Is it possible to 'send' thoughts into someone else's brain? Can random number generators predict future events? Why does a placebo work like a drug? Is there a collective consciousness? Even in this age of neurological discovery, the mind is still largely uncharted territory. What if there is more to the power of thought than we have yet grasped? This enthralling introduction, packed with illustrations and feature panels, takes in an extraordinary breadth of topi, with an even-handed approach, sifting fact from fantasy-and fraud. Encompassing the ideas of the greatest minds in Western intellectual and scientific history-Aristotle, Descartes, Newton, Einstein and more-it ventures far beyond the confines of that tradition to address Eastern thought and other ways of knowing, and exploring some of the enigmas that might conceivably be unlocked in the near future. "A smart, dynamic, approachable exploration ... offering a rare blend of compelling narrative and responsible research on the connections between mind and matter." Marilyn Schlitz, President and CEO, IONS

Michael Kerrigan is an author and historian of ideas whose written works range from the ancient world to current affairs. He has contributed to several titles in the Myth and the Imagination of Mankind and History of the World Time-Life series and co-authored The Reader's Digest Illustrated History of the World (2005-8). He is a regular reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement.

Introduction Part 1: MIND AND BODY. A Short History of Me; Beyond the Self; The Universe Within; Wisdom of the World; Pagan Priorities; From the Gods to Gaia; Hereafters: Death and Beyond. Part 2: WELLNESS, SCIENCE AND MEDICINE. Balancing Body and Mind; The Mind at Ease: Meditation; Placebo Effects: Mind over Matter; Healing Hands; Distant Healing. Part 3: POTENTIALITIES: INTEGRATING THE CONSCIOUS AND THE PHYSICAL. Problems, Perceptions; In Search of Psi; The Noosphere: Our Collective Consciousness?; Mind and Matter: Human Consciousness and the Physical World; Persuasion, Peace and War. Conclusion