvoyants in connecting us to the world beyond our own. He then told the story of a dream he had while staying at a New Orleans hotel, which turned out to have an eerie connection to an actual tragedy that had taken place there years before.
Knapp's News 8/28/22
George Knapp shared a number of recent news items of interest, including discussions of government response to UFOs, psychedelic drugs, and a sentient universe:
- Best evidence yet that fifth fundamental ‘chameleon’ force isn’t real
- Maybe the Universe Thinks. Hear Me Out.
- UFOs, Aliens and the Thoughts of the National Security Agency on Extraterrestrial Life
- A second asteroid may have struck during the dinosaurs' demise
- Psychedelics May Lessen Fear of Death and Dying, Similar to Feelings Reported by Those Who’ve Had Near Death Experiences
- Hunt for mysterious UFO ‘black triangles’ that buzzed Britain for YEARS that could be top secret hypersonic US weapons