The New Paradigm in Science
And an old paradigm in Magic
Largely drawn from The Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra.
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- We believe that while the properties of the parts certainly contribute to
our understanding of the whole, at the same time the properties of the parts
can only be fully understood through the dynamics of the whole.
- We think that process is primary, that every structure we observe is a
manifestation of an underlying [energetic] process.
- We believe that epistemology — the understanding of the process of
knowledge — has to be included explicitly in the description of natural
phenomena.
- The material [as well as the spiritual] universe is seen as a dynamic web
of interrelated events. None of the properties of any part of this web is
fundamental; they all follow from the properties of the other parts, and the
overall consistency of their interrelations determines the structure of the
entire web. Things exist by virtue of their mutually consistent relationships,
and all of physics has to follow uniquely from the requirement that its
components be consistent with on another and with themselves.
- We recognize that all scientific concepts and theories are limited and
approximate. One can explain many phenomena [as well as nomena] in terms of a
few, and consequently understand different aspects of nature in an approximate
way without having to understand everything at once.
- We advocate the shift from an attitude of domination and control of
nature, including humanity, to one of co-operation and nonviolence.
