Books : The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism (25th Anniversary Edition)
In association with Amazon.com
Regular marked price: $16.95Discount Price: $11.53
Cost Savings: $5.42 (32%)Price fluctuation possible.
How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 530.01
EAN num: 9781570625190
ISBN number: 1570625190
Label: Shambhala Publications, Ltd.
Manufacturer: Shambhala Publications, Ltd.
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 366
Printing Date: January 04, 2000
Publishing house: Shambhala Publications, Ltd.
Release Date: January 04, 2000
Sale Popularity Level: 12850
Studio: Shambhala Publications, Ltd.
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
After a quarter of a century in print, Capra's groundbreaking work still challenges and inspires. This updated edition of The Tao of Physics includes a new preface and afterword in which the author reviews the developments of the twenty-five years since the book's very first publication, discusses criticisms the book has received, and examines future possibilities for a new scientific world.
Amazon.com Review:
First published in 1975, The Tao of Physics rode the wave of fascination in exotic East Asian philosophies. Decades later, it still stands up to scrutiny, explicating not only Eastern philosophies but also how modern physics forces us into conceptions that have remarkable parallels. Covering over 3,000 years of widely divergent traditions across Asia, Capra can't help but blur lines in his generalizations. But the big picture is enough to see the value in them of experiential knowledge, the limits of objectivity, the absence of foundational matter, the interrelation of all things and events, and the fact that process is primary, not things. Capra finds the same notions in modern physics. Those approaching Eastern thought from a background of Western science will find reliable introductions here to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism and learn how commonalities among these systems of thought can offer a sort of philosophical underpinning for modern science. And those approaching modern physics from a background in Eastern mysticism will find precise yet comprehensible descriptions of a Western science that may reinvigorate a hope in the positive potential of scientific knowledge. Whatever your background, The Tao of Physics is a brilliant essay on the meeting of East and West, and on the invaluable possibilities that such a union promises. --Brian Bruya
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
Nutshell review - Another book in the meta-physics / quantum physics for the lay-person genre. Lots of interesting ideas and insights into this strange world. Worth a read.
Rated by buyers 
-
From reading Fritjof Capra's remarkable book, I have gained much more respect for physics while also strengthening my understanding of Eastern philosophy.
In his book, Capra urges that physicists realize nature's organic processes instead of explaining these processes in vague and mechanical terms. According to Capra, by Greek definition, "'physics' meant therefore, originally, the endeavor of seeing the essential nature of all things" (p.20). We must create an inner harmony with nature. Indeed, until recently have physicists adopted a more holistic physics rather than the mechanically dense physics of the past. Through their similarities, Capra beautifully demonstrates that science, mathematics, and mysticism are not completely different.
A brief note on the book itself: Capra's style of writing is wonderful and he explains throughly and effectively (he is also very well-researched). Some may find his explanations of physics or Eastern philosophy dense or cumbersome. Nevertheless, Capra makes each chapter intriguing and exciting, especially considering how he demonstrates that each concept is interrelated. Aside from these musings, both the text is in large type face and the diagrams are pleasing to the eyes.
For those who have little background to the subject of modern physics (much like me), do not try to completely and absolutley understand each topic mentioned. You will only become more confused and frustrated. Rather, read each chapter synthetically and with an open mind. The knowledge will build gradually. That is what Capra would want. For those who (especially) have a background in modern physics, allow the book to merely supplement your practice. Approach the book as if you have never explored the topic and you will perhaps gain a refreshed perspective.
Altogether, I highly recommend the book. It appeals to all who wish to learn about topics so unique and relevant. You may also benefit intellectually. Who knows?
In the words of Joseph Campbell on praising the book,
"I think Capra has done a magnificent and extremely important job".
Rated by buyers -
I have read and reread this book several times it helps the layman to understand the principles of quantum physics in simple yet adecuate ways.
