Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are The Keys To Understanding The
True Nature Of The Universe
By Robert Lanza and Bob Berman
This book presents a fascinating new theory in science: the universe does not create life; rather, life creates the universe. The authors, renowned scientists in their respective fields of biology and astronomy, build on findings from modern quantum physics to make their case. They argue that rather than being an accidental by-product of the universe, life is actually a fundamental feature of the universe: without the presence of an "observer" (i.e., living beings), nothing could exist except as states of quantum
potential.
To illustrate this concept, the authors use the well known philosophical riddle, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" According to the authors, the answer to this question is a definite "no". "Sound", they explain, is the result of rapid puffs of air (i.e., sound waves) being processed by an ear to create the perception of sound in the observer. Without an ear to process these waves, there is no
sound.just air pressure variations with the potential for sound.
Similar logic can be applied to the reality we see with our eyes: physical objects as we perceive them are really just quantum particles and light variations.it is our eyes and brains that interpret them to create the perception of solid, individual objects. Based on these facts, the authors argue that the universe does not exist as something separate from us; rather, we and the universe are simply two sides of the same coin.
While such concepts can be difficult to wrap one's mind around, the authors do an excellent job of presenting this information in a highly readable and easy to follow way. The first few chapters of the book introduce key concepts and significant research in this area, to give readers a comfortable context from which to begin to think about "biocentrism".
Examples include the famous "double-slit" experiments in physics, which show that photons and electrons are capable of behaving either as particles or as waves, depending on the expectations of the observer. In other words, it is the content of our mind that determines the physical behaviour of the "external" world.
Picking up from where physics take off, however, the authors argue that physics cannot address the "big questions" about life and the universe, as present theories do not account for the role of the observer. In other words, physics can give us no answers as to the mystery of consciousness, because the matter is completely ignored by these theories. For this reason, the authors argue, science must turn to biology, specifically, biocentrism, in order to expand our understanding of life and the universe.
The authors call for nothing short of a complete paradigm shift, in science and in the general public's awareness. They liken this change to other great paradigm shifts of the ages, such as when humanity learned that the world was round rather than flat, or when we learned that the Earth revolves around the Sun, rather than the other way around.
Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe, by Robert Lanza and Bob Berman, presents a groundbreaking new theory as to the creative role of life and consciousness in the universe. The authors challenge readers to open their minds to amazing new possibilities about the nature of time, space, and reality.
Readers who enjoy pondering the big questions about "life, the universe, and
everything" will not want to miss this fascinating book, available in the
non-fiction area at the Prince George Public Library.
- Reviewed by Teresa Taggart, Readers' Advisor at the Prince George Public
Library
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is the masterpiece of John Hughes, who wrote and directed some of Hollywood's most famous kids and teen movies from the 1980s and early 1990s, only to disappear from the scene. Hughes died last summer but The Breakfast Club, released in 1985, still speaks to teenagers, a generation later.
He took five teen stereotypes, got some good young actors and made a talkie movie where most of the action takes place in one room. Although it's a serious film with several intense and emotional scenes as his characters see their fragile images stripped away, it's never a downer, thanks to some clever funny moments and a couple of tender, romantic touches.
Hughes flipped the formula around a year later for his huge hit Ferris Bueller's Day Off, making a comedy with a touch of seriousness. It made a star out of Matthew Broderick and to this day you can get a smile out of anyone in their early 40s by saying "Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?"
Hughes went on to more adult fare but his characters were really teenagers in disguise, trying to build lives in a grown-up world, best summed up by 1989's Uncle Buck.
The common theme in all John Hughes movies was a disdain for serious, mature adults, a universal feeling among young people everywhere, then and now. His portrayal of parents and high school principals covered the gamut from basic stupidity to twisted sadist. That's why they still work, both for today's teenager and his or her parents.
The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Uncle Buck are available in the DVD section at the Prince George Public Library.
- Reviewed by Neil Godbout, Administrative Communications Coordinator at the
Prince George Public Library
