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Draws on the revolutionary discoveries of modern physics to reveal a universe built on experience and relationship, offering a new foundation for an ethical and spiritual life.
For centuries, science and spirituality have been viewed as irreconcilable. For the physicist Arthur Zajonc, this conflict is based on a profound misunderstanding. The true obstacle is not science itself but its entanglement with scientific materialism—a philosophy that, Zajonc argues, has been dismantled by the very discoveries of twentieth-century physics. In Thinking Beyond Materialism, Zajonc takes the reader on a journey through the implications of relativity and quantum mechanics, revealing a universe built not on inert matter but on the inner dimensions of human experience, relationship, and a productive, existential ambiguity. Drawing on his dual expertise as a physicist and meditation teacher, and his pioneering work with the Mind & Life Institute and the Dalai Lama, Zajonc charts a path toward a new worldview. The result is a "contemplative manifesto" that moves beyond outdated dogmas, proposing a science that befriends subjectivity, embraces holism, and rediscovers a firm foundation for an ethical and spiritual life.
"In this book, Arthur Zajonc argues against the reductionist claims of science and seeks a way to fruitfully include contemplative understanding in a comprehensive, integrated worldview that reaches beyond materialism. I find his way of thiniking similar to my own." — H. H. the Dalai Lama
"Synthesizing physics with a philosophy based on the primacy of experience and contemplation, Zajonc provides a decisive alternative to materialism, offering a new path forward for science and human experience in the twenty-first century. A landmark book." — Evan Thompson, University of British Columbia
"This aptly titled (and subtitled) book is a delight to read. Don’t be put off by the weight of the subject(s). Starting at an early age, Arthur Zajonc—treasured educator, scholar, physicist, meditator and friend to many, including the Dalai Lama—set out to discover 'an enduring, living, reality' as a guide to living well. He found it. He has lived it, and in this, his capstone work, he brings us along for the ride in a rare combination of vivid storytelling and astute analysis. It's fun, it's fulfilling, and it couldn't be more timely or important as we humans confront multiple threats to our shared humanity." — Diana Chapman Walsh, President Emerita, Wellesley College, and author of The Claims of Life: A Memoir