Mystics understand the roots of the Tao but not its branches; scientists understand its branches but not its roots. Science does not need mysticism and mysticism does not need science; but man needs both.
Fritjof CapraRead
A page from a journal of modern experimental physics will be as mysterious to the uninitiated as a Tibetan mandala. Both are records of enquiries into the nature of the universe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Both experimental physics and Tibetan mandalas explore the mysteries of the universe, though they may seem inaccessible to those unfamiliar with them.
In this quote, Fritjof Capra compares the complex language of modern experimental physics to the intricate designs of a Tibetan mandala, suggesting that both serve as deep explorations into the fundamental nature of the universe. To the untrained or uninitiated observer, these forms of knowledge can appear bewildering and enigmatic, highlighting the broader theme of how various cultures and disciplines attempt to understand reality in their own unique ways.
Themes
PhysicsMandalaUniverseEnquiryMystery
In practice
Example use cases
Citing this quote in a lecture on the philosophy of science.
More from Fritjof Capra
All quotes →Both the physicist and the mystic want to communicate their knowledge, and when they do so with words their statements are paradoxical and full of logical contradictions.
Fritjof CapraRead
The more complex the network is, the more complex its pattern of interconnections, the more resilient it will be.
Fritjof CapraRead
During periods of relaxation after concentrated intellectual activity, the intuitive mind seems to take over and can produce the sudden clarifying insights which give so much joy and delight.
Fritjof CapraRead
The more we study the major problems of our time, the more we come to realise that they cannot be understood in isolation. They are systemic problems, which means that they are interconnected and interdependent.
Fritjof CapraRead
In the end, the aggressors always destroy themselves, making way for others who know how to cooperate and get along. Life is much less a competitive struggle for survival than a triumph of cooperation and creativity.
Fritjof CapraRead
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Finally we shall place the Sun himself at the center of the Universe.
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It is hardly possible to maintain seriously that the evil done by science is not altogether outweighed by the good. For example, if ten million lives were lost in every war, the net effect of science would still have been to increase the average length of life.
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