Customer Reviews

Hidden Dimensions: The Unification of Physics and Consciousness (Columbia Series in Science and Religion)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have never met the author of this enthralling book, but having now also read several of his previous works, he clearly has a remarkably original and creative mind.

This book is both the most challenging and the most satisfying of his books, in which he tries to construct a comprehensive model that can take into account consciousness, quantum and Relativity theory.

He begins with an exceptionally important problem, and one that is not even recognized by many popular writers who use half-understood metaphors to support their theories of everything from the Law of Attraction to the nature of God.

The question is this: Can quantum mechanics tell us anything useful about the nature of reality in the observable day-to-day world? The trouble is that most of the observations in support of quantum theory vanish as the temperature of a system rises. At human body temperature, quantum effects appear to vanish like fairy gold.

The second question has also lead to its fair share of misunderstandings: how do Einstein's theories of Relativity tie in with our day-to-day experiences and with quantum theory?

In the 1950s a popular science writer first used a simplified but woefully inadequate interpretation of Einstein's work to declare that "everything is energy," and that matter is nothing but "congealed energy." These attractive statements have become enshrined in countless books, articles and documentaries. Sad to say, this is one of those times when an idea is clear, simple, understandable and... wrong.

Alan is far too smart and well informed to make these mistakes. He proposes that three fundamental problems are all related: first, the problem of measurement in quantum mechanics; second the problem of time in quantum cosmology and third the so-called "hard problem" in brain science that tries to explain how consciousness can arise form apparently inanimate matter.

What he does next is almost unique in contemporary literature: he engages in a first-person meditative inquiry into the relationships between these two streams in physics and the third strand: the nature of consciousness. He uses techniques that he outlined in The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind, and builds on some of the insights in his last book, Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge (Columbia Series in Science and Religion).

He comes to the conclusion, rightly, I believe, that consciousness does not emerge from the brain but is conditioned by it. Furthermore, that the entire Universe of mind and matter arises from a fundamental non-dual reality.

Not only has Alan constructed an interesting hypothesis that is compatible with much of what we have learned from physicists, but he has also revived an ancient tradition that teaches us that although we can describe the natural world with our observations and our mathematics, we can also probe the nature of existence by going within our minds.

The worry about the latter approach has always been that we might end up in a meaningless solipsistic dream. Alan Wallace indicates to us that inner inquiry may produce answers that seem to agree with and expand many current models employed in physics.

This is an important, well-written and engaging book that will be of great value to anyone interested in consciousness, spirituality and the nature of the Universe.

Very highly recommended.



Richard G. Petty, MD, author of Healing, Meaning and Purpose: The Magical Power of the Emerging Laws of Life

Alan Wallace is one of the leading writers in English about Tibetan Buddhism, and is one of the leading Buddhists working with top neuroscientists to study meditation, attention, and emotional development. He was trained in physics before becoming a Buddhist monk for 14 years, so he is also interested in the intersection of Buddhism and modern physics. The book offers the best account yet of his thinking about the intersection of Buddhism and science. I don't personally agree with his more supernatural beliefs, but this in no way keeps me from appreciating his very clear and graceful explanation of his views and what he accepts as evidence for them. It was a pleasure to read and think about this book.

The author was a praticing Buddhist monk for many years, working with H.H. Dalai Lama, and when he left the monastic life he turned to the study of physics. In this book he brings these two worlds together in a convincingly intelligent way, presenting what is arguably one of the most comprehensive descriptions of the world around us (and in us).

He relies on the theories of physicist John Wheeler, and at the same time on his own meditative experiences. Emphazising the buddhist 'middle way'. Arguing for a world view that is neither materialistic nor theistic.

Considering the heated and rather depressiv debate between creationists and fanatic, fundamentalist neo-darwinists like Richard Dawkins, this is certainly a breath of fresh air. Making it clear that natural science has NOT been able to explain how life arise out of matter or how intelligence arise out of the material brain. And of course showing the utter lack of need for the postulate of a personal creator 'God'.

