Synopses & Reviews
Presents the unifying world-concept long sought by scientists, mystics, and sages: an Integral Theory of Everything
• Explains how modern science has rediscovered the Akashic Field of perennial philosophy
• New edition updates ongoing scientific studies, presents new research inspired by the first edition, and includes new case studies and a section on animal telepathy
Mystics and sages have long maintained that there exists an interconnecting cosmic field at the roots of reality that conserves and conveys information, a field known as the Akashic record. Recent discoveries in vacuum physics show that this Akashic Field is real and has its equivalent in science’s zero-point field that underlies space itself. This field consists of a subtle sea of fluctuating energies from which all things arise: atoms and galaxies, stars and planets, living beings, and even consciousness. This zero-point Akashic Field is the constant and enduring memory of the universe. It holds the record of all that has happened on Earth and in the cosmos and relates it to all that is yet to happen.
In Science and the Akashic Field, philosopher and scientist Ervin Laszlo conveys the essential element of this information field in language that is accessible and clear. From the world of science he confirms our deepest intuitions of the oneness of creation in the Integral Theory of Everything. We discover that, as philosopher William James stated, “We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.”
Review
“A seminal book from one of the best thinkers of our time. Ervin Laszlo charts the frontiers to which science is inexorably headed. In years to come people will look back at the amazing foresight of this work.”
Review
". . . Laszlo's new book is a provocative overview and a masterful synthesis of knowledge at the frontiers of cosmology, physics, neurobiology, and consciousness studies. . . . provides strong support for the idea that finally we have a common unifying concept for science and spirituality."
Review
". . . will be of aid to those students interested in utilising modern science to explain the subtle and unseen."
Review
". . . highly empirical and impressive . . . manages to reveal the connectivity of a wide range of established principles . . . . expands the mind to the point that readers will exit this changed."
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“Ervin Laszlo presents readers with a tour de force, nothing less than a theory of everything. This book introduces such provocative concepts as the 'A-field' and the 'informed universe,' making the case that a complete understanding of reality is woefully lacking without them. Readers of this book will never view the universe in quite the same way again.”
Review
“Over the last 30 years, Ervin Laszlo has consistently been at the forefront of scientific inquiry, exploring the frontiers of knowledge with insight, wisdom and integrity. With Science and the Akashic Field he takes another quantum leap forward in our understanding of the universe and ourselves. This enthralling vision of mind, science, and universe is essential reading for the 21st century.”
Review
“It is rare indeed that a revolution in thought can open our eyes to a new universe that transforms our inner experience as well as our relationships with others and even with the cosmos. Martin Buber did it with I and Thou. Now, Ervin Laszlo, one of the most profound minds of our generation, has given us a great gift in this readable book that explores how we are connected to each other in fields of resonance that penetrate to the deepest levels of being.”
Review
“In this impressive and transformative work Laszlo brings the reader into an integral worldview for our time. The reader who encounters this book will be irrevocably transformed and will henceforth experience the world through a global lens.”
Review
“In a visionary way based on profound knowledge of modern science, Laszlo creates a genuine architecture of human and cosmic evolution. He provides the bridge between all the different puzzle-stones of science and unifies them in a most remarkable and bold ‘integral theory of everything.’”
Review
“This is one of the most important books to be published in the last decades. Ervin Laszlo’s Science and the Akashic Field has the power and coherence to explain the major phenomena of cosmos, life, and mind as they occur at the various levels of nature and society. In demonstrating that an information field is a fundamental factor in the universe, Ervin Laszlo catalyzes a radical paradigm-shift in the contemporary sciences.”
Review
“Laszlo’s book opens the way toward a great synthesis. Whoever reads Laszlo’s book witnesses the greatest awakening of the human spirit. Not since Plato and Democritus has there been such a transformation in the history of thought!”
Review
“In his admirable 40-year quest for an integral theory of everything, Laszlo has. . . presented a coherent global hypothesis of connectivity between quantum, cosmos, life and consciousness."
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"Science and the Akashic Field provides the pioneering scientific answer to . . . fundamental questions our species faces at this critical time in human evolution.”
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“Science and the Akashic Field . . . . offers humanity the perspective of more peace and security, not as an idealistic goal but as a reflection of reality.”
Review
“. . . Ervin Laszlo’s brilliant new work, Science and the Akashic Field, surpasses previous explorations. . . . This is a 'make-sense-of-the-complex' opus, accessible to every reader.”
Review
“This is a solidly grounded vision of our cosmos, with perspectives that are wide and deep and have profound implications for all of us.”
Review
“If you ever wanted to hold the universe in your hand . . . . You can hardly do better than join cosmologist Ervin Laszlo in the ultimate quest: for a theory of everything.”
Review
“Ervin Laszlo is, arguably, the most profound thinker alive today.”
