The Need for a New Science | Robert Temple

Presentation abstract:

Science, as it exists at the present time, is inadequate for purposes of understanding the Universe. Our physics works very well for us here on Earth and in our solar system, where much of what exists is made of atoms, But the Universe is now known to consist of 99% plasma in various forms (gaseous, liquid, solid, and crystalline), which is not made of atoms. Although we have made some progress in creating a plasma physics, it is not sufficiently advanced, and must grow much more. We also need to rid ourselves of the stultifying tendency to approach science from a reductionist viewpoint. Dwelling on “the bits that make up physical matter” and hoping to create a science by going up from bits to wholes is a dead end. We need to accept that the key to what happens in the Universe is the process of self-organized criticality, which gives large wholes, the very opposite of reductionist thinking, and the products of which follow mathematical power laws. We need to accept the predominant importance of open systems. All of our linear equations dealing with closed systems are like Stone Age relics, and we have to accept that everything that is important is non-linear.

We need to make vast increases in our research in the key areas of topological physics, which includes edge physics and hinge physics. We need to make charged current flows (such as particles and ions) more central to our thinking in the field of biology. We need to give precedence to electro-magnetic forces over gravitational forces in our cosmologies. We need to try really to understand what mass is, what energy is, what fields are, what charge is, what force is, and so on. For we do not really know the answers to these questions. We speak of them, we use them, but we don’t know what they actually are. It is no use defining electricity as a flow of electrons, because we don’t know what electrons are. And there is still work to do in the fundamentals of arithmetic, as Bertrand Russell pointed out so strongly. And we need to encourage cross-discipline unifying thought. Specialization has gone too far, and we need more stimulating free-thinking institutions like the Molecular Biology Lab at Cambridge as it was under Max Perutz, the Santa Fe Institute, and frankly, more coffee rooms where nobody gets criticized or loses his or her grant because of uttering a speculation.

About the presenter:

Robert Temple is the author of more than twenty books on a variety of subjects. Recently, his book A New Science of Heaven deals with the subjects of this conference. Temple is an independent scholar who has been appointed an Adjunct Professor of Humanities, History, and Philosophy of Science at an American university, and a Visiting Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Tsinghua University in Beijing. As a former colleague of Joseph Needham of Cambridge, he is the author of a book on the history of science and technology in China over 3,000 years—a book authorized for use in the Chinese school system. Temple became a member of the Council of the China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development in 2000–2001. He is presently Chairman of five European cultural foundations.

About the Process Philosophy, Plasma Cosmology, and Transpersonal Psychology workshop:

This workshop brings together leading scientists and philosophers to explore the intricate relationships between plasma, consciousness, and cosmic evolution. In a collaborative effort, we will examine how plasma cosmology challenges traditional paradigms, offering new perspectives on the nature of life, intelligence, and experience. Our goal is to cultivate a deeper comprehension of plasma’s far-reaching implications for understanding the universe and our place within it.

Learn more: https://ctr4process.org/conference/pr...

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