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| Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics | 
 enlarge | Author: Gary Zukav
Publisher: HarperOne
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00 (35.31 RON)
Buy New: $10.95 (25.78 RON)
You Save: $4.05 (9.53 RON) (27%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  114 reviews
Sales Rank: 16721
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0060959681
Dewey Decimal Number: 181
EAN: 9780060959685
ASIN: 0060959681
Publication Date: August 1, 2001
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 An uncomfortable mix of science and philosophy... June 23, 2006
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
While I can appreciate Mr. Zukav's motivation for writing this book, he does to some extent become the victim of his own observation that we see what we wish to see. That's not to say that the book fails to offer an interesting if limited summary of quantum mechanics/theory, but the philosophical point of view is difficult to reconcile with the inherently scientific and mathematical nature of the subject. This may be my failure to adequately grasp the caveats and choices he lays out at the beginning. If one subscribes to the idea of independent observer and external existence, then the book offers little satisfaction. If one can embrace the idea of human experience being inexorably tied, even essential to the unfolding nature of the universe, then this book offers a wealth of possibilities. As I see from most of the reviews, the book ultimately compels the reader to choose one perspective or the other. After reading it, I find myself somewhere in between, contemplating the gap between what I think I know and the provocative, challenging enlightenment this way of thinking offers. If you're looking for comforting facts, look somewhere else. If you're willing to live with the uncertainty, jump in and enjoy this entertaining book.
 Anti-Western new age nonsense June 13, 2006
6 out of 22 found this review helpful
Zukav has a decidedly anti-Western tone and is obviously biased in favor of oriental thinking. This is new age gobbledegook passed off as a bare bones reader on physics. Rather than writing a laconic outline of physics, Zukav spends the majority of his time praising Eastern thought and toying with the idea that everything is subjective.
The reader is referred to any college physics textbook or Isaac Asimov's History of Physics or a good set of encylopedias.
A Good Introduction to Modern Physics for the Layperson May 3, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Some of the negative reviews of this book seem to have been written by readers who have a firm grasp of physics, and poo-poo Zukov's lack of credentials. I don't doubt Zukov has misstated some points (although I don't know enough physics to know), but I sense that the sneering is more a reflection of the reviewers' desire to let us know he or she "really" knows physics than of a fundamental flaw in the substance of the book. I found it a pretty good introduction to some trippy ideas, which caused me to realize that some physicists, through their hyperintellectual methods, have come to understand some aspects of What Is in a way that seems to bear out what metaphysicians (or spiritual figures, or what have you) have been saying since the beginning of recorded history.
I am much more familiar with Buddhism than physics, and although I didn't expect to discover much that was really new in that area, I was disappointed that Zukov merely sprinkled a few tidbits of Buddhism like fairy dust throughout the book without explaining much or seriously trying to draw parallels. Frankly, as a purported effort to tie the two approaches together, the book is pretty lame. It lures one in with a title that suggests Eastern mysticism--masters who dance, no less!--and a cool photo on the cover, but make no mistake--as other reviewers have noted, this is almost exclusively a book about physics, with only the slightest nod to Eastern religion; those reviewers who complain that there's too much emphasis on "oriental" thought almost certainly haven't read much of the book, unless they consider any such discussion too much.
I found some passages of the book intellectually challenging. Whether this is more a reflection of my lack of brilliance or Zukov's I can't say, but it would be fair to assume you'll have to read some of this book carefully, go back over sections a couple of times, and still may not feel that you entirely "get it." But I think you'll get an appreciation for how marvelous the universe is, even as perceived by our itty bitty brains.
A good introduction into a layman's science of the quantum world March 18, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
How can something exist in two places simultaneously? Or have multiple states equally probable? What is it that then choses which state to manifest?
A good book for the layman to at least get a person thinking that how things work in the real world can be very strange to say the least. Light on deep physics and math but very intriguing and engaging for the scientifically inquisitive, both young and old.
Food for thought December 25, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It seems that one of the reasons Zukav became popular is the "new age" feel of his books, which to some may be attractive enough. I liked this book in a sense that it made me curious and go back to the physics I studied in high school and then on to some more contemporary work on quantum physics. As a non-physicist, I found this an interesting and thought provoking experience, but with obvious flaws. There have been numerous attempts to find the bridge between the rational, scientific thought of the West and contemplative ancient Eastern wisdom. This book is one of many, but how much it succeeded in this attempt is up to you to decide. If it incites your curiosity and gives you a push to search and research, it'll be ten bucks well spent.
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