THE WISDOM OF ANCIENT COSMOLOGY Contemporary Science in Light of Tradition

Smith, Wolfgang

ISBN 10: 0962998478 / ISBN 13: 9780962998478

Published by Foundation for Traditional Studies, 2009

About this Item

Paperback in Near Fine condition. 140 X 14.73 X 216 millimeters. 256 pages. Quick shipping, excellent customer service. All books carefully packaged in boxes and ship with tracking information.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE WISDOM OF ANCIENT COSMOLOGY Contemporary Science in Light of Tradition
• Publisher: Foundation for Traditional Studies
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0962998478
• ISBN 13: 9780962998478
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: NF

About this title

Synopsis

Wolfgang Smith, drawing upon a rare combination of expertise in mathematical physics, philosophy and traditional metaphysics, has written extensively on interdisciplinary problems relating to these respective domains. The present book has evolved out of a key ontological recognition consonant with time-honored metaphysical doctrine. In keeping with a realist view of cognitive sense perception, it rejects the Cartesian dichotomy of res extensa and res cogitans, and obviates what Whitehead referred to as the fallacy of bifurcation. In an earlier book (The Quantum Enigma, 1995) the author established two facts: first, that a consistent non-bifurcationist interpretation of physics can be formulated; and second, that this eliminates at one stroke the various forms of "quantum paradox" resulting from superposition and the so-called collapse of the state vector. The crucial ingredient of the new approach, mandated by the aforesaid recognition, is an ontological distinction between the physical domain, accessed via measurement, and the corporeal, accessed by way of cognitive sense perception. In the present book the author extends this metaphysically-based interpretation from fundamental physics to contemporary cosmology. With the aid of a few additional conceptions consonant, say, with the Thomistic doctrine-such as the concept of what he terms "the extrapolated universe", or the notion of "vertical causation" relating to intelligent design-he treats a broad range of issues from a unified metaphysical point of view. Not surprisingly, his conclusions tent to be radically at odds with the prevailing interpretations of scientific data, regardless of whether these are based upon naturalistic or scientistically theistic presuppositions. The author's approach may thus be characterized as the third alternative: the sole option, it appears, consistent with the Aristotelian and Platonist traditions, and with the wisdom of Christianity, as delineated especially in the Patristic writings.