The Tao of Cosmos

by Zhen G. Ma

• ISBN13: 9781644117767
• ISBN10: 1644117762
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781644117774
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2024-07-23
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

Explores the interplay between ancient wisdom and modern cosmology

• Connects the philosophy of the I Ching with key recent advances in cosmology, such as the Big Bang theory, Roger Penrose's cyclic conformal cosmology, and his and Stuart Hameroff's cosmic quantum brain dynamics

• Explains the Taoist cosmology of Heaven-Humanity Oneness in the context of Teilhard de Chardin’s evolutionism, Thomas Berry’s cosmogenetic trinity, and Brian Swimme’s 12 cosmological powers

• Examines the holographic unity of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind at microcosmic, mesocosmic, and macrocosmic scales

Is the universe inert and empty, or is it in some way responsive to consciousness? Breathing new life into a question that has perplexed philosophers since ancient times and scientists for the last century, physicist Zhen G. Ma, Ph.D., offers a quantitative “theory of everything” that beautifully integrates ancient I Ching philosophy, Eastern Taoism, modern cosmology, and the quantum brain dynamics of consciousness.

Sharing insights from his years of research on space physics and black-hole spacetime—complemented by studies in quantum brain dynamics and cosmological powers with Brian Swimme at the California Institute of Integral Studies—Ma explains how his integrated theory draws primarily on two key paradigms in the philosophy of cosmology and consciousness: Swimme’s cosmic creation story of the universe as a green dragon and Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff’s cosmic consciousness.

Extending these theories further, Ma shows how they harmonize not only with the ancient Eastern philosophy of the oneness of heaven and humanity, but also with a holographic cosmic principle that connects the quantum-plasma brain with the universe and earth with heaven. He then looks at this holographic unity in the cyclic process of birth, growth, decay, and death and shows how it resonates with Einstein-Friedmann’s cosmological dynamics and Hawking-Penrose’s quantum gravity model.

Demonstrating a quantitative paradigm of everything, Ma shows how humanity is inextricably and holistically blended into the cosmic fabric of the universe.

Author Biography

Zhen G. Ma, Ph.D., is a space and black-hole scientist who currently studies the intersection between astrophysics and consciousness. His ongoing research involves quantum-plasma mechanisms of consciousness and investigations into the stages of a dying brain. He was a former associate research professor at the National Astronomical Observatory and the National Space Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing; a NSERC visiting fellow at Canada Space Agency; and a senior research scientist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the United States for a NASA-JPL project. He is currently a visiting teaching professor at several Canadian universities. He lives in Longueuil, Quebec.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Toward the Great Unity
by Brian Thomas Swimme, Ph.D.

Acknowledgments

Introduction to the Holographic Unity of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind

1 Statement of the Problem

2 Historical Background

3 The Wisdom of Eastern Philosophy

4 Swimmean Spiritual Evolutionism

5 Quantitative Principles of the Holographic Universe

6 Holographic Theory of Everything—
A Conclusion

Appendix A: A Representative Set of 325 Cycles

Appendix B: Rule of the Distributions of Qi n the I-torus Topology

Compendium of Celebrities and Chinese Terms and Texts

References

Index