The First Principles: A Scientist's Guide to the Spiritual, by John Joseph Petrovic, offers a rare and invaluable perspective on the philosophy of science, spirituality, and the ever increasing, blurred boundary between the two. Petrovic grapples with big ideas and weighty concepts, but brings them down to earth in the form of three basic axioms, elegant in their simplicity, and profound in their implications. The First Principles: A Scientist's Guide to the Spiritual does not take a purely intellectual approach to science and spirituality, far from it. Petrovic expands his well formed and scrupulously shaped arguments into a personal and actionable philosophy, that if applied to daily life, can deepen one's personal relationship with the "Wholeness" that so many call God. Told with compassion and written with the non-scientist in mind, The First Principles: A Scientist's Guide to the Spiritual teaches a new way to understand the beauty and elegance of science and spirituality.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Dr. John J. Petrovic is a scientific consultant and retired Fellow of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He obtained his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science from Case Western Reserve University. During his thirty-year tenure at Los Alamos, he held numerous positions in the Physical Metallurgy, Materials Processing, Ceramics, and Materials Structure-Property groups. Prior to joining Los Alamos, he spent three years at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a Materials Scientist/Air Force Officer. He is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society and a Fellow of the American Society for Materials International. He has published two hundred scientific papers and holds eleven U.S. patents. Dr. Petrovic married his wife, Blanche, in 1975 and they have one daughter, Michelle.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
I'm not a scientist, so I bought this book because I was curious as to what a scientist might have to say about spirituality. I was not disappointed! Rather than the atheistic viewpoint usually expressed by most scientists, here was one who actually believed in God! And furthermore, he presented a body of evidence suggesting that we are much more than just body and brain. A definite must-read for anyone interested in spirituality!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I have been a reluctant agnostic for many years, reluctant in the sense that I want to believe there is something more to life and consciousness. The First Principles caught my attention because it was a book about spirituality written by a scientist, and I was eager to know what scientific observations might back up the view that a spiritual reality actually exists. The author provided a number of unusual and thought-provoking cases that appear to be quite difficult to explain on just a physical reality basis. This book has given me much enlightenment and hope that there is a God that guides and directs our daily earthly lives.
By Rich
The First Principles does a terrific job of weaving together the great unknowns of science and the imponderables of paranormal behavior into a synthesis of faith. I admire the author's candor and conviction.
This is an excellent book which discusses the nature of spirituality as seen from a scientist's point of view. The author dissects with scientific rigor the evidence for humans as inherently spiritual beings and provides a philosophy for living one's life in such a way as to become closer to that essence. The book contains a unique perspective into the connections between body, mind, spirit, and consciousness, drawing evidence from science, religion, and even the paranormal. While the author describes himself as having been raised in the Catholic tradition, he examines truths common not only to the Abrahamic religions, but also to Eastern faiths and philosophies, in particular Hinduism and Buddhism. This book will be of great interest to anyone interested in spirituality, regardless of their scientific or religious background.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Eusebius
This book presents a quite unusual and interesting collection of information supporting the contention that "We are Spiritual Beings". The author blends together aspects of science, religion, and the paranormal in order to probe the boundaries of spiritual truth. His "First Principles" reflect Christian spiritual beliefs tempered with Hinduism and Buddhism (he describes himself as a catholic Godist). While adopting a largely scientific and logical approach, in the end the author concludes that one must rely on intuition to achieve deeper levels of spiritual truth. Definitely worthwhile reading for those interested in spirituality.
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