Mankind in Amnesia

Mankind in Amnesia Immanuel Velikovsky described his work on collective amnesia as follows: "Mankind in Amnesia has to do not only with the past, like my other books -- primarily it has to do with the future, a future not removed by thousands or tens of thousands of years, but the imminent future, on whose threshold we now stand." The subject that Immanuel Velikovsky has chosen is the psychological condition and case history of the human race. Virtually every aspect of human behavior, every pattern in human history, and every article of human belief, if examined and illuminated in the light of the thesis of this book, reveals how human thought and action have been shaped and molded by repressed collective memories of cosmic catastrophes that befell our ancestors as recently as one hundred generations ago. In the section "A Collective Amnesia" of Worlds in Collision, published in 1950, Velikovsky outlined his principal psychological thesis. His theory of collective amnesia explains the inability of people to look at the overwhelming evidence of global catastrophes -- from all parts of the world -- that is unequivocally there, and the unwillingness to see the implications of that evidence. Velikovsky put this as follows in Worlds in Collision: The memory of the cataclysms was erased, not because of lack of written traditions, but because of some characteristic process that later caused entire nations, together with their literate men, to read into these traditions allegories or metaphors where actually cosmic disturbances were clearly described. For detailed accounts of the evidence of our catastrophic past one should read Velikovsky's Worlds in Collision and Earth In Upheavel. Velikovsky wrote Mankind in Amnesia over the course of many years. Most of it was written in the 1950s and early ig6os, but he added sections as late as 1979, the last year of his life. Books by Velikovsky: Worlds in Collision (1950) Ages in Chaos (1952) Earth In Upheaval (1956) Oedipus and Akhnaton (1960) Peoples of the Sea (1977) Ramses II and His Times (1978) Mankind in Amnesia (1982) Stargazers and Gravediggers (1983). [Buy second hand copies through AddALL]

Further study Reviews and criticisms of Velikovsky's work have tended to be inaccurate, inconclusive or just plainly wrong. Velikovsky did make mistakes, but his key proposal, that in historical times mankind witnessed global catastrophes of cosmic origin, endures with increasing numbers of organisations and people investigating his work. The Society for Interdisciplinary Studies The SIS was formed in 1974 in response to a growing interest in the works of modern catastrophists such as Dr Immanuel Velikovsky, stimulating controversy in the fields of cosmology, geology and ancient history. The SIS publishes two high quality journals which have included articles by and about Velikovsky. Catastrophisim: Man Myth and Mayhem in Ancient History and the Sciences. Have there been worldwide catastrophic events in mankind's more recent past? This CD-Rom helps you investigate for yourself. The Immanuel Velikovsky Archive. Maintained by a team of historians to ensure the integrity and preservation of Velikovsky’s unpublished writings, the Archive is strictly non-profit and its sole purpose is the advancement of education and scholarship. Kronia Communications Offering access to a number of sources and products, Kronia aims to bring about a greater understanding of the work of Immanuel Velikovsky and his colleagues. Includes background information, biography, dozens of articles, recent developments in the field such as the Saturn Hypothesis, and a video documentary "Remembering the End of the World" Aeon, A Journal of Myth & Science First published in 1988, Aeon builds on the works Immanuel Velikovsky, presenting further evidence of catastrophic planetary interactions in historic times. It is devoted to the collection and exploration of archaeo-astronomical traditions and analysis of common patterns in ancient myths from around the world. The Velikovskian The Velikovskian journal offers an open discussion of whether there were global cataclysms in human history, their cause, nature and impact of these upheavals. As an important issue in science, history and humanity, it is deserving of our attention. Also features the book, Carl Sagan & Immanuel Velikovsky.