Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos: The Rise of the Integral Vision of Reality

I've read a lot of science and spirituality books and I was sceptical of this one at first. He does get a little esoteric a times, but overall this book was well worth the time to read. It makes excellent sense. Not deeply scientific, but does integrate many ideas and makes some clear points. Well done overall. I'd recommend it to people who are looking for some good evidence and foundation to believe in united, holistic view of the universe from a spiritual and philosophical viewpoint.

"The universe is not a world of separate things and events, of external spectators and an impersonal spectacle. It is an integral whole." So states scientist and philosopher Ervin Laszlo in the introduction to his latest book, Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos. This fascinating book traces the latest scientific experiments and discoveries that point to a universal medium that connects the whole cosmos, creates visible matter from itself and retains the record of all that transpires in this universe. Moreover, consciousness is revealed as the force responsible for this creation. Laszlo names this medium the Akashic Field after the concept intuited thousands of years ago by Hindu mystics and called the Akashic record. By weaving many strands of inspired thought into a new vision of an enchanted cosmos, Dr. Laszlo reveals a universe at odds with the mechanistic model presented by science in the past; a universe truly alive with consciousness. This is a cosmos we can call home. The author goes on to tackle the implications of this new view of the cosmos for the big philosophical questions such as good and evil, and immortality. New concepts of physical reality and spirituality emerge that bring scientific theory and mystic intuition closer than ever. But this is only the first half of the book. In the second half of the book, Dr. Laszlo has invited some of the greatest minds of our time to comment on the implication of his theories within their field of expertise. We are treated to wonderful essays by psychologist Stanley Krippner, evolution biologist Elisabet Sahtouris, professor of philosophy and consciousness studies Christian de Quincey, astronaut Edgar Mitchell, psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, stress management coach Peter Russell, Sufism expert H. Johannes Witteveen, Yoga master Swami Kriyananda, personal empowerment activist Irene Van Lippe-Biesterfeld, spiritual writings translator and editor Ewert Cousins, mathematician Ralph H. Abraham, and biologist Jane Goodall. Each of these authors brings their own special gift and viewpoint to the subject of Laszlo's work giving the book a thorough exploration and an unusual depth. This book not only opens a whole new world but a whole new library of wonderful scientific and philosophical resources. Once readers have experienced this book they will no doubt want Ervin Laszlo's other writings and those of the essayists as well.

Ervin Laszlo has a really full and up to deate knowledge of science in areas like quantum mechanics, relativty and complexity and creates an integral vision of life that weaves everything together into a coherent ointerlinked pattern of life extending from the smallest sub atomic particles to living creatures to human consciousnesss to the largest galaxies. It helps make sense of all the different aspects of life that seem separate, but are all linked. It is not a technical read, but great for someone with a reasonable laymans knowledge of science

Ervin Laszlo is an interesting individual: a musical prodigy, a former professor of philosophy, systems theorist and futurist, his work has taken him to the cutting edge of science and consciousness for decades. In this book he argues quite correctly that one of the downsides of the mechanistic world view that has dominated scientific thought for three centuries, has been to remove any consideration of meaning or purpose from an essentially sterile account of the universe. Yet purpose and meaning are key factors in all our lives. Laszlo reviews and expands on his previous work in which he has pointed out the essential inter-connectedness of all aspects of the universe. This is not simply some romantic notion, or the kind of over usage of analogy that hampered some of the earlier attempts to reconcile scientific and mystical insights, but a more pragmatic view that should have important implications for how we see ourselves and the universe in which we live. And it is profoundly important that we should change some of the ways in which we view the world. Much of the chaos and social dislocation that we observe daily, is not something that is "just happening," but is a result of our own lack of coherence and vision. Highly recommended.