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Infinite Potential: The Life and Times of David Bohm
Recounts the life of the physicist, psychologist, and philosopher David Bohm, including his friendship with J. Robert Oppenheimer and his protest against Senator Joseph McCarthy, and explains his landmark scientific discoveries and his work with Eastern philosophy.
353 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1996
9 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
F. David Peat
45 books39 followersHe has worked actively as a theoretical physicist in England and Canada.
But Peat's interests expanded to include psychology, particularly that of Carl Jung, art and general aspects of culture, including that of Native America. Peat is the author of many books including a biography of David Bohm, with whom Peat collaborated, books on quantum theory and chaos theory, as well as a study of Synchronicity. Since moving to the village of Pari in Italy, Peat has created the Pari Center for New Learning.
But Peat's interests expanded to include psychology, particularly that of Carl Jung, art and general aspects of culture, including that of Native America. Peat is the author of many books including a biography of David Bohm, with whom Peat collaborated, books on quantum theory and chaos theory, as well as a study of Synchronicity. Since moving to the village of Pari in Italy, Peat has created the Pari Center for New Learning.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 20, 2011
Fascinating story of a remarkable man who is by all standards of the same stature as your Newtons and Einsteins. However, due to his holistic approach, his radical new approaches to physics, his communist sympathies and his interests in spirituality, he never got any prestigious award and hence most people have never heard of him. Which is a shame, because, he is one of the only scientists to come up with an ontological explanation of quantum physics, and a very common-sense theory of theories.
This biography is a bit messy at times, but it seems to give a good overview of who Bohm really was and of the astounding theories he envisioned and/or helped to develop. It also manages to put Krishnamurti and his teachings into perspective.
A tragic life, but his important legacy remains.
This biography is a bit messy at times, but it seems to give a good overview of who Bohm really was and of the astounding theories he envisioned and/or helped to develop. It also manages to put Krishnamurti and his teachings into perspective.
A tragic life, but his important legacy remains.
August 3, 2024
THE STORY OF "EINSTEIN'S SUCCESSOR," AND A COLLABORATOR WITH KRISHNAMURTI
David Joseph Bohm (1917-1992) was an American theoretical physicist who was once described by Einstein as his intellectual successor. (Pg. 1) Bohm was Jewish, yet he confessed to a rabbi that "his overwhelming interest was in science and that he could no longer feel any connection to Jewish religion and its traditions." (Pg. 23) While at college, however, "While David had moved away from the Jewish religion, he still kept to its dietary laws." (Pg. 29) Interestingly, one of his first girlfriends was the future Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique---who at the time "was certainly not thinking about the liberation of women." (Pg. 49)
Peat observes that "From very early on in his scientific career Bohm trusted this interior, intuitive display as a more reliable way of arriving at solutions. Later, when he met and talked with Einstein, he learned that he too experienced subtle, internal muscular sensations that appeared to lie much deeper than ordinary rational and discursive thought." (Pg. 36) Later, he notes, "Already Bohm was beginning to cut himself off from the mainstream of physics. Unlike most people around him, he could not accept that great advances could only be made by individual 'genuises'; rather, he believed that each person has access to a great well of creativity." (Pg. 75)
Bohm thought of Gurdjieff disparagingly; "To Bohm, the solutions Gurdjieff had proposed were mere psychological tricks." (Pg. 194) But when he discovered the books of the Indian spiritual teacher Krishnamurti, he thought, "Here was a thinker who had seen deeply and authentically into the essence of the human problem. Gurdjieff had warned of the trap of unconscious conditioning; Krishnamurti was pointing to a way out." (Pg. 195) He adds, "In Krishnamurti's books he found a clear analysis of the nature of consciousness and the mechanism whereby the thinker separates him- or herself as a separate independent entity... The physicist was well prepared for his engagement with Jiddu Krishnamurti. The meeting was important to both men. Before World War II the majority of Krishnamurti's audiences had been connected with the Theosophical Society... In the 1950s the new audiences were less able to follow his teachings... Krishnamurti knew that he had to adapt his approach." (Pg. 199)
He records, "The meeting was everything Bohm had dreamed of. Krishnamurti was totally open and able to go into things with great passion. Bohm compared him to Einstein in his ability to explore deeply in a spirit of impersonal friendship... Their interaction gave him a perspective from which to question the value of his own research, and at times he even contemplated abandoning physics in favor of a total commitment to the Indian teacher." (Pg. 200) Peat notes, "I asked... if they had noted a change in Bohm's thinking as a result of his encounter with Krishnamurti. Many people ... believed that the Indian teacher had exerted an enormous influence on the physicist. But Fancon Frochlich did not think that there had been any essential change in Bohm's thinking." (Pg. 187) He summarizes, "For Bohm, his mutual exploration with Krishnamurti remained the most significant encounter of his life." (Pg. 230)
Tellingly, however, Peat notes, "Toward the end of his life... [Bohm] spoke of the humiliation he had experienced at the hands of Krishamurti who, in his presence, made cutting jokes about 'professors,' and did not acknowledge the importance of Bohm's work." (Pg. 217) "As Krishamurti confronted Bohm in a way that others later described as 'brutal,' the physicist was thrown into despair. Unable to sleep, obsessed with thoughts, he constantly paced the room to the point where he thought of suicide... His despair soon reached the point where he was placed on antidepressants. As Bohm's condition worsened, Krishnamurti distanced himself from the physicist... while he remained cordial, the intensity between them vanished." (Pg. 285)
This is a fascinating, at times somewhat disturbing portrait, and is essential reading for anyone wanting to know more about the man behind the concept of "Implicate Order."