A beautiful book that should appeal to 'fans' of people like Osho, Stanislav Grof, Amit Goswami, Deepak Chopra. In many ways this could be seen as an updated version of "The Tao of Physics" by an author with a much more solid grip on the spiritual aspects than Fritjof Capra.

Intelligent arguments for not considering human 'reason' as the highest Intelligence in the Universe!

The Dalai Lama often refers to Buddhism as "the science of the mind". This book is very interesting even important by suggesting new research projects about how the minds work. Allan Wallace has deep knowledge about the latest developments in physics and has extensive meditation experience.
Buddhists consider that scientific investigations should contribute to the well being of people. Buddhists also believe that we would become more capable to act positively, decently, and be more satisfied with life if we would know more about how the mind works. His recommendations are therefore very important.
Alan Wallace presents convincingly that rapid progress can be made through scientific studies based on introspection. The experiments should be carried out scientifically with people having "perfectly trained minds".
For those interested in new knowledge in this area I recommend the " Society of Minds" by Marvin Minsky. He follows an "incremental" approach by analysing how different parts of the brain carry out different tasks. Minsky also gained important insights by studying the evolutionary development of the brain. Another complementary approach is "agent based modelling", a method used in complexity economics, as described in the "Origin of Wealth" by Eric Beinhocker. These studies expand the knowledge of what happens when a "group of brains "interact and show how this can lead to positive and negative results, referred to as "emergent properties" The evolutionary model is also used in these projects.
I have not studied physics at an academic level and some sections of the book I do not fully understand. However I understood enough to recommend the book to others that want to know more about the workings of the mind. After reading this book you will have expanded and refreshed your knowledge

I found this book to be a fascinating review of the evolution of Physics, the accomplishments of trained meditators, and how combining the learnings from both might greatly improve our lives.
Mr Wallace takes us on a grand tour of what current researchers are discovering about Quantum Physics and how difficult it has been to reconcile it's predictions with what Classical Physics says and what we are used to experiencing in our world. He notes that in the Quantum world everything is intrinsically related to the observer. This has some very strange and wonderful implications and is very different from our usual cause and effect notions of how things work.
He details how well science has described our external world but feels it has very poorly described our internal world. Buddhist meditators over many centuries have explored the inner workings of our minds and the nature of consciousness in a way that complements and parallels Western science. His central position is that consciousness is what ties everything together.
This was slow reading for me but well worth my time. The message is optimistic and very thought provoking.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Wallace's book "Hidden Dimensions" as a lucid, well executed and highly intelligent attempt to conflate physics and spirituality (and I highly commend his effort) I can't help but feel that his attempts, noble and necessary as they are, are going to fall on deaf ears. However, every revolution has to start with one person standing up (or sitting down in the case of Mahatma Gandhi) and thunderously announcing the prospect of other possibilities. I can and will continue to be a reader of Prof. Wallace's work and hope that his ideas will invigorate what I perceive as languid scientific thought.

My only negative comments have more to do with Dr. Wallace's writing style than his perspective and opines. In many ways Dr. Wallace's style is reminiscent of the renowned physicist Paul Davies, in that every sentence is so charged with meaning, that I find myself having to do mental acrobatics to try and assimilate what is being (or what I think is being) conveyed. And I think I know why. The author has, in my opinion, an exceptional ability to employ "single pointed concentration/focus," wherein he is able to condense paragraphs, pages and chapters into a single sentence or two. With all due respect, Dr. Wallace, please, expand your writings a bit farther - add more detail so those of us who don't have tremendous powers of single pointed concentration (or , in my case, near zero powers of single pointed concentration) can more ably and efficiently integrate your thoughts into our receptive minds.

Four stars without prevarication.

This book is an excellent companion to other books by Wallce which address the relationship between science and spirituality.

This is a very good book with some great theories and science in it. Wallace really makes you think and analyze the world around us. It definitely doesn't seem to be for the layman. It helps to know some of what he is talking about before you read it! He writes very sophisticated and some of it can be confusing.