Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

I was disappointed. This book (which I ended up scanning through after a while) didn't provide me with any additional value. On a serious trek of digesting the work of Fritjof Capra, this book was clearly not a strong representation of his work (aside from the fact that it was the capture of dialog rather than a concentrated capture of ideas; typical of Capra's works). If uncovering the "mind of Capra" is your goal, stick with "The Turning Point" and "The Web of Life".