YAN NETI NETI VACHANAIR
The concept and approach
of Science itself, which was backbone of all the development in the last few centuries
was questioned by leading scientists since the beginning of twentieth century. Relativity
theory and Quantum theory fuelled this questioning. This became more poignant with
two world wars and the tangible as well as intangible shatterings of human beings and
their belongings which followed. Dr. J.C. Bose had proved that not only trees have life
but even metals have fatigue. Boundaries between living and nonliving became blurred
then. While reading about his research in England in front of world’s leading scientists
Dr. Bose mentioned about the hymn he used to hear in his childhood on the banks of
Ganga about unity of the entire existence.
Einstein wrote once that
Science can denature plutonium, it cannot denature evil in the heart of a human being.
Science alone cannot ensure happiness of mankind, it can only ensure about conditions
felt necessary for their happiness. He also observed this insufficiency of purely scientific
paradigm when he said that so long as laws of Mathematics refer to reality, they are not
certain, as far as they are certain, they don’t refer to reality. Science in fact is reduced to
extracting one incomprehensible from the other. Uncertainty principle and indeterminism
jolted the reductionist determinist paradigm which had ruled the world for centuries
before. Some of the quotable quotes in this transition and ‘future shock’ are given
below.
More
accurate
we
know
position of electron, less accurate we know about its momentum. Electrons are particles
on Monday, waves on Tuesday and again particles on Wednesday. Idea of observer’s
interaction with process being observed is essential, found Bohr and said that it is
meaningless to ask what atoms are doing when nobody is looking at them. A falling tree
in forest does not make any sound if there is no one to watch it. In fact there is no falling
tree if no one sees them. Bohr concluded that we are both actors and spectators in the
great drama of existence. James Jeans observed that protons, electrons and photons
have become as meaningless to a physicist as x, y, z are for a child learning Algebra.
Eddington realized that knowledge of physical laws is mere empty shell and devoid of
the knowledge of content. Heisenberg questioned the very self sufficiency of Science.
He asked can Nature be as absurd as it appears to us in our atomic experiments? After
meeting Ravindranath Tagore, Heisenberg wrote that several ideas which seemed
crazy before then started making some sense. In his Poetry of Science felt that there is
something transcendental, something which cannot be reduced. Schrodinger with his
famous cat experiment further cleared air and emphasized that Consciousness is
always singular and cannot have its plural.
Smaller the area of confinement, faster the subatomic particles move. As a fast
moving fan blades or a light source appears to our eyes as a circle, similarly an object in
the universe appears solid. Matter is thus energy and information and universe is infinite
fields of energy and information. Science has now discovered that every solid particle is
99.99% empty, with billion reactions and relations and nothing can be lifted up in
isolation without carrying the entire universe with it. Dr. Capra said that now matter
appears as completely mutable and forces between particles are nothing but exchange
of some particles. Isolated material particles are abstractions and their properties are
definable and observable only through their interaction with other systems observed
Bohr. Heisenberg said that the world thus appears as complicated tissue of events
where connections of different types combine and thereby determine texture of the
whole.
This is clearly indicating a shift from mechanistic, reductionist theory to Pattern or
Cosmic design theory, which in turn means a Holistic, interconnected world which is
even conscious, subjective and intelligent.
Dr Capra said that cosmic dance involves an enormous variety of patterns, but
surprisingly they fall in few distinct categories. A great deal of order is revealed. When
highly energized cosmic rays enter the atmosphere of the earth, they collide with the
nuclei of atmosphere’s air mole and produces a great variety of secondary particles
which decay or undergo more collisions and continues till shower of particles reaches
the earth. A continual flow of energy goes through a great variety of particle pattern in
rhythmic dance of creation and destruction.
Dr. Capra wrote that while sitting on a sea shore, brooding on the nature of the
new Physics, he had a vision of the cosmic dance of Shiva.
The above subject can be put in tabular form as follows:
Findings of the Scientist
new Science
source
/ Corresponding
of
the Indian
insight
Seer / Source of
integral the insight
thought
Contradictory nature
Viruddhadharman
of reality
Shankara
Anoraniyan Mahato Katha Upanishad
mahiyan
It is near, it is far
Universe
expanded
is Like
dots
on At
the
night
all Gita
and balloon, Universe is things return to my
curved
expanding.
nature and in the
day I roll
them
back.
Interconnectedness
The
world
and pattern theory
appears
thus He on whom the Mundaka
as sky, the earth, the Upanishad
complicated
tissue atmosphere
of
events
where woven and the wind
connections
together with all life
combine
are
and breaths, Him alone
determine texture of know as the One.
the whole
Heisenberg
Inexpressible nature What can be shown Tallaksyate
of reality
cannot be said
natuchyate
Shankara
Wittgenstein
Isolated
particles The material object Sri Aurobindo
are abstractions
becomes something
different from what
we now see, not a
separate object on
the background or
in the environment
of the rest of the
nature,
but
an
indivisible part and
in a subtle way an
expression
of
the
unity of all that we
see.
If someone asked Yan
me
whether
neti
the vachanair
neti Shankara
nigama
electrons are stead, avochuhu….
I
would
whether
say
no,
they
are
moving, I would say
no,
whether
are
they
waves,…no,
particles..no.
Not
this
this
not
….Openheimer
Man
and
environment
single
his Yathorna nabhi, Ara
forms eva , …Ashwattha
whole
in
Tree contains seed
Nature.
One
part and seed contains
cannot alter, move tree.
or change without
all the other parts
readjusting. For this
reason spiders web
is
considers
as
analogue
to
ecosystem.
All
strands
are
connected
in
fantastic complexity.
One cannot break,
remove,
add
substract
or
without
adjustment of the
entire web… Frank
Edwin Egler
***