Very good
Hilda Pomares
Rated by buyers 
-
It is widely recognized, at least by those outside of science, that scientists are notorious bunglers when it comes to philosophical matters. So it is not surprising, though hardly excusable, that Capra's book displays a level of incompetence that should be immediately obvious to anyone with even a cursory background in logic or philosophy. As a matter of fact, it would be surprising if such an unqualified admirer of Taoism, whose writings Capra notes approvingly are "full of passages reflecting the Taoist's contempt of reasoning" (p. 113), should display much in the way of sound reasoning. While I was not especially sympathetic to Capra's thesis even before I read the book, I at least had high hopes for a compelling argument for his case, but that was wishful thinking. The thesis is that the worldviews of Eastern mysticism provide the best framework for understanding modern physics, and that all the advances in physics in the 20th century unanimously confirm these worldviews. However, the picture that emerges is rather one of the utter incompatibility of Eastern mysticism with physics of any kind, classical or modern.
In order to fully appreciate the force of this book, it is important to keep in mind not only the results of physics, but also the scientific endeavor itself. That endeavor consists of an incredibly strenuous exertion of the human rational faculties to uncover truths about reality that we do not know ahead of time, and to systematize the results of investigation into rigorous theories explaining the phenomena. In contrast to this, according to Capra, "all concepts about reality formed by the human mind are void" (p. 97); "the human intellect can never comprehend the Tao" (p. 113); "whenever you want to achieve anything, you should start with its opposite" (p. 115); "words can never express the ultimate truth" (p. 122); "to believe that our abstract concepts of separate 'things' and 'events' are realities of nature is an illusion" (p. 131); the particles of modern physics "are merely idealizations which are useful from a practical point of view, but have no fundamental significance" (p. 137); "all the concepts we use to describe nature . . . are not features of reality, as we tend to believe, but creations of the mind" (p. 161); "the idea of a constant 'self' undergoing successive experiences is an illusion" (p. 212); "all phenomena in the world are nothing but the illusory manifestation of the mind and have no reality on their own . . . what appears to be external does not exist in reality" (p. 277); "ultimately, there are no parts at all in this interconnected web" (p. 330); "there is no absolute truth in science" (p. 337). This collection of quotes does indeed give an excellent picture of the foundation that Eastern mysticism has to offer for science, but is it even possible to think that this view of the world constitutes fertile soil for the scientific enterprise?
A striking feature of many of Capra's central arguments is the profound gulf between his premises and his conclusions, which would be simply laughable if it were not for the fact that so many people stand to be badly led astray. For instance, Capra leaps from Einstein's famous equation E=mc^2 to the most astounding claim in the whole book, that "modern physicists . . . deny the existence of any material substance" (p. 204). Can this be serious? This is the logical equivalent of saying that "magnetism has been discovered to be an aspect of an electromagnetic field, therefore magnetism doesn't exist" or "scientists have discovered that houses are made of wood, therefore houses don't exist". One of Capra's favorite mantras is that modern physics has discovered that material particles "are not distinct entities" (p. 209). Even if we accept for the sake of the argument his repeated confusion of existence and measurability, it is difficult to see how the fact that particles interact, influence each other, and in some cases are even indistinguishable, means that they are not distinct entities.
If it were not enough to repeatedly outrage every principle of sound reasoning, Capra is equally adept at mangling the most profound discoveries of 20th century physics. He dwells at length on Einstein's General Relativity, arguing that it proves that "geometry is not inherent in nature but is imposed upon it by the mind" (p. 162). In actual fact, General Relativity is the scientific rock upon which all the floundering ships in the fleet of subjectivism are dashed. From Einstein we have learned that the true structure of space and time is actually so incredibly foreign to our everyday intuitions that it is not even possible to understand it without the formidable apparatus of non-Euclidean geometry. Capra goes on in the same chapter to give an example that "shows that we can always determine whether a surface is curved or not, just by making geometrical measurements of its surface, and by comparing the results ... Read More
Rated by buyers -
The article - a paperback book - arrived in great condition, but 3 days over the advised delivery date. No indication of whether the article was shipped as planned was given, neither was the Amazon email contact facility available to try to find out the position.
Amazon were content to claim the bargain was satisfactorily concluded, when thec item was 'missing'.
Find other books like this one:
