I would like to share several excerpts from a quite brief scholarly paper I wrote last month, and distributed to several friends. The topic concerns Lamarckism, or the study of "soft inheritance."
With regard to the new information from Charles, you may find this quite interesting, as certain elements of "soft inheritance" are actually valid, and closely studied by groups with such an interest.
*As a side note; several terms had to be changed/removed, and some sentences had to be slightly modified, but not in a way that changes the information in any aspect.
*Please do not distribute or claim any portion of this writing.
Introduction:
Lamarckism:LAMARCKISM, EPIGENETICS, AND THE INFORMATIONAL PLANE
AN ABSTRACTED BRIEF
Jean Baptist Lamarck, a French biologist of the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, is commonly cited as designing the first theoretical basis concerning the evolution of biological organisms. His research takes note at a possibility of genetic changes, largely phenotypic, occurring over many generations. This later lead to discoveries by famous names such as Robert Chambers and Charles Darwin, inadvertently spawning the current understanding of natural selection.
Epigenetics and the Informational Plane:The work of Jean Baptist Lamarck is centered around the notion that biological organisms can pass traits, acquired during their lifetime, onto their offspring and future generations. This theory falls under a blanket term of “soft inheritance,” though it only occupies a chief cornerstone of the much larger concept. An illustration of Lamarck’s theory would be as followed: A cheetah, at one time in past history, was not as fast as it currently is. Because the cheetah exercised it’s leg muscles more often than not, in the action of chasing prey, future generations became increasingly more quick.
His theory, commonly referred to as “Lamarckism,” is often regarded as pseudoscience by established researchers, disregarding their dependence on Lamarck’s original research and credible reports of distinguished scientists observing instances of Lamarckism.
For example, a common instance of a distinguished researcher observing a feat of Lamarckism would be the case of Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov notably observed that succeeding generations of dogs used in his now famous psychology experiments were much easier to condition than the generations before. They had acquired the traits that their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents had been conditioned to have.
Footnotes:Lamarckism ties into the relatively new study of epigenetics; or the study of inheritable changes in the expression of genetics outside the information contained within the DNA. Epigenetics, quite literally, states that phenotypes, or physical manifestations of genetic sequences, can be altered, turned on/off, or enhanced from an external source to the code itself. DNA is “controlled” by a source of signals originating from outside the bounds of the cell membrane, holding in place the strands of DNA being altered.
An interesting case of epigenetics, or for that matter, Lamarckism, was observed following the Dutch Famine of 1944. This widely studied case of epigenetics involved taking measurements of women pregnant during the famine. As expected, the women averaged a height below the population mean. What shocked scientists, leading to much further research, was that the children of these women, on average, grew up to be statically shorter than should be expected.
It is reasonable to assume a similarity between Lamarckism and epigenetics exists. Changes to the physical or mental structure of a biological organism can, and often do, carry forward through future generations. An acquired trait, whether it be shortness due to malnutrition or strong conditioning of specific learned behaviors, can be passed to future generations.
This is highly suggestive of an alternative theory concerning cellular, genetic, and physiological interactions. Of course, we are aware of a possible theory. Although such a field encompassing the bridged communications can be referred to by several names, the term “Informational Plane,” or IP, will be used - for simplicity sake. The IP is likely expressed through the conventional Zero Point Field, and is the force that “retains” the information carried through homeopathic treatments. Religious figures of antiquity have termed this plane “Aether,” and more recent Spiritualists have coined to it the name “Conscious Energy.” Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalytic researcher of the 20th century, described Aetheric energy as fact, giving it the name “Orgone.” These terms describe an all-encompassing field carrying informational points in a way which suggests time may be a physical manifestation of such a field.
Though physical bodies cannot interact directly with the IP, DNA strands, on a microscopic level, act as “antennae,” receiving information contained within this field. DNA can, and is often, influenced by this field; just as it can be via environmental conditions within the body and specific proteins. As neural cells also communicate and receive information from the IP; thoughts, feelings, and emotions can directly modify the expression of DNA. Mental states, thus, have an epigenetic effect on DNA - to be passed onto future generations. The mindset and actions of a man will influence, epigenetically, the attributes of his sons, grandsons, and so-forth.
The Zero Point Field became more commonly known following Ervin Laszlo’s research, describing the field as a carrier of all information, quoted as saying, “This quantum vacuum [the Zero Point Field] is the origin of mind and matter.”
Dr. L. O. Bygren’s thorough research into the influence of environmental conditions on heredity concludes that such conditions can, in fact, alter the genetics of future generations of offspring. For example, Bygren concluded, after studying two differing samples from a population of children in Overkalix, that the sample of children that overate during the growing season produced sons and grandsons who lived substantially shorter lives than the sample of children who did not overeat during the same season.
Dr. Ellen Langer, of Harvard University, isolated a sample of individuals over the age of 70, placed them, for extended periods of time, in a room decorated exactly as would be common in the 1950’s; taking note of the results. After one week of the participants visiting this room, a statistically significant, physiological change occurred. Many symptoms of aging were discovered to have clinically reversed. It is likely that the elderly individuals involved in this experiment tapped into a particular frame of the IP, physically re-living the time.
It is interesting to note that just as the future generations of Pavlov’s original dogs retained the submissive traits their ancestors acquired due to Pavlov’s conditioning, the same effect occurs in isolated groups of humans. A careful study reveals that particular family lines, usually well-placed in society, stretch far into antiquity; occurring via selective breeding patterns and preexisting knowledge of genetic capabilities. Such was likely done to keep specific traits, knowledge, and mindsets “within the family;” allowing desired phenotypes to flourish, while the undesirable phenotypes dwindle. This miniature experiment has had several thousand years to increase the strength of specific phenotypes, if not longer; and is also is likely to unconsciously take place outside of these family lines, more-so in an unappealing manner.