the tao of physics

by fritjof capra. this book followed naturally from the holographic universe and far exceeded my expectations. in fact, it is amazing. capra is an accomplished physicist and sets out to describe the relationship between sub-atmoic particle physics and eastern mysticism. basically, the largely successful idea of classical physics and the macroscopic objects it describes completely breaks down in the sub-atomic realm. the blending of space and time, the uncertainty principle, and the interchangeability of matter and energy are likened to the ancient ideas of Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

of note:
*the scientific method of abstraction is very efficient and powerful, but we have to pay a price for it. As we define our systems of concepts more precisely, as we streamline it and make the connections more and more rigorous, it becomes increasingly detached from the real world.

* Einstein: "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."

*The knowledge of matter at this [subatomic] level is no longer derived from direct sensory experience, and therefor our ordinary language, which takes its images from the world of the senses, is no longer adequate to describe the observed phenomena. The Tao that can be named, is not the eternal Tao.

*At the subatomic level, matter does not exist with certainty at definite places, but rather shows 'tendencies to exist.' The solid material objects of classical physics dissolve into wave-like patterns of probabilities, and these patterns, ultimately do not represent probabilities of things, but rather probabilities of interconnections. Quantum theory thus reveals a basic oneness of the universe. It shows that we cannot decompose the world into independently existing smallest units. As we penetrate into matter, nature does not show us any isolated 'building blocks', but rather appears as a complicated web of relations between the various parts of the whole. These relations always include the observer in an essential way. The Cartesian partition between the 'I' and the world, between the observer and the observed, cannot be made when dealing with atomic physics.

* in the extremely dense nucleus of an atom, because the protons and neutrons are restricted to such a small area, they scream around at about 40,000 miles per second!

* the idea of an elementary particle, or building block should be entirely done away with, and is a holdover from an antiquated classical view.

* at the subatomic level, the solid material objects of classical physics dissolve into wave-like patterns of probabilities, and these patterns, ultimately, do not represent probabilities of things, but probabilities of interconnections. These interconnections always include the observer in an essential way.

* Quantum theory thus reveals the basic oneness of the universe. It shows that we cannot decompose the world into independently existing smallest units.

* E = mc^2 matter has appeared through experiments as completely mutable; particles can be created from energy and return to energy.

* Hinduism: as long as our view of the world is fragmented, as long as we are under the spell of maya and believe that we are seperated from our environment and can act independently, we are bound by karma.

* space-time diagrams: mathematically identical interpretations yield anti-particles (positrons) moving forward in time or particles (electrons) moving backwards in time!

* Like the quantum field, Qi is conceived as a tenuous and non-perceptable form of matter which is present throughout space and can condense into solid material objects.

* the relationship of the I Ching and particle/anti-particle relationships (p. 283). modern physics and chinese thought both consider change and transformation as the primary aspect of nature, and that the structures and symmetries resultant of change are secondary.