The New Physics - Fritjof Capra (1939)

Fritjof Capra (1939) is a physicist and deep ecologist who was born in Vienna, Austria in 1939. He is the author of several books on the relationship between physics and ecology, including The Tao of Physics, Uncommon Wisdom, and The Web of Life. He received his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Vienna in 1966.

The essay The New Physics deals with a new way of looking at the universe. It says that the universe is not made up of separate things, but is a unified whole. This is similar to the idea of the One in Eastern mysticism.

The old physics, on the other hand, says that the universe is made up of separate things that interact with each other. This view is based on the idea of reductionism (A theory that all complex systems can be completely understood in terms of their components), which says that you can understand the whole by understanding the parts.

The new physics challenges the idea of reductionism. It says that the whole is more than the sum of its parts and that you cannot understand the whole by just understanding the parts.

The new physics is still a developing field, but it has the potential to change our understanding of the universe. It could lead to new ways of thinking about everything from science to spirituality.

SUMMARY

Modern physics has made a lot of progress in the 20th century. One of the most important contributions came from Albert Einstein, who published two articles on the theory of relativity. The special theory of relativity says that space and time are not absolute, but are relative to the observer. The general theory of relativity says that gravity is not a force, but is a curvature (bend) of space-time.

These theories have led to a new way of thinking about the universe. In the past, we thought of the universe as a collection of separate objects. But now we know that everything is connected to everything else. The universe is a single, unified whole.

This new way of thinking is called the new physics. It is still a developing field, but it has the potential to change our understanding of the universe. It could lead to new ways of thinking about everything from science to spirituality.

The new physics is similar to the Eastern worldview of mysticism. Mystics have long taught that the universe is a single, interconnected whole. The new physics is now providing scientific evidence to support this view.

The new physics is still not widely accepted by the scientific community. But it is an important development, and it is worth considering seriously. It could lead to a new understanding of the universe and our place in it. 

What is Quantum Theory?

Quantum theory is a way of understanding how the universe works at the smallest level, the level of atoms and subatomic particles. It is different from classical physics, which is the way we understand the world at the level we can see and touch. 

Quantum theory is a very strange and counterintuitive (contrary to what common sense would suggest) theory. It often defies our everyday experience and common sense. However, it has been extremely successful in explaining a wide range of physical phenomena, from the behaviour of atoms and molecules to the workings of lasers and transistors. It is essential for understanding many aspects of modern physics, such as nuclear physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.

Here is a simple analogy to help understand quantum theory. Imagine we are trying to measure the position of a car. We can use a radar gun to measure its speed, but the act of measuring its speed will also change its position. This is because the radar gun sends out a beam of light, and the car will move slightly in the direction of the beam as it is being hit by the light.

In the same way, it is impossible to know both the position and momentum of a quantum particle with perfect accuracy. The act of measuring one quantity will always affect the other.

Quantum theory is a very complex and challenging subject, but it is also a very important one. It is the foundation of our understanding of the universe at the smallest level, and it is essential for understanding many aspects of modern physics and technology.