Product Description

Russell Targ has been visually handicapped since childhood and yet he has performed groundbreaking research in lasers and optics. He is grounded in the world of science and yet co-created the Cold War spy program that became the real X-Files--the CIA and NASA-sponsored work in "remote viewing" that has only recently been declassified.

Targ's memoir also reads like a cultural history of the last half of the twentieth century. He meets and befriends--and tells wonderful anecdotes about--such people as Alan Greenspan, Ayn Rand, and Alan Alda, among others, including his brother-in-law, chess champion Bobby Fisher.

Do You See What I See? is the remarkable story of a visually impaired physicist who sees beyond perception to help readers find meaning and joy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #91857 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 296 pages

Review
"Blessed with genius, creativity, and uncommon insight into what really matters, Russell Targ s odyssey is a hero s journey a venture into the unknown and a return that makes all our lives richer. Targ is one of the great explorers of consciousness in the modern era. Do You See What I See? is the record of a life worth paying attention to."--Larry Dossey, MD, author of The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things

"Beautifully written, straight from the heart. Russell Targ is a great treasure of our time. He's a new breed of scientist who's not afraid to incorporate spirituality and deep intuition into his life and his conception of consciousness. I never miss a word of what Russell says. Read his story in this book and learn from him!" --Judith Orloff, MD, author of Positive Energy

"Russell Targ s autobiography stands as testament to the extraordinary capacities of human potential. From his role in the early development of the laser, to his systematic exploration of extrasensory perception, to the luminous insights of his spiritual vision Do You See What I See? is a fascinating read." --Michael Murphy, co-founder and chairman of the board, Esalen Institute

"Russell Targ is a pioneer, a character trait he has demonstrated in fields as diverse as laser physics, parapsychology, and windshear physics. It is the essence of his nature. Thus, it is not surprising that he has led a fascinating life, and his biography takes the reader on a wonderful tale of discovery. If you have an interest in how the new comes into being, Do You See What I See? will reward you bountifully with the kind of stories that bring science to life and show it as the extraordinary adventure those who live it know it to be." --Stephan A. Schwartz, author of Opening to the Infinite --Endorsements

Review

"Beautifully written, straight from the heart. Russell Targ is a great treasure of our time. He's a new breed of scientist who's not afraid to incorporate spirituality and deep intuition into his life and his conception of consciousness. I never miss a word of what Russell says. Read his story in this book and learn from him!" —Judith Orloff, MD, author of Positive Energy

"Blessed with genius, creativity, and uncommon insight into what really matters, Russell Targ's odyssey is a hero's journey—a venture into the unknown and a return that makes all our lives richer. Targ is one of the great explorers of consciousness in the modern era. Do You See What I See? is the record of a life worth paying attention to." —Larry Dossey, MD, author of The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things

"Russell Targ's autobiography stands as testament to the extraordinary capacities of human potential. From his role in the early development of the laser, to his systematic exploration of extrasensory perception, to the luminous insights of his spiritual vision—Do You See What I See? Memoirs of a Blind Biker is a fascinating read." —Michael Murphy, Cofounder and Chairman of the Board, Esalen Institute

"Russell Targ is a pioneer, a character trait he has demonstrated in fields as diverse as laser physics, parapsychology, and windshear physics. It is the essence of his nature. Thus, it is not surprising that he has led a fascinating life, and his biography takes the reader on a wonderful tale of discovery. If you have an interest in how the new comes into being, Do You See What I See? will reward you bountifully with the kind of stories that bring science to life and show it as the extraordinary adventure those who live it know it to be." —Stephan A. Schwartz, author of Opening to the Infinite

About the Author
Russell Targ is currently retired and enjoys motorcycling in the desert (even though legally blind) and studying Dzogchen Buddhism. He lives in Palo Alto, California, with his wife.

Customer Reviews

A futurist who actually sees the furture arenas of science
Targ has ventured where no scientists have ventured into. His story is woven into a fabric of CIA intrigue, Lasers, ESP, Love, and the meaning of life.

Targ is an accomplished writter and author, scientist, and futurist. He provides convincing scientific evidence for a spiritual component to our world and existence. I have been interested in healing the rift between science and spirituality for over 25 years, and Targ's contributions provide tangible examples of the spiritual from rigorous scientific experiments.

Work more interesting than life.
I expected this book to deal more with the author's work than it did. His very interesting work life was glossed over and the book mainly delt with his personal life, which I did not find that interesting. So if you what to know what Russell did, read one of his other works. If you want to know about his life, read this one. Overall, I was very disappointed with this story.

Do You See What I See?
There are memoirs that inspire and biographies that make you question common perception. Do You See What I See? is something more than both of these things.

In this book, the author shares his life, his exploits, and his insights. Here is a man born with very limited sight and prosopagnosia (a condition which causes face-blindness or the inability to recognize faces). That he learns to read, studies physics, becomes a top researcher in laser technology is fascinating. That his journey also leads him to an interest in ESP, working on remote viewing for the CIA, and a study of common perception versus illusion is beyond anything I could have expected. Oh, his brother-in-law was the late Bobby Fischer and he legally rides a motorcycle.

Do You See What I See? made me feel like I was having an extended personal conversation with the author. The work isn't set up chronologically but I think in this case that works to this story's advantage. It gives the work a casual feeling while at the same time gradually opening up the reader to a different perspective, perhaps even an entirely different way of thinking.