Science and Metaphysics Books
The
Alphabet Versus The Goddess - Male Words & Female Images
Leonard Shlain. Published By The Penguin Press. 464
Pages.
Leonard Shlain pondered the question of
why the ancient reverence for the goddess traditions died out and
the high role of women in society declined. He observed that it
coincided exactly with the era in which mankind was developing the
skills of reading and writing. Could it be that the adoption of these
strongly left-brain activities fundamentally altered the structure of
the way we think; emphasizing left-brain modes of thought over
right-brain ones? If so, we have gained the present benefits of
civilization at the expense of the emphasis on imagery, and the role of
the female in both a literal and symbolic sense.
The result is a fascinating and
thought-provoking book that will challenge your assumptions about the
basic structure of our culture. The chapters examines the books
theme in the contexts of Yin/Yang, Islam, Birth & Death,
Ancient Greek Mythology, Christianity, Sorcery Vs. Science and much
more. Highly Recommended.
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The
Illustrated Brief History Of Time
by Stephen Hawking. Published by Bantam Books. 248
Pages.
Professor
Hawking is without debate one of the greatest living scientists in the
world today; in the same league as Albert Einstein and Richard Feynmann.
This book has been translated into thirty languages and has already sold
over nine million copies. The latest version is packed with beautiful
color illustrations and photographs that have led many people who owned
earlier copies of the book to buy it over again.
In this book, you get a tour of the
universe as it is known today to scientists; from the smallest
sub-atomic particle to the vastness of the Cosmos. Sometimes it reads
more like science fiction than fact. Wormholes, Black holes, Big Bang,
Super-strings and Quarks. You also get to learn about what scientists
know of the future of the universe, the Arrow Of Time, and the
possibilities for time travel.
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Wholeness
And The Implicate Order
By David Bohm. Published by Routledge.
In this book, David Bohm, a former
protege of Einstein and a leading
theoretical physicist, proposes a theory of Quantum Mechanics that
incorporates both matter and consciousness in one seamless whole. He
looks deeply into the implications of Quantum Theory - the science of
the sub-atomic realms - and deduces that it clearly implies a higher
order to the universe. He calls this the Implicate Order. It is the
place from which our entire experience of reality, both matter and
consciousness are enfolded together, and from whence they then proceed
to manifest in our everyday reality.
This book is not a light read, but it is
free of technical jargon and therefore quite readable even if you have
no detailed knowledge of science. It is a truly refreshing change to see
a scientist of the highest calibre tackle these vital questions and
bring to them a professional credibility that is often lacking in
books of this nature. If you want to go beyond a superficial
"everything is one" sort of approach, and really get to grips
with what Science has to say on the matter, this is the classic work on
the subject.
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The
Self-Made Tapestry - Pattern Formation In Nature
by Philip Bell. Published by Oxford
University Press. 248 Pages.
Similar patterns form in Nature and seem
nothing more than coincidence. In the shells of microscopic sea
creatures, you can see the same angles and intersections as you will
find on the walls of bubbles in a foam. A streak of lightening mirrors
the shape of rivers and trees. Ripples of desert sand closely resemble
the stripes of a zebra.
This
book gives you a detailed explanation of why these correspondences are
not mere coincidences. Instead, we see self-organization at work. The
same principles of interaction between component parts are used
throughout the universe; whether these components be grains of sand,
living cells, inorganic molecules or stars. Moreover, the results of
these self-organizing principles are always similar - spirals, spots,
stripes, honeycombs, branches and so on.
Philip Bell, Editor of Nature magazine,
uses numerous photographs and charts to give a clear, fascinating
layman's explanation to one of the most fascinating mysteries of our
world. He examines water, curved space, micro-organisms, rocks, living
cells, trees, rivers - in fact, just about everything, and reveals the
hidden underlying principles that give rise to the self-regulated order
we see. A fascinating and informative read that will have you looking at
the world with totally new eyes.
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The
Language Instinct - How The Mind Creates Language
by Stephen Pinker. Published by
Harperperennial Library. 496 Pages
How is it that very young children can
learn complex languages rapidly at a time when their brains are not
sufficiently developed to be able to comprehend the rules of grammar?
Why is it that with very little formal training, human beings are able
to put words together into
complex combinations they have never been taught, whilst the most
powerful computers are still struggling to master the basics of
language? Could it be that language is an innate faculty of the human
brain?
If you have ever wondered about the
mysteries of Language, you are in for a treat with this book. Stephen
Pinker, truly one of the leading linguistic researchers in the world
today, provides a controversial and yet strangely satisfying explanation
for how we come to communicate through the medium of language. The book
is written in an entertaining way that will hold your interest, and
contains enough solid discussion to be worthy of the attention of the
most distinguished academics in the field. You will gain a whole new
perspective on the miracle we call the human brain, and the equal
miracle we call human language in all its complex diversity. As Richard
Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene said, "Reading Stephen
Pinker's book is one of the biggest favors I've ever done my
brain."
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The
Tao Of Physics - An Exploration Of The Parallels Between Modern Physics
And Eastern Mysticism
by Fritjof Capra.
In what has become a classic in the
genre, Fritjof Capra presents a detailed comparison between the latest
findings of Science and the ancient teachings of Eastern Mysticism. We
are given a whirlwind tour of the New Physics, Cosmology and the
Quantum realm. Einstein's theory of Relativity, and its resulting
consequences for the nature of Space-Time are fully discussed. We are
taken into sub-atomic realms to examine the endless dance of newly
discovered fundamental particles and the strange paradoxical world they
inhabit. Then we examine the vastness of the dynamic expanding universe
- the product of an incredible Big Bang many billions of years ago.
