Capra is the author of several books, including The Tao of Physics (1975), The Turning Point (1982), Uncommon Wisdom (1988), The Web of Life (1996), and The Hidden Connections (2002), and co-author of The Systems View of Life (2014).
He has written popular books on the implications of science, notably The Tao of Physics, subtitled An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. The Tao of Physics asserts that both physics and metaphysics lead inexorably to the same knowledge. After touring Germany in the early 1980s, Capra co-wrote Green Politics with author Charlene Spretnak in 1984.
He is fluent in German, English, French and Italian.
Capra contributed to the screenplay for the 1990 movie Mindwalk, starring Liv Ullmann, Sam Waterston and John Heard. The film is loosely based on his book, The Turning Point.
In 1991 Capra co-authored Belonging to the Universe with David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictinemonk. Using Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions as a stepping stone, the book explores parallels between new paradigm thinking in science and in religion; the authors posit that, together, these new paradigms offer remarkably compatible views about the universe.
Capra advocates that Western culture abandon conventional linear thought and the mechanistic views of Descartes. Critiquing the reductionistic Cartesian view that everything can be studied in parts to understand the whole, he encourages a holistic approach. In The Web of Life, Capra focuses on systemic information generated by the relationships among all parts as a significant additional factor in understanding the character of the whole, emphasizing the web-like structure of all systems and the interconnectedness of all parts.
Capra is an Earth Charter International Council member.
Bibliographyedit
The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism (1975), Capra's first book, draws parallels between Vedic and Oriental mystical traditions and the discoveries of 20th century physics. Originally published by a small publisher with no budget for promotion, the book became a bestseller by word of mouth until it was picked up by a major American publishing house. It has now been published in 43 editions in 23 languages. It is credited as a major influence for the rise of quantum mysticism.[4]
The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Rising Culture (1982) explains perceived scientific and economic crises. It begins by outlining and tracing the history of science and economics, and criticizing Cartesian, Newtonian, and reductionist paradigms. It argues that such viewpoints have grown inadequate for modern technology and ecology needs, and that science needs to develop the concepts and insights of holism and systems theory to solve society's complex problems.
Green Politics (1984), co-authored with Charlene Spretnak, analyzes the rise of the Green Party in Germany and similar ecology-oriented political parties in other European countries. It has been published in 7 editions in 4 languages.
Uncommon Wisdom (1988) describes dialogues and personal encounters between himself and the thinkers who helped to shape the theme of The Turning Point. It has been published in 16 editions and 12 languages.
Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality (1993) was coauthored with David Steindl-Rast and Thomas Matus. The book explores parallels between ways of thinking in science and Christian theology. It has been published in 10 editions in 7 languages.
The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems (1996) starts from the conceptual framework presented in The Turning Point, summarizes the mathematics of complexity, and offers a synthesis of recent nonlinear theories of living systems that have dramatically increased our understanding of the key characteristics of life. Capra makes extensive reference to the work of Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, Ilya Prigogine, Gregory Bateson and others in proposing a new, systems-based scientific approach for describing the interrelationships and interdependence of psychological, biological, physical, social, and cultural phenomena. The book has been published in 14 editions in 10 languages.
The Hidden Connections (2002) extends the framework of systems and complexity theory to the social domain and uses the extended framework to discuss some of the critical issues of our time.
The Science of Leonardo: Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance (2007). Its central idea is that Leonardo da Vinci's science is a science of living forms, of quality, which can be seen as a distant forerunner of today's complexity and systems theories. The book has been published in 7 editions in 5 languages.
Learning from Leonardo: Decoding the Notebooks of a Genius (2013), offers a glimpse into the works of the prescient thinker, Leonardo da Vinci, whose pioneering genius contributed to many scientific fields.
The Systems View of Life (2014), co-authored with Pier Luigi Luisi, offers radical solutions to twenty-first century challenges by focusing on the connected world and examining life through its inextricably linked systems.[clarification needed]
Patterns of Connection: Essential Essays from Five Decades (2021) is a personal account of the author's intellectual journey, documented by a series of essays together with extensive commentaries that interweave the essays and provide historical and philosophical context.
^Kaiser, David. How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture and the Quantum Revival. W. W. Norton & Company, 2011, pp. xv–xvii, xxiii.
^Ascari, Maurizio (1 March 2009). "From Spiritualism to Syncretism: Twentieth-Century Pseudo-Science and the Quest for Wholeness". Interdisciplinary Science Reviews. 34 (1): 9–21. doi:10.1179/174327909X421425. ISSN 0308-0188.
