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The Eleven Pictures of Time: The Physics, Philosophy, and Politics of Time Beliefs
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Time is a mystery that has perplexed humankind since time immemorial. Resolving this mystery is of significance not only to philosophers and physicists but is also a very practical concern. Our perception of time shapes our values and way of life; it also mediates the interaction between science and religion both of which rest fundamentally on assumptions about the nature of time. C K Raju begins with a critical exposition of various time-beliefs, ranging from the earliest times through Augustine, Newton and Einstein to Stephen Hawking and current notions of chaos and time travel. He traces the role of organised religion in subverting time beliefs for its political ends. The book points out how this resulted in a facile dichotomy between ′linear′ and ′cyclic′ time, thereby inaugurating a confusion which, according to the author, has handicapped Western thought ever since, eventually influencing the content of science itself. Thus, this book daringly asserts that physical theory, traditionally regarded as amoral and objective, has depended on cultural beliefs about time. The author points out that time beliefs are again being manipulated today as the credibility of science is being exploited to promote a picture of time and, hence, a pattern of human behaviour which is convenient to the agenda of globalisation of culture. The linkages between modern theology and this ′brave new physics′ are traced against the wider context of the so-called ′clash of civilisations′, and the attempts to remake the world order. The conclusions point to the need to de-theologise time. The author challenges Einstein′s understanding of relativity theory and suggests that a ′tilt in the arrow of time′, or a small tendency towards cyclicity, will help repair the prevalent confusion about time. A ′tilt′ also enables a physics that permits both memory and creativity, so that purpose and spontaneous growth of order are returned to human life. The book ends with a vision of Man as Creator, surprising God. Extensive research in physics, the history of science, comparative religions, and sociology lend weight to the important and challenging conclusions reached by the author. Written as a rejoinder to Stephen Hawking′s A Brief History of Time, this book goes much further and, unlike any previous book, it gives a critical exposition of various world religions-Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism-while exploring their intricate links, through time beliefs, to current physics on the one hand, and to global political and economic trends, on the other. This book will appeal to scholars and laypersons equally. It will fascinate anyone who reads it and will teach its readers to question the unquestionable.
Time is a mystery that has perplexed humankind since time immemorial. Resolving this mystery is of significance not only to philosophers and physicists but is also a very practical concern. Our perception of time shapes our values and way of life; it also mediates the interaction between science and religion both of which rest fundamentally on assumptions about the nature of time. C K Raju begins with a critical exposition of various time-beliefs, ranging from the earliest times through Augustine, Newton and Einstein to Stephen Hawking and current notions of chaos and time travel. He traces the role of organised religion in subverting time beliefs for its political ends. The book points out how this resulted in a facile dichotomy between ′linear′ and ′cyclic′ time, thereby inaugurating a confusion which, according to the author, has handicapped Western thought ever since, eventually influencing the content of science itself. Thus, this book daringly asserts that physical theory, traditionally regarded as amoral and objective, has depended on cultural beliefs about time. The author points out that time beliefs are again being manipulated today as the credibility of science is being exploited to promote a picture of time and, hence, a pattern of human behaviour which is convenient to the agenda of globalisation of culture. The linkages between modern theology and this ′brave new physics′ are traced against the wider context of the so-called ′clash of civilisations′, and the attempts to remake the world order. The conclusions point to the need to de-theologise time. The author challenges Einstein′s understanding of relativity theory and suggests that a ′tilt in the arrow of time′, or a small tendency towards cyclicity, will help repair the prevalent confusion about time. A ′tilt′ also enables a physics that permits both memory and creativity, so that purpose and spontaneous growth of order are returned to human life. The book ends with a vision of Man as Creator, surprising God. Extensive research in physics, the history of science, comparative religions, and sociology lend weight to the important and challenging conclusions reached by the author. Written as a rejoinder to Stephen Hawking′s A Brief History of Time, this book goes much further and, unlike any previous book, it gives a critical exposition of various world religions-Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism-while exploring their intricate links, through time beliefs, to current physics on the one hand, and to global political and economic trends, on the other. This book will appeal to scholars and laypersons equally. It will fascinate anyone who reads it and will teach its readers to question the unquestionable.
