Law of Attraction

The phrase Law of Attraction, although used widely by esoteric writers, has a variety of definitions. Turn of the century references conceptualized the law of attraction as relating to physical structure and to how matter develops. [“Waves in water, Air and Either,” delivered in 1902, at the Royal Institution, by J. A. Fleming "“All branches of physical science demonstrate the fact that every completed manifestation, of whatever kind and on whatever scale, is started by the establishment of a nucleus, infinitely small but endowed with an unquenchable energy of attraction, causing it to steadily increase in power and definiteness of purpose, until the process of growth is completed and the matured form stands out as an accomplished fact."] A more modern consensus among New Thought thinkers is that the Law of Attraction says people's thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) dictate the reality of their lives, whether or not they're aware of it. Essentially "if you really want something and believe it's possible, you'll probably get it", but putting a lot of attention and thought onto something you don't want means you'll probably get that too. Whittaker, S. [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=78fc94dd-c0b2-4ade-891d-98770bfae388&k=70777 Secret attraction] , The Montreal Gazette, May 12th 2007.] [Redden, Guy, "Magic Happens: A New Age Metaphysical Mystery Tour", Journal of Australian Studies: 101]

Widespread popular interest for the law of attraction reached its peak after the release of the "The Secret (2006 film)". After the film's release, the book, "Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham", by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks [The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham,By (Spirit) Abraham, Abraham, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks,Published by Hay House, 2006,ISBN 1401912273, 9781401912277] made the New York Times Best Sellers list, drawing more attention and interest to this topic. In 2007, Oprah Winfrey began a series of interviews during her talk show on the law of attraction.

Since many of the claims of the law of attraction appear impossible without violating established scientific principles and our understanding of the universe, it has received criticism from the scientific community.Scientific American; Jun2007, Vol. 296 Issue 6, p39-39: "The brain does produce electrical activity from the ion currents flowing among neurons during synaptic transmission, and in accordance with Maxwell's equations any electric current produces a magnetic field. But as neuroscientist Russell A. Poldrack of the University of California, Los Angeles, explained to me, these fields are minuscule and can be measured only by using an extremely sensitive superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in a room heavily shielded against outside magnetic sources. Plus, remember the inverse square law: the intensity of an energy wave radiating from a source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from that source. An object twice as far away from the source of energy as another object of the same size receives only one-fourth the energy that the closer object receives. The brain's magnetic field of 10-15 tesla quickly dissipates from the skull and is promptly swamped by other magnetic sources, not to mention the earth's magnetic field of 10-5 tesla, which overpowers it by 10 orders of magnitude!"] Physicist Ali Alousi, for instance, criticized it as unmeasurable (and therefore unscientific) as well as questioning the likelihood that thoughts can affect anything outside the head . The associated press is also quoted as saying that "some medical professionals suggest it could even lead to a blame-the-victim mentality and actually be dangerous to those suffering from serious illness or mental disorders". [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286537,00.html Critics Express Concern About 'The Secret'] Associated Press, June 25th 2007.]

Overview

Many modern proponents say that the Law of Attraction has roots in Quantum Physics, though no reputable scientist or publication ever supported the alleged scientific credentials of this theory. [MARY CARMICHAEL and BENJAMIN RADFORD [http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/secrets.html Secrets and Lies] . The Skeptical Inquirer, May/June 2007.] According to proponents of this law, thoughts have an energy that attracts like energy. In order to control this energy, proponents state that people must practice three things: Whittaker, S. [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=574617df-f593-4126-a240-61006ae21811 Three steps to the 'Law'] . The Montreal Gazette, May 12 2007.]

#Know what you want and ask the universe for it.
#Feel and behave as if the object of your desire is on its way.
#Be open to receiving it.

Thinking of what one does not have, they say, manifests itself in not having, while if one abides by these principles, and avoids "negative" thoughts, the Universe will manifest a person's desires.

Scientists are critical of the lack of falsifiability and testability of these claims. The evidence provided is usually anecdotal and, because of the self-selecting nature of positive reports, as well as the subjective nature of any results, highly susceptible to misinterpretations like confirmation bias and selection bias.Kaptchuk, T., & Eisenberg, D. (1998). The Persuasive Appeal of Alternative Medicine. Annals of Internal Medicine, 129(12), 1061.] References to modern scientific theory are also criticized. While brainwaves do have an electrical signal, quantum physic principles do not act in the way proponents of the Law of Attraction have described them.

The use of the term law has also come under fire. Critics have said that the use of the term and the vague references to quantum physics to bridge any unexplained or seemingly implausible effects are hallmark traits of modern pseudoscience. Proponents of the Law of Attraction however say that the nature of the 'law' is not one to be settled scientifically, and the word 'law' carries the same belief-based weight as non-scientific 'laws' from other religions, such as the 'Law of Karma' and the Ten Commandments.

The principles of the law of attraction have also been interpreted in the realm of medicine and illness. In 1990, Bernie Siegel (a retired assistant clinical professor of surgery at Yale) published a popular book, "Love, Medicine and Miracles", which asserted that the threat of disease was related to a person's imagination, will, and belief. Siegel primarily advocated "love" as the source of healing and longevity stating that "if you want to be immortal, love someone." [Woo, L. (1989, May 5). Doctor's prescription: Love yourself Caring can cure when science can't, Siegel tells 1,300. The Orange County Register.] [Siegel, B. S. (1990). Love, Medicine and Miracles: Lessons Learned about Self-Healing from a Surgeon's Experience with Exceptional Patients. Harper Paperbacks.]

Siegel's description has been largely rejected by the medical community [Surviving terminal illness with big dose of optimism Surgeon prescribes peace of mind. (1991, June 18).The Atlanta Journal, E1.] . The most notable critic is neuroendocrinologist and Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky, who devoted a whole chapter in his book "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" to critiquing Siegel. Sapolsky refers to Siegel's general idea as "benign gibberish" but is strongly critical of what he sees as blaming patients for their illness, based only on questionable anecdotal evidenceSapolsky, R. M. (1998). Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, 2nd Edition: An Updated Guide To Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping (2nd ed., p. 178-179). W. H. Freeman.] . Sapolsky sums up his primary criticism as follows:

History

An "occult law of attraction", 1879

The New York Times was the first major newspaper to use the phrase "Law of Attraction." Their April 6th, 1879 edition described the wagon trains of the Colorado gold rush as "moving in obedience to some occult law of attraction that overcomes all obstacles in their progress to their destination." [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9506EED9123EE63BBC4E53DFB2668382669FDE TO LEADVILLE IN WINTER, COLORADO'S NEW MINING CAMP] - New York Times - April 6th, 1879]

A physical "energy of attraction", 1902

As early as 1902, references to something similar to the law of attraction can be seen particularly in discussion of matter formation. John Ambrose Fleming an electrical engineer and turn of the century physicist described "every completed manifestation, of whatever kind and on whatever scale," as "an unquenchable energy of attraction" that causes objects to "steadily increase in power and definiteness of purpose, until the process of growth is completed and the matured form stands out as an accomplished fact." [The quotation is from a course of lectures on “Waves in water, Air and Either,” delivered in 1902, at the Royal Institution, by J. A. Fleming.]

The New Thought Movement, 1904 - 1907

Thomas Troward, who was a strong influence in the New Thought Movement, claimed that thought precedes physical form and that "the action of Mind plants that nucleus which, if allowed to grow undisturbed, will eventually attract to itself all the conditions necessary for its manifestation in outward visible form." [Judge Thomas Troward, “The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science,” 1904.]

In 1906, William Walker Atkinson (1862 - 1932) used the phrase in his New Thought Movement book,"Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World". [ [http://gitacademy.tripod.com/GodsInTraining/ThoughtVibration.htm William Walker Atkinson. "Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction". Advanced Thought Publishing. 1906.] Out of Copyright version] The following year, Elizabeth Towne, the editor of "The Nautilus Magazine, a Journal of New Thought", published Bruce MacLelland's book "Prosperity Through Thought Force", in which he summarized the principle, stating: "You are what you think, not what you think you are." MacLelland, Bruce, "Prosperity Through Thought Force," Elizabeth Towne, 1907]

The "law of attraction" in Theosophy, 1915 - 1919

The phrase "Law of Attraction" appeared in the writings of the Theosophical authors William Quan Judge in 1915, [cite book|last= Judge | first = William Quan |title = The Ocean of Theosophy |publisher =United Lodge of Theosophists |date= 1915 | pages = p103 ] and Annie Besant in 1919. [cite book|"last = Besant | first = Annie Wood |title =Popular Lectures on Theosophy |publisher =Theosophical Publishing House |date= 1919 | pages = p79]

Mid 1900s to 2000

By the mid 1900s, various authors addressed the topic and related ideas under a range of religious, occult, and secular terms, such as "positive thinking", "mental science", "pragmatic Christianity", "New Thought", "practical metaphysics", "Science of Mind" / "Religious Science", and "Divine Science".Griffiths, L. [http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/88221 ‘Law of attraction’ has long history in inspirational writing] East Valley Tribune, April 21st 2007.] Among the mid 20th century authors who used the term were Florence Scovel Shinn (1925), Sri K. Parvathi Kumar, (1942) [cite book|last = Kumar | first = Sri K. Parvathi|title = Occult Meditations | publisher = Dhanishta |date=1942 | pages = p230 | isbn = 8189467042 ] and last = Bailey| first = Alice A.|title = Letters on Occult Meditation| publisher = Lucis Trust |date=1942 | pages = p53, p265 ] [cite book|last = Bailey| first = Alice A.|title = Esoteric Psychology II | publisher = Lucis Trust |date=1942 | pages = pp 111-113 | isbn = 0853301190 ] [cite book|last = Bailey| first = Alice A.|title = A Treatise on Cosmic Fire | publisher = Lucis Trust |date=1973 | pages = pp 1166-1229 | isbn = 0853301174 |quote=Section Two - Division F - The Law of Attraction]

The "law of attraction" in the 21st century

In 2006, a film entitled The Secret (2006 film) based on the "Law of Attraction" was released and then developed into a book of the same title in 2007. The movie and book gained widespread attention in the media from "Saturday Night Live" to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in the United States. The same year the Hickses' "The Law Of Attraction" was on the New York Times best seller list. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/books/bestseller/0311bestpaperadvice.html NY Times Bestseller information March 11, 2007] ]

The success of the film and various books lead to increased media coverage. Oprah Winfrey devoted two episodes of her show to discussing the film and the law of attraction [ [http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=99953 A new spin on positive thinking] ] . Talk show host Larry King also discussed it on his show but criticized it for several reasons. He pointed at the sufferings in the world and asked: "If the Universe manifests abundance at a mere thought, why is there so much poverty, starvation, and death?"

This is similar to a common criticism that the law of attraction only works because most of the anecdotes cited in books and movies are about people who live in a culture that has paths to allow people to overcome adversity, while this is not true for much of the world.

In August 2008, Esther and Jerry Hickses' book "Money and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Health, Wealth & Happiness" appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/books/bestseller/bestpaperadvice.html?_r=1&8bu&emc=bu&oref=slogin NY Times Bestseller information August 31, 2008] ]

ee also

* Positive thinking
* Prosperity theology
* The Secret (2006 film)

References

Bibliography

* "The Secret" (November 28 2006) Rhonda Byrne, Beyond Words Publishing, ISBN 978-1582701707