Review
"Decoding GUTs, WIMPs, and The Big Crunch, Ervin Laszlo brings the ancient Indian concept of akasha into the new millennium and convincingly details how science is turning this metaphor into a viable scientific theory.”
Review
". . . lends credance to our deepest intuitions of the oneness of life and the whole of creation."
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“This important work unifies the realms of science and consciousness in a truly integral ‘theory of everything.’”
Review
"With extraordinary intellectual clarity, Laszlo provides a vision that links the best of modern science to the wisdom of the great spiritual traditions."
Review
"Laszlo easily and ably presents the scientific case in terms everyone can understand. There is an extensive bibliography of technical journals for those who wish to know more."
Review
“A seminal book from one of the best thinkers of our time. Ervin Laszlo charts the frontiers to which science is inexorably headed. In years to come people will look back at the amazing foresight of this work.” < b=""> Peter Russell <> , fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences and the Findhorn Foundation and author of < i=""> From Science to God <>
Review
". . . Laszlo's new book is a provocative overview and a masterful synthesis of knowledge at the frontiers of cosmology, physics, neurobiology, and consciousness studies. . . . provides strong support for the idea that finally we have a common unifying concept for science and spirituality." < b=""> Christian De Quincey, Ph.D. <> , < i=""> Shift <> , Mar-May, 2005
Review
". . . will be of aid to those students interested in utilising modern science to explain the subtle and unseen." < i=""> The Beacon <> , Mar-Apr, 2005
Synopsis
Presents the unifying world-concept long sought by scientists, mystics, and sages: an Integral Theory of Everything
Explains how modern science has rediscovered the Akashic Field of perennial philosophy
New edition updates ongoing scientific studies, presents new research inspired by the first edition, and includes new case studies and a section on animal telepathy
Mystics and sages have long maintained that there exists an interconnecting cosmic field at the roots of reality that conserves and conveys information, a field known as the Akashic record. Recent discoveries in vacuum physics show that this Akashic Field is real and has its equivalent in sciences zero-point field that underlies space itself. This field consists of a subtle sea of fluctuating energies from which all things arise: atoms and galaxies, stars and planets, living beings, and even consciousness. This zero-point Akashic Field is the constant and enduring memory of the universe. It holds the record of all that has happened on Earth and in the cosmos and relates it to all that is yet to happen.
In Science and the Akashic Field, philosopher and scientist Ervin Laszlo conveys the essential element of this information field in language that is accessible and clear. From the world of science he confirms our deepest intuitions of the oneness of creation in the Integral Theory of Everything. We discover that, as philosopher William James stated, We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.
About the Author
Ervin Laszlo, holder of the highest degree of the Sorbonne (the State Doctorate), is recipient of four Honorary Ph.D.s and numerous awards and distinctions, including the 2001 Goi Award (the Japan Peace Prize) and a nomination for the 2004 and 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. He is a former professor of philosophy, systems theory, and futures studies in the U.S., Europe, and the Far East and founder and president of the international think-tank The Club of Budapest as well as of the General Evolution Research Group. The author of 75 books, translated into 20 languages, he lives in Italy.
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Meaningful Scientific Worldview for Our Time PART ONE
THE FOUNDATIONS OF AN INTEGRAL THEORY OF EVERYTHING
How Information Connects Everything to Everything Else
1 The Challenge of an Integral Theory of Everything
Approaches to a Genuine TOE
2 On Puzzles and Fables: Drivers of the Next Paradigm Shift in Science
3 A Concise Catalog of the Puzzles of Coherence
The Puzzles of Coherence in Quantum Physics
The Puzzles of Coherence in Cosmology
The Puzzles of Coherence in Biology
The Puzzles of Coherence in Consciousness
4 The Crucial Science Fable--In-formation in Nature
The Quantum Vacuum--or Plenum
“In-formation” in the Quantum Vacuum
The Parable of the Sea
Enter the Akashic Field
PART TWO
THE IN-FORMED UNIVERSE
Perennial Questions and Fresh Answers from the Integral Theory of Everything
5 The Origins and Destiny of Life and the Universe
Where Everything Came From--and Where It Is Going
Origins and Evolution of Our Universe
Life on Earth and in the Universe
The Future of Life in the Cosmos
Glimpses of Ultimate Reality
6 Consciousness--Human and Cosmic
The Roots of Consciousness
Evolutionary Panpsychism
The Wider In-formation of Consciousness
The Next Evolution of Human Consciousness
Cosmic Consciousness
The Farthermost Reaches of Consciousness
7 The Poetry of Akashic Vision
The Phenomenon of Coherence:
A Deeper Look at the Scientific Evidence
Over Four Decades in Quest of an Integral Theory of Everything:
An Autobiographical Retrospective
References
Essential Reading:
A Bibliography of Additional Research Reports and Theories
Index