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Thinking Beyond Materialism: A Contemplative Manifesto
Paperback
Series: Suny Series, Perspectives in Contemplative Studies
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: Jul 1 2026
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.67
Height: 0.51 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Draws on the revolutionary discoveries of modern physics to reveal a universe built on experience and relationship, offering a new foundation for an ethical and spiritual life.
For centuries, science and spirituality have been viewed as irreconcilable. For the physicist Arthur Zajonc, this conflict is based on a profound misunderstanding. The true obstacle is not science itself but its entanglement with scientific materialism-a philosophy that, Zajonc argues, has been dismantled by the very discoveries of twentieth-century physics. In Thinking Beyond Materialism, Zajonc takes the reader on a journey through the implications of relativity and quantum mechanics, revealing a universe built not on inert matter but on the inner dimensions of human experience, relationship, and a productive, existential ambiguity. Drawing on his dual expertise as a physicist and meditation teacher, and his pioneering work with the Mind & Life Institute and the Dalai Lama, Zajonc charts a path toward a new worldview. The result is a contemplative manifesto that moves beyond outdated dogmas, proposing a science that befriends subjectivity, embraces holism, and rediscovers a firm foundation for an ethical and spiritual life.
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