Book cover of The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism

Book description

A special edition of the “brilliant” best-selling classic on the paradoxes of modern physics and their relationship to concepts of Eastern mysticism (New York Magazine)
 
The Tao of Physics brought the mystical implications of subatomic physics to popular consciousness for the very first time. Many books have been written…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Tao of Physics as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I read this book long back and was blown away by how it compared and connected the philosophies of India and China with the latest discoveries in Quantum Physics. Seemingly, the two distant worlds of Asia and Western Science are overlapping and intertwined, as this book powerfully demonstrates.

It is a well-known analysis of the striking parallels between contemporary physics and Eastern mysticism. The book's main thesis is that the sophisticated Western conceptions of the modern world may be accommodated by the logical theoretical framework found in the ancient and mystical Eastern traditions.

From Pankaj's list on The best books on Dharma studies.

This transformational classic, first published in 1975 and now translated into nearly two dozen languages, pioneered the integration of modern scientific insights from quantum mechanics with ancient spiritual wisdom.

I read it in mid-life when I was struggling to integrate my own identity, torn between competing poles: the rational and the intuitive. There were so many “Aha” passages in this brilliant book, but the fundamental insight is “both-and,” not “either-or.” At root, science and spirituality are complementary, not antagonistic.

Capra’s motivation for writing the book: “Physicists do not need mysticism, and mystics do not need physics, but humanity needs both.”…

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