Throughout all of this, close comparisons
with Eastern teachings are constantly revealed. We learn how the
teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism and the I Ching appear to have
anticipated, by many millennia, the discoveries that Science is now
making. Could it be that they are both describing the same reality from
totally different perspectives? Rather than undermine the book, it
appears that the progressive revelations that Science has made in the
years since its initial publication only serve to add more weight to its
profound and revolutionary theory! A truly fascinating and highly
readable book that will expand your mind into realms undreamed of.
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The
Presence Of The Past - Morphic Resonance & The Habits Of Nature
by Rupert Sheldrake. Published by Inner Traditions Intl.
416 Pages.
In this provocative book, Royal Society
biologist Dr. Rupert Sheldrake proposes that there are no rules of
nature, but rather deeply ingrained habits. Things are the way they are
because there is a memory of their own past.
He
proposes that this memory is carried by a non-material medium called a
"morphogenetic field". Thus rabbits are
"rabbit-shaped" because they tune into the morphogenetic field
and through a process of "morphic resonance" produce offspring
that are also rabbits! The same is true of the shapes of molecules, the
propagation of ideas, and the formation of ice crystals. Also, once a
habit is broken, it becomes easier for others to do the same through
this same morphic resonance. This is why, after Roger Bannister first
broke the 4-minute mile, many hundreds of other athletes did the same
within a year. A new "habit" was established.
It is definitely unusual for a mainstream
scientist of Sheldrake's calibre to come out with such a challenging
theory such as this. However, he backs it up with numerous examples from
the whole realm of nature. If his ideas are correct, they give a
scientific basis mystical concepts that have existed for millennia.
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Gaia
- A New Look At Life On Earth
by James Lovelock. Published by Oxford University Press.
178 Pages.
Is the Earth itself alive? That is the
startling proposition puts forward in this landmark book by Dr.
James Lovelock. He proposes that the entire ecosystem of the planet -
including animal life, vegetation and all inorganic natural processes
form a complex interlocked, but self-regulating system that could be
defined as a single living organism! It actually defines and maintains
the conditions necessary for life to continue through an incredible
sequence of interlocking relationships that are only know coming to
light. This has come to be known as the Gaia hypothesis.
Since the book's publication in 1979,
many of Lovelock's predictions have come true, and this has led to his
ideas being debated in serious scientific circles. A fascinating theory
that at last justifies the beliefs of Ancient Wisdom, or a crackpot
notion? Decide for yourself....
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Turbulent
Mirror - An Illustrated Introduction To Chaos Theory And The Science Of
Wholeness
by John Briggs & F. David Peat
One
of the most fascinating directions in Science of recent years has been
the advent of Chaos Theory. If you have heard the phrase and want to
know more, this book is an excellent and entertaining introduction to
the entire field.
With the aid of super-computers,
scientists are able to penetrate behind the seeming disorder of stock
market movements, weather patterns, ocean waves and see depths of order
present that had never been dreamed of. In fact, it now appears that
Order and Chaos and merely different sides of the same coin. With
numerous illustrations and simple lively discussion, the authors take
you on a comprehensive tour of this mind-boggling new reality that is
being revealed. You will dive deep into complex beautiful mathematical
patterns that seem to forever repeat themselves at different levels, and
then be taken to vastness of the galaxies to see Chaos at work there
too. It is truly an "Alice In Wonderland" reality that we live
in. This book will reveal it all to you.
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You
Can Remember Love - Contemplations On Science & Spirituality
by Odete Martins Bigote
Published by 1st Books Library. 175 Pages.
As Odete Bigote herself says, this book
is about remembrance and forgiveness. It is about rediscovering the
Self, and using the classroom of life with all its varied lessons to
establish Love increasingly powerfully in your life.
The authoress draws upon her deep
knowledge of spiritual traditions, from The Course In Miracles
right through to the Hindu Upanishads, to give us a rich medley
of inspiring thoughts and lessons to contemplate. The book also draws
extensively upon Odete Bigote's live workshops and the practical
emphasis is very evident. Numerous real-life stories and conversations
abound, and profound subjects are expressed in a warm and human fashion.
The book's style is an accessible and conversational throughout. It
invites the reader to ponder, wonder and speculate.
Topics presented include Meditation, the
Origin of Evil, Healing, how to turn enemies into friends, the Course
In Miracles, and more. Particularly special are the book's spiritual
contemplations upon the findings of modern Science. Odete displays a
thorough knowledge of the scientific content she discusses, and
skilfully interweaves this with metaphysical thoughts on spirituality
and the Soul. She takes us into exciting realms of possibility in our
lives. Thoroughly recommended.
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Man's
Search For Meaning
Viktor Frankl. Published by Beacon Press.
With 4 million copies sold, this book
stands as a powerful classic of our times in many respects. First and
foremost, it is a terrible document of the sufferings that the author
endured and survived in four separate concentration camps including
Auschwitz. If any of us ever feel tempted to feel sorry for ourselves
and our lives, we need to read this book to find out what true suffering
is and how bad it can really get.
However, this is also a book about Hope.
It is a book about the triumph of the human spirit against the worst
odds and the most hellish conditions imaginable. Dr. Frankl's book is,
at heart, about the search for meaning in our lives. He contends that
this is our primary drive, and this conclusion derives directly from his
camp experiences. Indeed, this principle was the basis of a new form of
psychotherapy that he founded, Logotherapy, is discussed in depth in
this book. He tell us about the Will to Meaning in our lives and how,
without it, all sorts of dysfunctions can present themselves. It is a
fascinating and insightful revelation of our modern condition. Deeply
compassionate and wise, this book is a MUST read for anyone who
calls themselves human.
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