Mind and life : discussions with the Dalai Lama on the nature of reality
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Mind and life : discussions with the Dalai Lama on the nature of reality
(Columbia series in science and religion)
Columbia University Press, c2009
- : cloth
- : [pbk]
Available at 3 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
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  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
For over a decade, a small group of scientists and philosophers--members of the Mind and Life Institute--have met regularly to explore the intersection between science and the spirit. At one of these meetings, the themes discussed were both fundamental and profound: can physics, chemistry, and biology explain the mystery of life? How do our philosophical assumptions influence science and the ethics we bring to biotechnology? And how does an ancient spiritual tradition throw new light on these questions? Pier Luigi Luisi not only reproduces this dramatic, cross-cultural dialogue, in which world-class scientists, philosophers, and Buddhist scholars develop a holistic approach to the scientific exploration of reality, but also adds scientific background to their presentations, as well as supplementary discussions with prominent participants and attendees.
Interviews with His Holiness the Karmapa, the Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, and the actor and longtime human rights advocate Richard Gere take the proceedings into new directions, enriching the material with personal viewpoints and lively conversation about such topics as the origin of matter, the properties of cells, the nature of evolution, the ethics of genetic manipulation, and the question of consciousness and ethics. A keen study of character, Luisi incorporates his own amusing observations into this fascinating dialogue, painting a very human portrait of some of our greatest--and most intimidating--thinkers. Deeply textured and cleverly crafted, Mind and Life is an excellent opportunity for any reader to join in the debate surrounding this cutting-edge field of inquiry.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments Introduction 1. How Real Are the Elementary Particles? 2. The Emergence of Complexity
- and an Interview with Matthieu Ricard 3. Toward the Complexity of Life 4. How Life Unfolds
- and an Interview with Richard Gere 5. The Magic of the Human Genome and Its Ethical Problems
- and an Interview with His Holiness the Karmapa 6. From Consciousness to Ethics 7. Last Words About the Mind and Life Institute Notes Index
by "Nielsen BookData"