Hello

Goozlefotz

Goozlefotz

Red Suspenders
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Baja, Mexico
My handle is "Goozlefotz", as you can see. I chose it because, as far as I know, it has absolutely no meaning.
I am 77 years old and retired. I have an MS in electrical engineering and am ABD for a PhD in physics. I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian environment but I presently play around with Zen Buddhism.

People say that there is a connection between Quantum Physics and Zen Buddhism but i have yet to discover it, after spending a reasonable amount of my spare time looking.

I live in Baja, Mexico but was born in Montana and raised in Portland, Oregon.

I think I know the Devil's Advocate from Facebook and Stephanie Heck...
 
Hi, welcome. Have a look around, prop up your feet. Get to arguing like the rest of us :D. From Montana to Mexico? You must really hate the cold.:p. I'm from TN, now in TX, so I only understand that halfway.
 
Hello Gooz!

I have a question already, I once read The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra and wonder if you have also. The translator of the book made a note that Capra had good grasps of the physics of the book but not so much of "Asian mysticism" as I think Capra called it. Any insights?
 
namaste and welcome...

we had another physicist around....haven't seen radarmark in a while though...

most religions enjoy trying to tie themselves to science, indicating they had it right all along...but then their proofs and analogies fall apart when science discoveries cause science to move on...

Baja, Montana, Oregon....all lovely places in my book...desert and high desert is home in my heart.
 
This is an attempt to respond to "BigJoe Nobody". I haven't figured out how to use the cues yet...
Believe me, I lived numerous other places between Montana and Baja. Several years in Florida. I prefer physics to engineering but as my career evolved I became a fruit picker and had to go where the fruit was ripe which was more often in engineering-type jobs.
 
A Cup Of Tea:
I did read "The Tao of Physics" several years ago. I'm not gonna be much help I guess; I don't remember much about it. Asian Mysticism... Is that what Zen is? I think of it as a realization of a fundamental truth about life. Knowing a lot about physics - particularly quantum physics - supposedly helps with this realization. How can that be? Buddhism is thousands of years old. Nirvana was achieved without physics before physics existed.
 
Goozlefotz said:
A Cup Of Tea:
I did read "The Tao of Physics" several years ago. I'm not gonna be much help I guess; I don't remember much about it. Asian Mysticism... Is that what Zen is? I think of it as a realization of a fundamental truth about life. Knowing a lot about physics - particularly quantum physics - supposedly helps with this realization. How can that be? Buddhism is thousands of years old. Nirvana was achieved without physics before physics existed.
Click to expand...
There's a button that says "Quote" in the bottom right of every response.

And since I'm sure no one will question it on Buddhism, but on every other religion. How do you know Nirvana was achieved before physics. (I'm guessing you mean either before creation or before the field of physics was studied). And I find quantum physics to be a bit fabricated. I am by no means an expert. But with Quantum physics, dimensions, time distortions, matter alignment chance, are mostly just built on ideas of what could be. Theorizable (if that is a word) but not testable. I guess it is kindof a religion in itself that is supported by many eastern philosophies.
 
wil:
I don't see why religion fusses about science. They live in different worlds. Science builds models of the physical world based on observation. It is important to remember that science can never 'prove' anything. Science makes hypotheses and tests these until they can be called theories. A theory is the highest status that a scientific idea can attain. Religion looks for 'truth'. Science has no idea what truth is. Definitely different worlds altogether...
 
BigJoeNobody said:
There's a button that says "Quote" in the bottom right of every response.

And since I'm sure no one will question it on Buddhism, but on every other religion. How do you know Nirvana was achieved before physics. (I'm guessing you mean either before creation or before the field of physics was studied). And I find quantum physics to be a bit fabricated. I am by no means an expert. But with Quantum physics, dimensions, time distortions, matter alignment chance, are mostly just built on ideas of what could be. Theorizable (if that is a word) but not testable. I guess it is kindof a religion in itself that is supported by many eastern philosophies.
Click to expand...

OK. I'll do it this way this time. I remember now that there was another board that I posted to which had similar editing rules. Anyway, I definitely meant before physics was established as a subject; we could select Newton's work as the starting point. I am going to suggest that most of the work between Newton and beginning of the twentieth century can be stipulated as accepted. Then, Quantum Physics becomes the beginning of the difficulties. I consider myself to be pretty good at QP. I take exception to your assertion that the results of QP are not testable! That is definitely incorrect. What I will agree with is that many confused people have taken the misguided conclusions and tried to make some kind of a religion out of them. Call it the cult of quasi-physics if you wish.
 