- GenresPhilosophyIndiaScience
588 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2003
About the author
C.K. Raju
8 books42 followersC. K. Raju holds a masters in mathematics from Mumbai, followed by a PhD from the Indian Statistical Institute. He taught mathematics for several years at Pune University before moving on to help build India's first parallel supercomputer, Param. After a fellowship at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, and the National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies, he resumed university teaching, and is currently a Distinguished Professor. He has proposed many radical new ideas related to time, quantum mechanics, quantum computing and the history and philosophy of mathematics, and calculus. He has written critically acclaimed books on physics (Time: Towards a Consistent Theory, Kluwer, 1994), history and philosophy of mathematics (Cultural Foundations of Mathematics, Pearson Longman, 2007), on time at the interface of science, religion and ethics (The Eleven Pictures of Time, Sage, 2003), and on the history of science (Is Science Western in Origin?, Multiversity and Citizens International, Penang, 2009). For a full list of his books, see http://ckraju.net. He straddles various fields, and was an editor of the Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research and curently advices other scholarly journals. He has also built computer software for industrial and educational use. Volume 5 of his collected papers contains his scholarly articles on mathematics and religion. In his "5-day course on calculus", he has demonstrated that mathematics can be made very easy by eliminating the post-Crusade theology in it. Watch out for more of his forthcoming books, especially "Euclid and Jesus".
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 18, 2016
Many of the self proclaimed rationalists, skeptics, atheists have this habit of scrutinizing every aspect of the traditions and beliefs systems they are born into. This is a good thing.
The trouble is when these people form their own belief systems and don't even realize that they have their own rituals that almost mimic the traditions they are scrutinizing, mocking and rebelling against.
If you have even the slightest doubt that you are one such person, like I realized some time back, this is the book for you. Don't worry. This is not one those silly books that says "science is wrong, it cant explain many things so faith in God is necessary" type books. It is understandable if you have such first impression about the book after reading a few paras.
This book is written by C. K . Raju to explain the problems with the belief system most westernized minds have. It explains how theological our scientific practices are. Every scientific experiment that was performed in 20th century is to improve a technology never to actually find the truth about the universe. It explains how Technology is inherently interlinked to your theological assumptions.
It explains how we failed to recognize that mathematics is just another human invented language, just more expressive than other languages, and regularly fool ourselves into believing that it is some sort of universal language. It explains how all the paradoxes that celebrity scientists flaunt to show off coolness of science are not paradoxes but our inability to delink theological assumptions while finding truth (if it is findable) about the universe (another silly assumption).
This book rips apart the concept of universal logic. I can go on and on. My point being: this book is a must read for everyone who thinks they are rational and whose understanding of our world is through proclamations made by scientists.
The trouble is when these people form their own belief systems and don't even realize that they have their own rituals that almost mimic the traditions they are scrutinizing, mocking and rebelling against.
If you have even the slightest doubt that you are one such person, like I realized some time back, this is the book for you. Don't worry. This is not one those silly books that says "science is wrong, it cant explain many things so faith in God is necessary" type books. It is understandable if you have such first impression about the book after reading a few paras.
This book is written by C. K . Raju to explain the problems with the belief system most westernized minds have. It explains how theological our scientific practices are. Every scientific experiment that was performed in 20th century is to improve a technology never to actually find the truth about the universe. It explains how Technology is inherently interlinked to your theological assumptions.
It explains how we failed to recognize that mathematics is just another human invented language, just more expressive than other languages, and regularly fool ourselves into believing that it is some sort of universal language. It explains how all the paradoxes that celebrity scientists flaunt to show off coolness of science are not paradoxes but our inability to delink theological assumptions while finding truth (if it is findable) about the universe (another silly assumption).
This book rips apart the concept of universal logic. I can go on and on. My point being: this book is a must read for everyone who thinks they are rational and whose understanding of our world is through proclamations made by scientists.
March 21, 2017
very good book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2018
Damn! GOOD book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 8, 2017it,s fine
April 6, 2024
Excellent read. Be prepared to uproot all your conventional understanding about the history of science, mathematics & history of thought...so much so that it almost seems conspiratorial but it isn't so.
November 1, 2015
One of the finest work done on defining Time. The book is masterpiece and builds upon the earlier work done my scientist like Newton and Einstein. The book is extremely scientific and hence demands lot of attention with full dedication towards comprehension. One of the finest and toughest book I have read till now.
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January 20, 2018ddfg
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews