Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality [Paperback]

Fritjof Capra (Author), David Steindl-Rast (Author), Thomas Matus (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 006250195X | ISBN-13: 978-0062501950 | Publication Date: January 1993 | Edition: 1st

The trailblazer of new science and a contemporary Thomas Merton explore the parallels between new paradigm thinking in science and religion that together offer a remarkably compatible view of the universe.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This latest foray into the New Age dialog finds Capra, physicist and author of the popular Tao of Physics (Shambhala Pubns., 1983. 2d rev. ed.), and Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, in a compelling dialectic between science and spirituality. The fabric of conversation is woven from such diverse fields as analytical physics, development of dogma, karma, and ecology. Orthodox Christianity will struggle with various assertions (e.g., a discomfiture in using the term "God" and a certain downplaying of the specifics of world religions in order to showcase their sameness and universality). This discourse is clearly intended for the spiritually and scientifically informed, for whom it offers a dynamic synthesis of the two.
- Sandra Collins, SLIS, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper San Francisco; 1st edition (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006250195X
• ISBN-13: 978-0062501950
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Intriguing Project, August 1, 2001

By 

disco75 "disco75" (State College, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality (Paperback)

The format of the book is to record the conversation between three men regarding science, theology, spirituality, and human nature. I found the discussions of theology in particular to be interesting, as one of the discussants is a monk. The topics are covered in a non-dogmatic way, with a genuine questing spirituality evident. Without descending into New Age pap, the book explores fresh ways of approaching tradition in science and religion.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What I was looking for, December 21, 2008

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searcher "72" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality (Paperback)

I had been reading Capra's books and had the impression that in his explorations and the questions that arose for him, he seemed to have arrived at the door of Mystery. I wondered if he experienced it that way. When I found this book, it seemed like a logical next step in his exploration, as if he felt that a person steeped in spirituality might be a little more at home with the Mystery that he seemed to have encountered.
I'm glad to have found it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More on spirituality, less on science, June 15, 2009

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Ashen Breese "Ash" (Muncie, IN) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality (Paperback)

If you are looking to hear more on the "new paradigm" in science, this is probably not the book for you. While the book touches on the scientific side of "new thinking", it is largly about new perspectives in Christian theology. Personally I have always had major issues with conventional Christian theology. This is the first source I have ever read that presents a more open and "inclusive" take what I had always considered a very "exclusive" and closed religion. The book is particularly interesting, but the last chapter (social implications on "new paradigm" thinking) starts to lose momentum, becoming less significant rambling.