Goozlefotz said:
A Cup Of Tea:
I did read "The Tao of Physics" several years ago. I'm not gonna be much help I guess; I don't remember much about it. Asian Mysticism... Is that what Zen is? I think of it as a realization of a fundamental truth about life. Knowing a lot about physics - particularly quantum physics - supposedly helps with this realization. How can that be? Buddhism is thousands of years old. Nirvana was achieved without physics before physics existed.
Click to expand...

I think Capras mistake was to boil down all Asian religions into a coherent way of thinking. Trying to including Hinduism with it's thousands of faiths made this very obvious.

If I remember correctly, he realized to connection between the ancient thoughts and modern physics when he was staring up at the sun imagining the particles at work. Even if there is only one Path, there seems to be infinite ways to get to it.
 
Hi Goozlefotz –
Goozlefotz said:
People say that there is a connection between Quantum Physics and Zen Buddhism but i have yet to discover it, after spending a reasonable amount of my spare time looking.
Click to expand...
I got fired up when some people were saying that a Platonic way of looking was more suited to explaining QP than the Aristotelian/Newtonian mindset ... a physicist I spoke to suggested I take it all with a pinch of salt.

I still have The Tao of Physics somewhere.

Goozlefotz said:
I don't see why religion fusses about science.
Click to expand...
Religion doesn't. Some like to define religion like that, so they can ridicule the idea without having to think about it.

Goozlefotz said:
They live in different worlds.
Click to expand...
Quite. It seems some people don't see that.

They can dialogue though. Different worlds, same planet ...

Goozlefotz said:
Science makes hypotheses and tests these until they can be called theories. A theory is the highest status that a scientific idea can attain. Religion looks for 'truth'. Science has no idea what truth is. Definitely different worlds altogether...
Click to expand...
Nice distinction.

But they can overlap and inform. My field is Catholicism, so I could throw in some theologians who are recognised as having made, and who continue to make, significant contributions to the world of science.

Goozlefotz said:
What I will agree with is that many confused people have taken the misguided conclusions and tried to make some kind of a religion out of them. Call it the cult of quasi-physics if you wish.
Click to expand...
I heard one scientist saying that QP and Neuroscience are two fields particularly prone to this.

Anyway. Welcome to IO.
 
Nope. Not me on Facebook. I avoid the thing like the proverbial plague!

It is pleasant to have a physicist back on board. I am an amateur - make that very amateur cosmologist, primarily because the basics of modern cosmology fit nicely into my spiritual view of humanity. It also appeals to me as it makes some interesting parallels to some theologies. The latter particularly in the areas of what we perceive as reality versus how different reality is from our perceptions.

I look forward to your contributions.
 
Devil's Advocate! A cosmologist was what I wanted to be! I like your avatar; I wish I had one so attractive. Thank you for your welcome.
 
Welcome. I think you'll fit in fine. I can tell the guys here are eager to have that intellectual exchange that your background might offer.

I'm surprised Zen wasn't shoveled down your throat in Portland.
 
Greetings, all!

I just joined (Jan 2015) and am excited to be here. I live as a solitary in the semi-wilderness of AZ writing a treatise on the problem of evil/suffering, probably my last act as it is so demanding a topic and as I am 74 (and female, so I overstrain my body regularly with heavy work such as propane tanks).

I am Christian-Buddhist and have come to realize that my Christian online community is not healthy for me as my sole forum because of its total absence of any posting about reincarnation.

I have come to a personal reconciliation re the problem of evil/suffering through a combination of Origen's concept of pre-existence and Eastern reincarnation theory (this is, of course, oversimplified).

I think I'll go first to the Eastern Regions forum, as I thirst for discussions that presuppose reincarnation. But I wanted to say howdy here, and to let you know that I enjoyed the posts I have read here.

I picked the name unfoldinglight out of the air as the registration form made me crazy and that one wasn't taken as a user name. Now I am stuck with it, but I will sign all my posts Judy.

Ciao for now,

Judy
 
Namaste and Welcome Judy...

While I enjoy some of the concepts of reincarnation, I am more of a "I don't know what they hell will happen when I die" kinda guy....

I'ma gonna live and contemplate and discuss and be comfortable in my thoughts....but reality is....damned if I know.

I look forward to your writings and contemplation...
 
Hello and welcome,
Thus far what I have been able to understand of reality is that we are very poorly equipped to understand this reality. So much hidden. And I am speaking of the physical reality we reside in - not even started with alternate realities of Gods and immortality!

Will look forward to your thoughts.
DA
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top