The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra
Two types of knowledge:
Rational, scientific, lower, yang, Confucianism
Intuitive, religious, higher, yin, Taoism
^ Upanishads.
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Yin
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Yang
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shady
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sunny side of mountain
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female
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male
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rest
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movement
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earth
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heaven
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quiet, contemplative
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strong, active
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Seen in the seasons, diet, health balance.
"Tao" = "the way", process of the Universe,
order of Nature, ultimate undefinable reality.
Eastern world view essence is unity
and interrelation of all things and events. - the basic oneness
of the world - Brahman, Dharmakaya or Tao.
Separation based on ignorance (avidya)
under spell of maya.
Quantum theory describes observed systems
in terms of probabilities.
- position of electrons in atom.
- time of decay of radioactive substance.
No longer strict determinism. Interrelating
"waves" of probability.
"The Unity of all Things"
Mass spectrometer.
"Isolated particle" never exists - always
interacting with something.
"An elementary particle is ... in essence
a set of relationships that reach outward to other things".
Interwovenness includes human observer
and their consciousness.
Theory of Special Relativity
Speed of light is same in all reference
frames moving with constant speed.
Consequence: Simultaneous events at
different places in one frame occur at different times in another.
-> concept of 4-dimensional space-time with 'events' defined
in this 4D space.
"The Dynamic Universe"
e.g. wave-particle duality.
Shiva, the cosmic dancer: "If I did
not engage in action, these worlds would perish".
E = mc2
Mach's Principle: Inertia of an object
is due to its interaction with all the rest of the universe.
An electron like an 'energy knot' propagating
through space.
Forces between particles mediated by
exchanging particles.
Void or vacuum full of these reactions
- particles appearing and disappearing.
Nothing -> proton + antiproton +
pi meson
-> nothing
"When one knows that the Great Void
is full of ch'i, one realises that there is no such thing as nothingness"
Cosmic ray air shower interactions.
The Dance of Shiva - creation and destruction
- endless cycles of existence.
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