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zoobyshoe
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Nebula815 said:I was wondering what people think of the role of metaphysics? From what I understand, metaphysics was more studied back in the 19th century, but nowadays, no serious physicist, even if they consider the subject, will say so publicly for fear of damaging their career.
But because of the limitations physicists run into in trying to understand the world through logic, wouldn't metaphysical principles apply? Metaphysics wouldn't be promoting magic or anything, just the idea that there are aspects of the world that cannot be understood by the rational, logical human mind, and that one must go to a "higher plane" or whatnot to be able to comprehend the makings of the universe at that level.
From what I understand, this was the idea of many of the paradoxes of the ancient Eastern religions, that since so much of the universe and nature is not understandable with logic, the only thing to do is understand it via paradoxes and then the idea was to meditate on the paradoxes and try to reach that "higher plane" of mind and thus understanding ("Enlightenment").
From the Wikipedia article, Quantum Mysticism:Nebula815 said:It was called The Tao of Physics by Fritjov Capra.
Beginning in the 1970s, New Age authors and practitioners began to impute metaphysical ideas into the physics, which eventually lead to associated practices and beliefs, many of which can only be subjectively experienced and are unfalsifiable. As a result of this, many of the metaphysical claims and related practices of quantum mysticism have been criticized as being either misinterpretations of quantum mechanics or as pseudoscience...
...Beginning in the 1970s, quantum mysticism began to take its own path with Fritjof Capra's book, The Tao of Physics, which explored the parallels between quantum physics and principles in Eastern mystical teachings. Following in the 1980s was the book, Quantum Healing, by Deepak Chopra, which explained his theory of mind and body healing using quantum concepts. In 1990, Robert Anton Wilson wrote a book called Quantum Psychology which explains Timothy Leary’s Eight Circuit Model of Consciousness in terms of quantum mysticism.[15] Then, in 1993, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, by Deepak Chopra, was published and went on to become a New York Times Bestseller. The book discussed specific claims of healing, reversing aging, and immortality by adopting a quantum worldview and prescribed specific practices. It sold over two million copies worldwide.
[edit] Controversy
In 1998 Deepak Chopra was awarded the parody Ig Nobel Prize, in the physics category, for "his unique interpretation of quantum physics as it applies to life, liberty, and the pursuit of economic happiness", referring to his writing on quantum mysticism at the time.[16] The 2004 film What the Bleep Do We Know!? made controversial use of some aspects of quantum mechanics—including the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and the observer effect—as well as biology and medicine.[17] The film was largely dismissed by critics as pseudoscience.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mysticism