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Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
| The Founder | The Founding |Changing Leadership and Changing Focus |Current Status|
Edgar Mitchell was born in Hereford, West Texas September 17, 1930. He graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology with a B. S. in science in 1952. From there, Mitchell joined the Navy flight program and after completing training in 1954 he served seven years as a pilot. In 1961, he enrolled in Massachusetts Institute of Technology receiving his Doctorate three years later. In 1966, he was selected to be an astronaut
On the way back from the moon Mitchell was able to look down at the whole Earth and experience something like an epiphany. In his own words: "The presence of divinity became almost palpable and I knew that life in the universe was not just an accident based on random processes. . . The knowledge came to me directly."
In 1972, he retired from the Navy as a captain and founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences March of 1973.
IONS began as a very small organization "founded so that serious scientific work could be conducted concerning [the] elusive phenomenon we call consciousness.
Changing Leadership and Changing Focus
By 1978 Mitchell had two children in college and resigned as president to work on his private corporation. However, Mitchell stayed on as the Chairman of the Board at the Institute. Willis W. Harman became president in Mitchell's place. Harman has a similar background to that of Mitchell. They both began in the physical sciences and then became interested in the workings of the mind. Harman was a professor of Engineering before becoming University of California regent in the 1970s. Harman was a prolific writer and speech maker both before and during his presidency at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. He was often a contributor and was a full time member of the Board of Editors on The Journal of Humanistic Psychology12. His writings on the future gained him the title of "futurist" by the early 1980's. He published four books before his death: An Incomplete Guide to the Future (1979), Global Mind Change (1988), Higher Creativity (1984) and Creative Work (1990)13.
Despite the similarities in background, Harman's main interests diverged from those of Mitchell. While Mitchell was primarily concerned with the idea of a whole consciousness and the workings of the mind, Harman's ideas were centered more around the mind-body connection. Once Harman became president he soon began selling memberships to the public as the main fund-raiser.
The Institute saw a rise in interest but the board of directors began having internal problems. According to Mitchell, the board wanted to pursue fields other than those of consciousness. Mitchell was steadfast in his arguments to stay with the original focus of the group arguing that if science could uncover what gave rise to mankind's awareness and thoughts, then the answers to the other questions of channeling, healing, and the afterlife would be forthcoming. The board saw things differently and Mitchell was not re-elected in as chairman of the board in 198214
After this point, a shift can be seen in the groups interest that is still reflected today. The new emphasis was on things such as alternative medicines and spontaneous remission. Harman was also deeply interested in the future and attempting to identify the changes in consciousness now that were leading to changes in the future.
By the mid 1980's the board of directors at the Institute were calling Mitchell and asking him to once again help the group. The board was seeing an even greater rise in diversity of interests and wanted his aid in recentering the group15. Mitchell is once again on the board of directors. The Institute now has six 16
Winston "Wink" Franklin, the former Vice President of the Institute, became president after the death Willis Harman in 1997. The Institute's primary functions have always been to fund research, to lecture and hold seminars about their findings and other areas related to them, and to educate the public with books, research articles, and networking. The Institute is planning to use $1.8 billion for research in the near future.17 The Institute hold numerous events and seminars each month. For more about the Institute go to New Dimensions Radio's homepage and look up a broadcast by IONS in your area.
To get a full understanding of the beliefs of the Institute of Noetic Sciences it is necessary to look at the beliefs of the group from three different perspectives.
The Institute as Secular
The Institute seems to see itself as unswervingly secular. The Institute claims boldly in the first lines of its webpage in the "About" section that "We are not a spiritual sect." 19 The Institute relies on science as a tool for unraveling that which other more religious groups take on faith. Winston Franklin, the current president of IONS said that "[The Institute of Noetic Science] uses science, not as the supreme rational goal for living, but as a tool to understand the larger mystery of experience. It is profoundly optimistic. It views personality as shaped by dynamic forces of the unconscious; it emphasizes multiple realities; it aims toward an understanding of extraordinary states of consciousness and expanded human potential. It promotes the paranormal as a reality of human functioning and it takes seriously accounts of spirit communication on the after-death plane, dream images, personal symbols of one's destiny, and religious visions." 20
The Institute as Quasi-Religious
Even a brief examination of the Institute of Noetic Sciences reveals that it has some spiritual undertones. In the previous quotation the president mentions "multiple realities," "extraordinary states" and "spirit communication." Certainly this is not the language of a fully secular organization. One way of understanding the Institute is to view them as a quasi-religious group. Quasi-religious groups are "groups which deal with the sacred but are anomalous given the American folk category of religion." 21 Quasi-religious groups often walk the line between sacred and secular and are thus difficult to define as either. "Leaders [of quasi-religious organizations] have at their disposal the option of emphasizing the religious nature, or the ambiguity of their organization" 22
The current leadership appears to want to emphasize the ambiguity rather than the spirituality of the Institute. The leading remark that claims so forcefully that they are not a spiritual sect is in contrast with the module of research on "Spirit and Intention in Health and Healing." If we take a new look at the changing leadership and changing focus of the group in terms of it being a quasi-religious group trying to decide how secular they should be, we see that the problems of the group in the beginning were as much over whether to be a spiritual organization or not as they were about what to study. Mitchell was intent on keeping the group secular but others wanted a "more spiritual or mystical orientation." 23
The Institute of Noetic Science began with a centered goal of exploring consciousness. Mitchell believed that "Mind and matter are not separate realms." 24. Therefore Mitchell thought that, "Both the problems and the potentials [of mankind] are ultimately a function of consciousness. The most efficient and enduring way to resolve the problems and to realize these potentials is through developing the awareness of individuals. The institute is therefore dedicated to research and education on the process of human consciousness--to help achieve a new understanding and an expanded consciousness among all people."25 Mitchell wanted to keep the Institute very ambiguous as to spiritual concerns. But the focus changed.
