The Tao of physics: An exploration of the parallels between modern physics and eastern mysticism - Softcover

Capra, Fritjof

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0877730784 ISBN 13: 9780877730781

Publisher: distributed in the U.S. by Random House, 1975

Synopsis

1975, Shambhala, softcover, 330 pp.

About this title

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

About the Author

Fritjof Capra has done research in theoretical high-energy physics at the University of Paris; the University of California; Stanford University; and Imperial College, London. He holds a PhD from the University of Vienna. Dr. Capra is the author of five international best sellers: The Tao of Physics (1975), The Turning Point (1982), Uncommon Wisdom (1988), The Web of Life (1996), and The Hidden Connections (2002).

Edition details

• Publisher: distributed in the U.S. by Random House
• Publication date: 1975
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0877730784
• ISBN 13: 9780877730781
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 330