**[COLOR=Blue]The 100th Monkey theory is based on a book (by Ken Kesey?) that asserts that when one monkey on an isolated island took a certain action, after 99 monkeys had previously done the same thing, then a “group consciousness” emerged and spontaneously monkeys on other islands did the exact same thing, without even having contact with the other monkeys. That may not exactly describe the supposed phenomenon, but its something like that. Is that scientifically true … and has it been proven in a double-blind, randomized study? New Agers have referred to this concept for years as “proof” that consciousness exists outside the body, that we are all connected through a super-mind, etc. [/COLOR] **
No, it’s not true. Monkeys are not telepathic. AFAWK, telepathy is fiction.
It was Lyall Watson who wrote "The Hundedth Monkey. It’s been written about a number of times in The Skeptical Inquirer. It’s not true. Here’s one article, with references to two more:
Here’s the first SI report:
That last source I quote noted that Ken Keyes (not Ken Kesey) used the report by Watson as the springboard for (and title of) a book, which might explain your recollection.
You guys are awesome! I am a newbie here, an info-junkie, and I just LOVE this board!
Sent electronically, not telepathically,
B-man
The so-called ‘100th monkey phenomenon’ has also been referred to and popularised by British writer Rupert Sheldrake, who styles himself as a champion of little understood scientific anomalies that might turn out to be of vast importance. IMHO he is nothing of the sort - just someone who gets over-excited about theories that aren’t backed up by either good reasoning or good evidence, who fails to apply even a modetrate degree of cautious skepticism, and who allows his enthusiasm to get the better of him.
To answer the OP, the basic tenet of the ‘100th Monkey’ theory is that knowledge can be transferred in a telepathic manner among individuals in a group. There is currently no good reason to believe that this is true, and no good evidence to back it up. Until supporters of this theory produce some good evidence worth taking seriously, it’s one to file away with the Flat Earth society and the guys who every few years announce Free Energy devices. Evidence first, then we’ll talk.