Rediscovering Identity

Physics Discussion Continues
June, ’80


"So tell me,” said Don, Like what exactly has changed?”

"Like we can't think of the universe as just a collection of objects
anymore," Jade responded. "Rather, it's more like a complicated web of
relations. Some physicists even go as far as to say that it is a
complicated web of relations between the various parts of a unified
whole. And that is what Dave meant when he said that Eastern mystics
were there first. In fact, Capra is saying the same thing. According
to him, even the language used by physicists and the language used by
mystics is starting to sound the same. Nagarjuna, a second
century Buddhist, preached that things were nothing in themselves;
instead, they derived their being from a mutual dependence with other
things. A particle physicist might say the very same thing about the
results of a cloud chamber experiment that records the trajectories of
colliding particles. Under certain conditions, an elementary particle
is no more than a set of relationships that reach outward to other
things. The world, on that level, is no more than a complicated tissue
of events that determines the texture of the whole."

"Big deal," snapped Don. "So what the hell is all that supposed to
mean? Physicists still do physics don't they? They still make killer
weapons don't they, weapons that when sold, produce mega bucks for the
seller. Who cares where destruction comes from? It's still
destruction. Right!"

"Wait a minute." I interrupted. "We need to start over, I know what
you're getting at Don, and I totally agree. And I know Jade does too.
That's why I said that it takes time, lots of it, for the implications
of new concepts to be fully digested. Maybe a hundred years for all I
know, but digested they will be, and when that takes place the world will
be better off. That's all I'm trying to say. What is happening in
physics today is a far cry from what happened in the past, and its
telling us new and exciting things about the universe, and maybe even
about ourselves! This new vision does not exclude, it includes, and
therein hope lies. When humanity is brought into the mix with
everything else, a whole new ballgame arises; the center of balance
shifts, possibilities open, even if, in the short run, the rules
remain the same. If you ask me, humanity will be in for immense
benefits if this new vision catches on. Think about it. What's
happening in science today is the rediscovery of our lost identity,
and that can't be all bad."

"How many beers are left?" said Don.

"What?"

"If we're gunna start over," Don replied, "and if you're gunna get
metaphysical on me, I need to know just how patient I want to be. So
how many beers patient will I be?"

"Well," Jade said after looking into the twelve pack, and handing
everyone another beer, "I'd say about two or three, depending of
course on how patient you want to be!"

"That sounds about right," Don said. "Educate me. I'm ready now."

"Jade, you're the science teacher. You start," I said.

"You don't need me," came the response, "you need Neil's Bohr or
Warner Heisenberg."

"That sounds good," I said. "Start with those guys. Think of it as
practice. After all, in the classroom you won't have such a patient
audience. We won't heckle. Go for it."