Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos: The Rise of the Integral Vision of Reality [Paperback]

Ervin Laszlo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2006

Presents a revolutionary new theory that bridges the divide between science and spirituality

• Discloses the ramifications of non-localized consciousness and how the physical world and spiritual experience are two aspects of the same reality

• Includes contributions from Jane Goodall, Ed Mitchell, Stanislav Grof, Ralph Abraham, and Christian de Quincy, among others

What scientists are now finding at the outermost frontiers of every field is overturning all the basic premises concerning the nature of matter and reality. The universe is not a world of separate things and events but is a cosmos that is connected, coherent, and bears a profound resemblance to the visions held in the earliest spiritual traditions in which the physical world and spiritual experience were both aspects of the same reality and man and the universe were one. The findings that justify this new vision of the underlying logic of the universe come from almost all of the empirical sciences: physics, cosmology, the life sciences, and consciousness research. They explain how interactions lead to interconnections that produce instantaneous and multifaceted coherence--what happens to one part also happens to the other parts, and hence to the system as a whole. The sense of sacred oneness experienced by our ancestors that was displaced by the unyielding material presumptions of modern science can be restored, and humanity can once again feel at home in the universe.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ever since the beginning of the rise of modern science, according to Laszlo, we have been living in a disenchanted cosmos. The mechanistic view of the universe touted by Newton and others tore apart the organic fabric of the world and robbed humanity of its prescientific unity with the cosmos. In a repetitious and overly simplistic manner, Laszlo, philosopher and president of the international think tank the Club of Budapest, argues that science has now rediscovered a unified universe. (Laszlo points to his own discovery of the Akashic field, which imbues the universe with meaning and coherence.) According to Laszlo, all aspects of the cosmos are connected and integrated; this means that "not only my spouse and my dog but also particles and galaxies have consciousness." This integral vision of reality recalls the spiritual visions of a unified universe in Hinduism and Native American religions. Further, human morality involves a conscious decision to promote coherence with the universe. The final section of the book contains 12 congratulatory essays by writers as diverse as process theologian Ewert Cousins and biologist Jane Goodall. But Laszlo's romantic vision of the world fails to offer any insights not contained in The Dancing Wu Li Masters and other works. (Mar.)
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Review

“One hundred years from now the information in this book will be obvious to everyone. Right now, it’s a scientific revelation about how everything and everyone are interconnected. Reading this book is how we get there.”
(William Arntz, producer/director of What the Bleep Do We Know!? )

"[Laszlo] manages to combine and make use of reason and intuition as few other scientists can . . ."
(Ode, Jan-Feb 2006 )

"In this book Dr. Laszlo gives an overview of a very different way to approach our view of the world. It a view of connectedness, coherence, and oneness. Terms that the metaphysical traditions have talked about for centuries, but now science is indeed catching up. And the great thing about this book is that it gives example after example of the scientific basis for the use of those terms in describing the fundamental nature of reality."
(William Arntz, producer/director of What the Bleep Do We Know!? )

"In this book, Laszlo makes key notions of avant-garde science accessible to the lay reader. More importantly, true to his systems-theoretical background, he lucidly explains the interconnection between (and hence relevance of) otherwise disparate findings."
(Georg Feuerstein, Traditional Yoga Studies, Nov 2006 )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (January 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594771022
• ISBN-13: 978-1594771026
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ervin Laszlo, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is editor of the international periodical World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution and Chancellor-Designate of the newly formed GlobalShift University. He is the founder and president of the international think tanks the Club of Budapest and the General Evolution Research Group and the author of 83 books translated into 21 languages. He lives in Italy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Once Again!, February 13, 2006

By 

Dr. Richard G. Petty (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos: The Rise of the Integral Vision of Reality (Paperback)

Ervin Laszlo is an interesting individual: a musical prodigy, a former professor of philosophy, systems theorist and futurist, his work has taken him to the cutting edge of science and consciousness for decades.

In this book he argues quite correctly that one of the downsides of the mechanistic world view that has dominated scientific thought for three centuries, has been to remove any consideration of meaning or purpose from an essentially sterile account of the universe. Yet purpose and meaning are key factors in all our lives. Laszlo reviews and expands on his previous work in which he has pointed out the essential inter-connectedness of all aspects of the universe.

This is not simply some romantic notion, or the kind of over usage of analogy that hampered some of the earlier attempts to reconcile scientific and mystical insights, but a more pragmatic view that should have important implications for how we see ourselves and the universe in which we live. And it is profoundly important that we should change some of the ways in which we view the world. Much of the chaos and social dislocation that we observe daily, is not something that is "just happening," but is a result of our own lack of coherence and vision.

Highly recommended.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Life Changing Book, January 11, 2008

By 

Patricia Gentry (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos: The Rise of the Integral Vision of Reality (Paperback)

"The universe is not a world of separate things and events, of external spectators and an impersonal spectacle. It is an integral whole." So states scientist and philosopher Ervin Laszlo in the introduction to his latest book, Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos. This fascinating book traces the latest scientific experiments and discoveries that point to a universal medium that connects the whole cosmos, creates visible matter from itself and retains the record of all that transpires in this universe. Moreover, consciousness is revealed as the force responsible for this creation. Laszlo names this medium the Akashic Field after the concept intuited thousands of years ago by Hindu mystics and called the Akashic record. By weaving many strands of inspired thought into a new vision of an enchanted cosmos, Dr. Laszlo reveals a universe at odds with the mechanistic model presented by science in the past; a universe truly alive with consciousness. This is a cosmos we can call home.

The author goes on to tackle the implications of this new view of the cosmos for the big philosophical questions such as good and evil, and immortality. New concepts of physical reality and spirituality emerge that bring scientific theory and mystic intuition closer than ever. But this is only the first half of the book. In the second half of the book, Dr. Laszlo has invited some of the greatest minds of our time to comment on the implication of his theories within their field of expertise. We are treated to wonderful essays by psychologist Stanley Krippner, evolution biologist Elisabet Sahtouris, professor of philosophy and consciousness studies Christian de Quincey, astronaut Edgar Mitchell, psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, stress management coach Peter Russell, Sufism expert H. Johannes Witteveen, Yoga master Swami Kriyananda, personal empowerment activist Irene Van Lippe-Biesterfeld, spiritual writings translator and editor Ewert Cousins, mathematician Ralph H. Abraham, and biologist Jane Goodall. Each of these authors brings their own special gift and viewpoint to the subject of Laszlo's work giving the book a thorough exploration and an unusual depth.

This book not only opens a whole new world but a whole new library of wonderful scientific and philosophical resources. Once readers have experienced this book they will no doubt want Ervin Laszlo's other writings and those of the essayists as well.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, November 21, 2007

By 

Victor R. D. Macgill (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos: The Rise of the Integral Vision of Reality (Paperback)

Ervin Laszlo has a really full and up to deate knowledge of science in areas like quantum mechanics, relativty and complexity and creates an integral vision of life that weaves everything together into a coherent ointerlinked pattern of life extending from the smallest sub atomic particles to living creatures to human consciousnesss to the largest galaxies. It helps make sense of all the different aspects of life that seem separate, but are all linked. It is not a technical read, but great for someone with a reasonable laymans knowledge of science