External linksedit
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fritjof, capra, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that, unsourced, poorly, sourced, must, removed, immediately, from, article, ta. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Fritjof Capra news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Fritjof Capra born February 1 1939 is an Austrian born American author physicist systems theorist and deep ecologist 2 In 1995 he became a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley California He is on the faculty of Schumacher College Fritjof CapraCapra in 2010Born 1939 02 01 February 1 1939 age 84 Vienna AustriaAlma materUniversity of ViennaKnown forEcoliteracyPopularizing systems theory 1 Scientific careerFieldsPhysics systems theoryInstitutionsU C Santa Cruz U C Berkeley San Francisco State UniversityWriting careerNotable worksThe Tao of PhysicsThe Turning PointCapra is the author of several books including The Tao of Physics 1975 The Turning Point 1982 Uncommon Wisdom 1988 The Web of Life 1996 and The Hidden Connections 2002 and co author of The Systems View of Life 2014 Contents 1 Life and work 2 Bibliography 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksLife and work editBorn in Vienna Austria Capra attended the University of Vienna where he earned his PhD in theoretical physics in 1966 He conducted research in particle physics and systems theory at the University of Paris 1966 1968 the University of California Santa Cruz 1968 1970 the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center 1970 Imperial College London 1971 1974 and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory 1975 1988 While at Berkeley he was a member of the Fundamental Fysiks Group founded in May 1975 by Elizabeth Rauscher and George Weissmann which met weekly to discuss philosophy and quantum physics 3 He also taught at U C Santa Cruz U C Berkeley and San Francisco State University He has written popular books on the implications of science notably The Tao of Physics subtitled An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism The Tao of Physics asserts that both physics and metaphysics lead inexorably to the same knowledge After touring Germany in the early 1980s Capra co wrote Green Politics with author Charlene Spretnak in 1984 He is fluent in German English French and Italian Capra contributed to the screenplay for the 1990 movie Mindwalk starring Liv Ullmann Sam Waterston and John Heard The film is loosely based on his book The Turning Point In 1991 Capra co authored Belonging to the Universe with David Steindl Rast a Benedictine monk Using Thomas Kuhn s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions as a stepping stone the book explores parallels between new paradigm thinking in science and in religion the authors posit that together these new paradigms offer remarkably compatible views about the universe Capra advocates that Western culture abandon conventional linear thought and the mechanistic views of Descartes Critiquing the reductionistic Cartesian view that everything can be studied in parts to understand the whole he encourages a holistic approach In The Web of Life Capra focuses on systemic information generated by the relationships among all parts as a significant additional factor in understanding the character of the whole emphasizing the web like structure of all systems and the interconnectedness of all parts He is a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy located in Berkeley California which promotes ecology and systems thinking in primary and secondary education Capra is an Earth Charter International Council member Bibliography editThe Tao of Physics An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism 1975 Capra s first book draws parallels between Vedic and Oriental mystical traditions and the discoveries of 20th century physics Originally published by a small publisher with no budget for promotion the book became a bestseller by word of mouth until it was picked up by a major American publishing house It has now been published in 43 editions in 23 languages It is credited as a major influence for the rise of quantum mysticism 4 The Turning Point Science Society and the Rising Culture 1982 explains perceived scientific and economic crises It begins by outlining and tracing the history of science and economics and criticizing Cartesian Newtonian and reductionist paradigms It argues that such viewpoints have grown inadequate for modern technology and ecology needs and that science needs to develop the concepts and insights of holism and systems theory to solve society s complex problems Green Politics 1984 co authored with Charlene Spretnak analyzes the rise of the Green Party in Germany and similar ecology oriented political parties in other European countries It has been published in 7 editions in 4 languages Uncommon Wisdom 1988 describes dialogues and personal encounters between himself and the thinkers who helped to shape the theme of The Turning Point It has been published in 16 editions and 12 languages Belonging to the Universe Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality 1993 was coauthored with David Steindl Rast and Thomas Matus The book explores parallels between ways of thinking in science and Christian theology It has been published in 10 editions in 7 languages The Web of Life A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems 1996 starts from the conceptual framework presented in The Turning Point summarizes the mathematics of complexity and offers a synthesis of recent nonlinear theories of living systems that have dramatically increased our understanding of the key characteristics of life Capra makes extensive reference to the work of Humberto Maturana Francisco Varela Ilya Prigogine Gregory Bateson and others in proposing a new systems based scientific approach for describing the interrelationships and interdependence of psychological biological physical social and cultural phenomena The book has been published in 14 editions in 10 languages The Hidden Connections 2002 extends the framework of systems and complexity theory to the social domain and uses the extended framework to discuss some of the critical issues of our time The Science of Leonardo Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance 2007 Its central idea is that Leonardo da Vinci s science is a science of living forms of quality which can be seen as a distant forerunner of today s complexity and systems theories The book has been published in 7 editions in 5 languages Learning from Leonardo Decoding the Notebooks of a Genius 2013 offers a glimpse into the works of the prescient thinker Leonardo da Vinci whose pioneering genius contributed to many scientific fields The Systems View of Life 2014 co authored with Pier Luigi Luisi offers radical solutions to twenty first century challenges by focusing on the connected world and examining life through its inextricably linked systems clarification needed Patterns of Connection Essential Essays from Five Decades 2021 is a personal account of the author s intellectual journey documented by a series of essays together with extensive commentaries that interweave the essays and provide historical and philosophical context See also editArne Naess Center for Ecoliteracy Da Vinci Medallion Deep Ecology Ecoliteracy Ervin Laszlo Gaia hypothesis Gregory Bateson Hindu idealism Holism Systems theoryReferences edit Capra Fritjof 1982 The Turning Point Bantam Books New York Fritjof Capra homepage retrieved July 14 2009 Kaiser David How the Hippies Saved Physics Science Counterculture and the Quantum Revival W W Norton amp Company 2011 pp xv xvii xxiii Ascari Maurizio 1 March 2009 From Spiritualism to Syncretism Twentieth Century Pseudo Science and the Quest for Wholeness Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 34 1 9 21 doi 10 1179 174327909X421425 ISSN 0308 0188 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Fritjof Capra Official website The Turning Point Home on the web for the Center for Ecoliteracy Interview with Fritjof Capra by Francis Pisani Fritjof Capra at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fritjof Capra amp oldid 1190065898, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
