The Rise of the Magician State: Remote Viewing, Telepathic Influence, and the Secret History of the Mind-Machine Interface
| dc.contributor.advisor | Kripal, Jeffrey J | en_US |
| dc.creator | Senn, Christopher | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-01-17T15:24:46Z | en_US |
| dc.date.created | 2024-12 | en_US |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-12-02 | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | December 2024 | en_US |
| dc.date.updated | 2025-01-17T15:24:46Z | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | In the early 1970s, a small research team funded by the Central Intelligence Agency demonstrated that human consciousness is able to observe and interact with physical objects, organic systems, and sophisticated digital technologies completely hidden – either by distance or shielding – from the perception of any of the physical senses. Since that time, and into the present-day, multiple military departments and federal agencies in Russia, the United States, and China have utilized these abilities to conduct military, law enforcement, intelligence, and other national security operations against their adversaries. Through a combinatory approach that merged the rich history of magic and mysticism from a variety of cultures with the cutting-edge of science and technology, scientists and operational personnel have sought new ways to more effectively and precisely explore, develop, and deploy these abilities. In this dissertation, I examine how the personnel associated with the programs that emerged conceptualized their own interactions with the technologies used to detect and amplify these abilities, and the various theoretical and spiritual frameworks that they have found useful in conceptualizing these professional and spiritual pursuits. Through an analysis of the now publicly available information generated by these programs, this dissertation argues that the human mind and the digital world have coevolved over the last fifty years to engage across multiple spheres of conscious, unconscious, and psi interactions continuously all of the time. Thus, this secret history re-examines ancient questions about the nature of consciousness, what it means to be human, and the invisible aspects of reality from the perspective of our secular, hyper-technological, democratic society. | en_US |
| dc.embargo.lift | 2030-12-01 | en_US |
| dc.embargo.terms | 2030-12-01 | en_US |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1911/118211 | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.subject | Parapsychology | en_US |
| dc.subject | Magic | en_US |
| dc.title | The Rise of the Magician State: Remote Viewing, Telepathic Influence, and the Secret History of the Mind-Machine Interface | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
| dc.type.material | Text | en_US |
| thesis.degree.department | Religious Studies | en_US |
| thesis.degree.discipline | History of Religions in America | en_US |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Rice University | en_US |
| thesis.degree.level | Doctoral | en_US |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy | en_US |