Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T20:14:55.042Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 December 2009

Jan Hilgevoord
Affiliation:
Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands
Get access

Summary

Until quite recently physicists rarely speculated about relations between the laws of fundamental physics, the physics of elementary particles and the Universe, and our existence on earth as conscious beings. They admitted that no physical reason for our existence was known, and that man was an alien in the physical world, but they did not perceive any conflict between our existence and the basic laws of physics.

A first attempt to connect humankind and elementary particle physics was Fritjof Capra's The Tao of Physics (1975). In this book Capra tried to relate the so-called ‘bootstrap’ theory of elementary particles to Eastern mysticism by pointing to similarities between the picture that bootstrap physics gives of the behaviour of elementary particles and the utterances of certain Eastern mystics. To Capra these similarities suggested a deep analogy between the world at the level of elementary particles and the world of personal experience. Such a relation would lessen the deplorable alienation of advanced abstract physics from what can be directly and personally experienced.

The Tao of Physics was a great success. The book was welcomed by supporters of holism and of the New Age Movement. It has been translated into many languages and has been followed by related books by Capra and others, but it was conspicuously ignored by the physicists, who found it at best wishful thinking and a lot of nonsense and at worst pure deception.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Introduction
  • Edited by Jan Hilgevoord, Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • Book: Physics and our View of the World
  • Online publication: 04 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622823.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Introduction
  • Edited by Jan Hilgevoord, Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • Book: Physics and our View of the World
  • Online publication: 04 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622823.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Edited by Jan Hilgevoord, Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • Book: Physics and our View of the World
  • Online publication: 04 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622823.002
Available formats
×