A Fractal Epistemology for Transpersonal Psychology
Terry Marks-Tarlow
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies September 1, 2020 DOI: 10.24972/ijts.2020.39.1-2.55 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that a fractal epistemology can provide more adequate metaphors, models, and methods for transpersonal psychology than traditional linear and reductionist approaches. |
Abstract
The role of science has been controversial within the nascent field of transpersonal psychology. Traditional linear and reductionist models are insufficient to address rare and unreproducible states of mind, fringe rather than normative experiences, and highly personal or culturally specific aspects of awareness. Through a fractal epistemology this paper introduces novel metaphors, models, and methods within a more holistic, organic, and synthetic branch of science. Principles of the epistemology illuminate observer dependence, fuzzy boundaries, recursive patterns, and higher dimensional phenomena that emerge within the infinite expanses between ordinary, finite (Euclidean) dimensions.
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness The MIT Press eBooks March 26, 1996
- Transpersonal Psychology as a Scientific Field International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2002
- Brief History of Transpersonal Psychology International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2008
- The Wiley‐Blackwell Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology CIIS Digital Commons August 9, 2013
- The Search for Synthesis Journal of Humanistic Psychology 1992