Winston Franklin relates this change of focus, "Our initial focus was anomalous psi phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis. In our second decade we enlarged our focus to include mind-body health."26 This is something of an understatement. Mind-body health now comprises four of their six areas of focus and was the subject of one of the largest undertakings of the Institute: the book Heart of Healing and the television special of the same name. This six hour cable T. V. special which aired on TBS October 26th through the 29th, 1993, looked at a wide range of alternative healing methods and spontaneous remission case studies. It was hosted by Jane Seymour of "Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman" fame. 27. This area has probably gotten the institute the most attention of any area of research they do. It is also the most outwardly spiritual of all the studies the Institute does involving studies in prayer, faith healing, and more New Age remedies.
The Institute as New Age
The New Age movement can trace its roots to the late 1960's and the counter-culture's discontent with the current spiritual organizations. New Age is a combination of transcendental ideas, eastern philosophies such as Daoism and Zen. It became a spiritual movement of its own right in the 1970's. New Age claims that the individual will be transformed through the new age. The individual is thus able to reach a kind of salvation through techniques that are available immediately to him/her. This kind of thinking makes meditation, mind-body interaction, and alternative healing practices very appealing to New Age. In fact, health can be seen as the integrating core of New Age because it places the individual above all.28
The interest of the IONS in alternative practices of health makes it easily identifiable with New Age. However, the similarities do not stop there. Like many New Age groups IONS gives great consideration to parapsychology, consciousness, communication with the dead, and seems to expect, if not a new age, some kind of change in the near future. Edgar Mitchell put it as an "evolutionary crossroads"29 and Willis Harman talked about the changes that would take place30.
Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
The Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences is a group very similar to the IONS. They also take memberships and fund the same kinds of research projects as does the IONS.
http://www.fions.org
Online Noetic Network
The Online Noetic Network is a membership sponsored site that allows it members to talk to both each other and experts about "living consciously and building a world based on consciousness, connection, compassion, purpose, and wisdom." Nonmembers can receive one free e-mail each week as a sample of what goes on in the site for members.
http://www.wisdomtalk.org
DProgram's Overview of Willis Harman
This page is full of quotes by the late Willis Harman, former president of IONS, and lists his books to date.
http://www.dprogram.com/WillisP1.html
Intuition Network
Intuition Network is an organization that feels humanity is somehow connected and that we should all cultivate our inner resources. They have similar goals and beliefs as IONS.
http://www.intuition.org
The School of the Esalen
Esalen is a resort and school where one can go to a workshop. These are usually weekend or five day workshops consisting of lectures on Gestalt, message, sensory awareness, and meditation.
http://www.esalen.org
In Context "Transformation of Business"
An interview with "futurist" and longtime president of IONS Willis Harman where he describes his ideas on what is in store for our culture if our views of business remain the same.
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/Harman.htm
New Dimensions Radio
New Dimensions Radio broadcasts a program run by IONS. You can go to their webpage to find the boradcast times in your local area.
http://www.newdimensions.org
"Mitchell, Edgar D." The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996. p867 "Mitchell, Edgar D." The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996. p867 Mitchell, Edgar. Psychic Exploration. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1974. (Preface) Mitchell, Edgar. Psychic Exploration. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1974. (Preface) "Mitchell, Edgar D." The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996. p867 "Rhine, J. B." The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996. Kingsley, Guy. "Astronaut Reflects on Spiritual Journey". The Tampa Tribune. 28 Dec. 1996, final ed., sec, Plant City: 4+ www.noetic.org. 2/10/00 Mitchell, Edgar. Psychic Exploration. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1974. (Preface) Mitchell, Edgar with Dewight Williams. The Way of the Explorer. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. pp74 Mitchell, Edgar with Dewight Williams. The Way of the Explorer. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. pp71-75 Greening, Tom. "Willis Harman, 1918-1997". The Journal of Humanistic Psychology 37 (1997): 6. www.dprogram.com/WillisP1.html. 4/26/00 Mitchell, Edgar with Dewight Williams. The Way of the Explorer. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. pp71-75 Mitchell, Edgar with Dewight Williams. The Way of the Explorer. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. pp131 www.noetic.org. 2/10/00 www.noetic.org. 5/5/00 www.noetic.org. 2/10/00 www.noetic.org. 5/5/00 www.noetic.org. 4/26/00 Greil, Arhur L. "Explorations Along the Sacred Frontier: notes on para-religions and quasi-religions, and other boundary phenomena". Religion and Social Order. 3A (1993): 156 Greil, Arhur L. "Explorations Along the Sacred Frontier: notes on para-religions and quasi-religions, and other boundary phenomena". Religion and Social Order. 3A (1993): 157 Mitchell, Edgar with Dewight Williams. The Way of the Explorer. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. pp75 Kingsley, Guy. "Astronaut Reflects on Spiritual Journey". The Tampa Tribune. 28 Dec. 1996, final ed., sec, Plant City: 4+ www.noetic.org. 4/26/00 www.noetic.org. 4/26/00 Miller, Leslie. "Getting to the Heart of Healing and the Mind". USA Today. 26 Oct. 1993, final ed., sec, Life: 4D+ Hadden, Jeffrey K. Personal Correspondence 4/25/00 www.noetic.org. 4/26/00 www.dprogram.com/WillisP1.html. 4/26/00
Created by Bruce C. Showalter
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
Spring Term, 2000
University of Virginia
Last modified: 05/25/00