Over the last ten years, I have read dozens and dozens of books for the spiritual seeker. In a way, I'd have to say that for me, it's all been a preparation for this one. Synchronicity, Science, and Soulmaking made everything fall into place and revealed (at the very least a glimpse of) the nature of the unity of the Universe and the inner subjective self.
The book is beautifully written, and unique (as far as I know) in the WAY it brings together recent findings of physics, Buddhism and/or Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta), meditation, Jungian psychology, and the experience of synchronicity that so many of us have experienced. What Victor Mansfield has done in this book is avoid all of the ghastly hand-waving, unsupported declaration, the sudden inappropriate extrapolations with flawed hidden assumptions, the scarcely concealed religious or ideological agendas, poor logic, reliance upon hearsay, resort to magical thinking, and "world-as-dream nihilism" which are so common in this type of book. Instead, he uses the soundest thinking of modern physics, philosophy, Buddhism, and depth psychology to show that a solely mechanistic Newtonian APPEARANCE of a clockwork Universe governed ONLY by cause and effect with localized "real" SEPARATE objects in a universal spacetime CANNOT be correct. He then carefully posits, through sound logical reasoning, what might underlie this appearance.
Synchronicity, Science, and Soulmaking is not going to be particularly easy (what of true worth ever is--not too much anyway) for one who has never encountered any of philosophy, Eastern spirituality, Jungian psychology, quantum physics, or General or Special Relativity. Nevertheless, it is worth reading just for it's exquisitely articulated expositions of these subjects. You don't have to be beyond basic in any of the areas to understand or appreciate this book, but having just a few basics of each will help.
If I had much in the way of criticism, it would be that it is incomplete. It hardly mentions Neoplatonism, especially that of Plotinus. That he accords too much of a special place to humans ("men") grated a little--I have little doubt that animals (and perhaps even plants and objects) participate in Mind too. But these are petty and minor compared with the spirit in which Professor Mansfield wrote the book and the strengths of it.
Synchronicity, Science, and Soulmaking is a masterpiece.
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