God Is Not Dead: What Quantum Physics Tell Us about Our Origins and How We Should Live

The book "God Is Not Dead" presents a quantum physicists view about understanding the philosophy behind proven results in physics that incorporates a spiritual dimension and includes the new way to view reality: the primacy of consciousness to replace the old dogma of the primacy of matter. That gives the world and our species a new reason to believe in God based upon science, and could lead to a more unified society in the world.

Amit Goswami's "God is Not Dead" is an interesting read, even as a less noteworthy contribution compared to Goswami's "The Self-Aware Universe." Goswami's treatment springs from his understanding of quantum mechanics, the quantum wave function, and the wave function's collapse. He (page 22) writes: "Quantum possibilities are possibilities of consciousness itself, which is the ground of all being. This takes us back to monistic idealism.... Our looking is tantamount to choosing, from among all the quantum possibilities, the one unique facet that becomes our experienced actuality." Looking collapses the wave function, as much as we can tell from quantum mechanics. Goswami (page 23) writes: "We don't choose in our ordinary state of individual consciousness that we call the ego the subjective aspect of ourselves that the behaviorist studies and that is the result of conditioning. Instead, we choose from an unconditioned, objective state of unitive consciousness, the non-ordinary state where we are one, a state we can readily identify with God." Goswami writes (page 23) the following. "Our exercise of choice, the events quantum physicists call the collapse of the quantum possibility wave, is God's exercise of the power of downward causation. And the way God's downward causation is this: for many objects and many events, the choice is made in such a way that objective predictions of quantum probability hold; yet in individual events, the scope of creative subjectivity is retained." Goswami writes (page 24): "The quantum signatures of downward causation are discontinuity (as in our experience of creative insight), nonlocality (as in the signal-less communication of metal telepathy), and circular hierarchy, also called tangled hierarchy (as sometimes experienced between people in love)." Goswami expands on the tangled hierarchy, a structure introduced by Douglas R. Hofstadter. Goswami writes (page 30): "The paradigm shift of our science now taking place is revealed in depth psychology and transpersonal psychology and the branch of medicine that is called alternative medicine. The paradigm shift is also revealed in the work of organismic biologists who see causal autonomy in the entire biological organism, not merely in its microscopic components. Some evolutionary biologists even see the necessity of invoking `intelligent design' of life to break the shackle of Darwinian beliefs. The practitioners of these branches of science have penetrated the camouflage to some extent. With the help of quantum physics, the penetration of the camouflage is much more extensive. " Goswami's book provides evidence for the reality of God, and he gives (page 34) an early outline: "In view of quantum physics, the vast data on life after death, and alternative subtle-body medicine, it is considerably more difficult to refute the ideas of downward causation and subtle bodies. And who in their right mind would try to refute the importance of virtues and values in our liv

Amit Goswami, for many years professor of physics at the University of oregon, but today perhaps best known for his contributions to the provocative and profound "What The Bleep"-movie. The movie 'sceptics' loved to hate. In his previous books Goswami has tackled problems about the universe we live in, life after death/reincarnation and the Eastern concept of enlightenment, all viewed from his special outlook: combining quantum physics and spirituality in a non-dualistic vision. Here he again tackles the hot subject of intelligent design, presenting af view that's challenging both for creationists and neo-Darwinists (Dawkins & Co.). Showing that there's ample reason to admit, that we live in a Universe that's somehow 'created' by a higher intelligence. And showing convincingly, that subscribing to the sound view of 'Intelligent Design' has nothing whatsoever to do with (fundamentalist) Christianity. This territory he has covered before, but here he takes it a step futher, dealing with the loaded concept of a Creator/God. And trying to anchor his views in a practical morality, always a difficult matter to deal with. As always with Goswami the book is well-written, entertaining and thought-provoking. Another cry of insight and vision in the often all to barren modern day intellectual climate! Should appeal to readers interested in a new scientific paradigm. And in writers like B. Allan Wallace, Deepak Chopra, Stan Grof, Fred Alan Wolf. And anyone open minded enough to challenge his/hers prejudices about how the world around us (and in us) functions. As with his previous book this one feels more engaging and challenging than deeply convincing.

Goswami vividly demonstrates his ability to make quantum physics understandable. His book relates philosophy and religion to quantum theory. I am a passionate supporter of those who attempt to heal the rift between science and spirituality.

It is exciting to see this new science being developed. Goswami does a beautiful job at breaking down the concepts of quantum physics and delivering it simply. To see a new science developing that is ready to acknowledge and examine 'consciousness' is thrilling. My hat goes off to Amit Goswami in being one of the first scientists to start exploring this new frontier. Great book.