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Introduction
Almost all aspects of human society is profoundly influenced by modern physics. Atomic
physics is all around us, it has crucial applications in the industrial world, in the political
arena it makes its presence felt in the form of atomic weaponry. It even extends into culture
and philosophy where the study of atomic and subatomic particles led to the revision of our
ideas regarding the conception of the universe, and its relation with us.
Recent studies have revealed striking similarities between foundational theories in the field of
quantum physics and basic ideas in the philosophical and religious traditions of eastern
mysticism. The way in which eastern mystic religious philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism
and Taoism see the world is strikingly similar to the world which quantum theory and
relativity theory, the two foundational theories of twentieth- century physics, forces us to see.
This strong synergy between the fields of quantum physics and eastern philosophy is what
lead me into further pursuing the relationship between the two.
The Eleatic school believed in an intelligent and personal God who is above the world,
directing it. It is this view which brought about the separation of spirit and matter or the
advent of dualism which is a characteristic of Western philosophy. Parmenides of Elea took a
drastic step in this direction by challenging Heraclitus concept of Logos. Elea believed that
changes were just mere deceptions of the senses. He considered change to be impossible.
In the fifth century B.C., Greek philosophers tried to reconcile the idea of Logos (Heraclitus)
with Being (Parmenides). This further lead them to believe that the Being exhibits itself in
certain invariable substances, the attractive and repulsive interplays of which cause changes
in the world; Ultimately resulting in the idea that matter is composed of tiny indivisible units
called atoms which are purely passive and intrinsically dead particles moving in a void. The
cause of this motion was considered to be a force of spiritual origin which was fundamentally
different from matter. This image of separation is what lead to the dualism between body and
soul in Western philosophy. With the passage of time philosophers focused more on the
spiritual world than the material. Aristotle believed that questions regarding the human soul
and spirituality were more valuable than an enquiry into the material world. This belief is
what garnered interest from the Christian Church which was a strong supporter of Aristotles
doctrines.
The development of modern science took place in the Renaissance, when there was a
renewed interest in nature. Men began questioning the ideas of the Church and Aristotle, and
for the first time the study of nature was approached in a truly scientific spirit. This interest
was paralleled by developments in mathematics which finally led to the formulation of
scientific theories on the basis of experimental proof and expressed using mathematics.
Empirical knowledge was combined with mathematics for the first time by Galileo and he is
hence known as the father of modern science.
While modern science developed, growth in the philosophical front also took place
simultaneously. This lead to an extreme formulation of spirit/matter duality. In the
seventeenth century, Rene Descartes came up with a view that nature is composed of two
fundamental, separate and independent realms; one of matter (res extensa), and that of mind
(res cogitans). The Cartesian world view treated matter as a dead entity, completely separate
from their mind; It saw the material world as a collection of objects assembled into a huge
machine. Around the same time, Sir Isaac Newton constructed his mechanics on the basis of
the same theory and therefore laid the foundation for classical physics. Newtonian model of
the universe remained unchallenged till the late nineteenth century and was paralleled by the
image of a monarchical God who imposed his divine law upon the world from above.
Descartes famous quote: Cogito ergo sum- I think, therefore I exist- leads one to believe
that ones identity is equated to ones mind, instead of with ones entire organism.
Consequentially, westerners considers themselves as isolated individual egos existing inside
a physical body. The mind and body have thus been separated and the mind has been given
the futile task of controlling the body, thus causing an internal conflict between consciousness
and involuntary instincts. Each individual gets further split up into large number of different
pieces based on his/her activities, talents, feelings, beliefs, etc., generating endless internal
conflict, confusion and frustration.
The outwardly manifestation of this division is in the tendency of the conditioned western
mind to view the world as a multitude of separate objects and events which can be exploited
by different interest groups for their benefit. Nations, races, religions, political groups etc.,
are manifestation of the same division in society. This division has alienated us from nature
and from our fellow human beings; The consequence being a life which is mentally and
physically unhealthy. The Cartesian division and mechanistic world view have thus been a
boon and a bane at the same time.
interconnectedness of all things, finally identifying themselves with the ultimate reality. This
act of emergence of awareness or enlightenment is not only intellectual but involves the
whole person, it is religious in its ultimate nature. Therefore most Eastern philosophies are
essentially religious. The Eastern world view is intrinsically dynamic, considering objects to
have a fluid and ever-changing character. The cosmos is seen as one single inseparable
reality; forever moving, alive, organic; spiritual and material at the same time. Motion and
change are considered essential properties of things and the forces responsible for imparting
them are of intrinsic nature unlike classical Greek philosophy which assumes it to be an
external entity. Another difference between the two is that of the image of the divine- Greeks
think of the divine as a ruler who directs the world from above and Eastern mystics think of
the divine as a principle that controls everything from inside:
He who, dwelling in all things,
Yet is other than all things,
Whom all things do not know,
Whose body all things are,
Who controls all things from within He is your Soul, the Inner Controller,
The Immortal.
Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad, 3.7.15