The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism PDF
Preview The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism
THE — *V- —-~~ TA® I alii! V. I.-/ «H* \ S i < •. .1 i : 12 / %5 THE TAO OF PHYSICS An Exploration of the Parallels Modern Between Physics and Eastern Mysticism Second Edition, Revised and Updated by Capra Fritjof m Shambhala Boulder -1983 Shambhala Publications, Inc. 192013th Street Boulder, Colorado80302 ©1975,1983 byFritjofCapra All rightsreserved Distributed intheUnitedStates by Random House and inCanada byRandom HouseofCanadaLtd. Printed intheUnitedStatesofAmerica. LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Capra,Fritjof. TheTaoofphysics. Bibliography: p. Includes index. — 1. Physics Philosophy. 2. Mysticism. I.Title. QC6.C277 1983 530'.01 82-42679 ISBN0-87773-246-9(pbk.) ISBN 0-394-71612-4(Random pbk.) : dedicate this book to I Ali Akbar Khan Carlos Castaneda Geoffrey Chew John Coltrane Werner Heisenberg Krishnamurti Liu Hsiu Ch'i Phiroz Mehta Jerry Shesko Bobby Smith Maria Teuffenbach Alan Watts for helping me to find my path and to Jacqueline who has travelled with me on this path most of the time. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission to reproduce copyright illustrations on the following pages: pp. 14-15: Fermi National Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois; p. 38: Foto Gary Elliott Burke; pp. 52-53, 79, 234, 236: CERN, Geneva, Switzerland; pp. 82-83: reprinted from Zazen by E. M. Hooykaas and B. Schierbeck, Omen Press,Tucson, Arizona; pp. 84, 148: Estate of Eliot Elisofon; p. 91: Gunvor Moitessier; p. 92: reprinted from The Evolution of the Buddha Image by Benjamin Rowland Jr.,The Asia Society, New York; pp. 100, 112, 188: Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art; pp. 120, 258: reprinted from Zen and Japanese Culture by D. T Suzuki, Bollingen Series LXIV, by permission of Prince- ton University Press; p. 134: reprinted from Physics in the Twentieth Century by Victor Weisskopf, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts; p. 144: Nordisk Pressefoto, Copenhagen, Denmark; p. 195: Hale Observatories, Pasadena, California; pp. 202, 206, 224, 233, 237, 267: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California; pp. 230, 232: Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois; p. 243: reprinted from The Arts of India by Ajit Mookerjee, Thames and Hudson, London, p. 284: Clinton S. Bond/BBM. — CONTENTS Preface to the Second Edition 7 Preface to the First Edition 11 THE WAY OF PHYSICS I 1 Modern Physics—A Path with a Heart? 17 2 Knowing and Seeing 26 3 Beyond Language 45 4 The New Physics 52 THE WAY OF EASTERN MYSTICISM II 5 Hinduism 85 6 Buddhism 93 7 Chinese Thought 101 8 Taoism 113 9 Zen 121 THE PARALLELS III 10 The Unity of All Things 130 11 Beyond the World of Opposites 145 12 Space-Time 161 13 The Dynamic Universe 189 14 Emptiness and Form 207 15 The Cosmic Dance 225 16 Quark Symmetries A New Koan? 247 17 Patterns of Change 261 18 Interpenetration 285 Epilogue 303 — The New Physics Revisited Afterword 309 to the Second Edition Notes 323 Bibliography 331 Index 335 It is probably true quite generally that in the history of human thinking the most fruitful developments frequently take place at those points where two different lines of thought meet. These lines may have their roots in quite different parts of human culture, in different times or different cultural environ- ments or different religious traditions: hence if they actually meet, that is, if they are at least so much related to each other that a real interaction can take place, then one may hope that new and interesting developments may follow. Werner Heisenberg PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION This book was first published seven years ago, and it originated in an experience, as described in the following Preface, that now lies more than ten years in the past. It seems thus appro- priate that should say a few words to the readers of this new I edition about the many things that have happened in those — years to the book, to physics, and to myself. When discovered the parallels between the world views of I physicists and mystics, which had been hinted at before but never thoroughly explored, had the strong feeling that was I I merely uncovering something that was quite obvious and would be common knowledge in the future; and sometimes, while writing The Tao of Physics, I even felt that it was being written through me, rather than by me. The subsequent events have confirmed these feelings. The book has been received enthusiastically in England and the United States. Though it had only minimal promotion or advertising, it spread rapidly by word-of-mouth and is now available, or being published, in a dozen editions around the world. The reaction of the scientific community, predictably, has been more cautious; but there, too, the interest in the broader implications of twentieth-century physics is increasing. The re- luctance of modern scientists to accept the profound similari- ties between their concepts and those of mystics is not — — surprising, since mysticism at least in the West has tradition- ally been associated, quite erroneously, with things vague, mysterious, and highly unscientific. Fortunately, this attitude is now changing. As Eastern thought has begun to interest a significant number of people and meditation is no longer viewed with ridicule or suspicion, mysticism is being taken seriously even within the scientific community. 8 The success of The Tao ofPhysics has had a strong impact on The my life. During the past years, I have traveled extensively, lec- Taoof turing to professional and lay audiences and discussing the Physics implications of the 'new physics' with men and women from all walks of life. These discussions have helped me tremen- dously in understanding the broader cultural context of the strong interest in Eastern mysticism that arose in the West dur- ing the last twenty years. I now see this interest as part of a much larger trend which attempts to counteract a profound — imbalance in our culture in our thoughts and feelings, our values and attitudes, and our social and political structures. I have found the Chinese terminology of yin and yang very useful to describe this cultural imbalance. Our culture has consistently favored yang, or masculine, values and attitudes and has neglected their complementary yin, or feminine, We counterparts. have favored self-assertion over integration, analysis over synthesis, rational knowledge over intuitive wis- dom, science over religion, competition over cooperation, ex- pansion over conservation, and so on. This one-sided devel- opment has now reached a highly alarming stage; a crisis of social, ecological, moral, and spiritual dimensions. However, we are witnessing, at the same time, the begin- ning of a tremendous evolutionary movement that seems to illustrate the ancient Chinese saying that "the yang, having reached its climax, retreats in favor ofthe yin." The sixties and seventies have generated a whole series of social movements which all seem to go in the same direction. The rising concern with ecology, the strong interest in mysticism, the growing feminist awareness, and the rediscovery of holistic approaches to health and healing are all manifestations ofthe same evolu- tionary trend. They all counteract the overemphasis of rational, masculine attitudes and values and attempt to regain a balance between the masculine and feminine sides of human nature. Thus, the awareness of the profound harmony between the world view of modern physics and the views of Eastern mysti- cism now appears as an integral part of a much larger cultural transformation, leading to the emergence of a new vision of reality that will require a fundamental change in our thoughts, perceptions, and values. In my second book, The Turning Point, have explored the various aspects and implications of I this cultural transformation.
The list of books you might like