David Joseph Bohm (1917-1992) was an American theoretical physicist who was once described by Einstein as his intellectual successor. (Pg. 1) Bohm was Jewish, yet he confessed to a rabbi that "his overwhelming interest was in science and that he could no longer feel any connection to Jewish religion and its traditions." (Pg. 23) While at college, however, "While David had moved away from the Jewish religion, he still kept to its dietary laws." (Pg. 29) Interestingly, one of his first girlfriends was the future Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique---who at the time "was certainly not thinking about the liberation of women." (Pg. 49)
Peat observes that "From very early on in his scientific career Bohm trusted this interior, intuitive display as a more reliable way of arriving at solutions. Later, when he met and talked with Einstein, he learned that he too experienced subtle, internal muscular sensations that appeared to lie much deeper than ordinary rational and discursive thought." (Pg. 36) Later, he notes, "Already Bohm was beginning to cut himself off from the mainstream of physics. Unlike most people around him, he could not accept that great advances could only be made by individual 'genuises'; rather, he believed that each person has access to a great well of creativity." (Pg. 75)
Bohm thought of Gurdjieff disparagingly; "To Bohm, the solutions Gurdjieff had proposed were mere psychological tricks." (Pg. 194) But when he discovered the books of the Indian spiritual teacher Krishnamurti, he thought, "Here was a thinker who had seen deeply and authentically into the essence of the human problem. Gurdjieff had warned of the trap of unconscious conditioning; Krishnamurti was pointing to a way out." (Pg. 195) He adds, "In Krishnamurti's books he found a clear analysis of the nature of consciousness and the mechanism whereby the thinker separates him- or herself as a separate independent entity... The physicist was well prepared for his engagement with Jiddu Krishnamurti. The meeting was important to both men. Before World War II the majority of Krishnamurti's audiences had been connected with the Theosophical Society... In the 1950s the new audiences were less able to follow his teachings... Krishnamurti knew that he had to adapt his approach." (Pg. 199)
He records, "The meeting was everything Bohm had dreamed of. Krishnamurti was totally open and able to go into things with great passion. Bohm compared him to Einstein in his ability to explore deeply in a spirit of impersonal friendship... Their interaction gave him a perspective from which to question the value of his own research, and at times he even contemplated abandoning physics in favor of a total commitment to the Indian teacher." (Pg. 200) Peat notes, "I asked... if they had noted a change in Bohm's thinking as a result of his encounter with Krishnamurti. Many people ... believed that the Indian teacher had exerted an enormous influence on the physicist. But Fancon Frochlich did not think that there had been any essential change in Bohm's thinking." (Pg. 187) He summarizes, "For Bohm, his mutual exploration with Krishnamurti remained the most significant encounter of his life." (Pg. 230)
Tellingly, however, Peat notes, "Toward the end of his life... [Bohm] spoke of the humiliation he had experienced at the hands of Krishamurti who, in his presence, made cutting jokes about 'professors,' and did not acknowledge the importance of Bohm's work." (Pg. 217) "As Krishamurti confronted Bohm in a way that others later described as 'brutal,' the physicist was thrown into despair. Unable to sleep, obsessed with thoughts, he constantly paced the room to the point where he thought of suicide... His despair soon reached the point where he was placed on antidepressants. As Bohm's condition worsened, Krishnamurti distanced himself from the physicist... while he remained cordial, the intensity between them vanished." (Pg. 285)
This is a fascinating, at times somewhat disturbing portrait, and is essential reading for anyone wanting to know more about the man behind the concept of "Implicate Order."
March 8, 2022
Beautifully written biography about one of the most extraordinary scientists, and above all, human beings of 20th century!
The man who dared being different and questioned establishment and authorities, both within scientific community and political establishment.
The man whose contribution to physics and to understanding of human consciousness will very likely be fully understood and recognized only in future.
Great work by D. Peat in portraying such a complex and maverick personality that Bohm had been throughout his life and career.
The man who dared being different and questioned establishment and authorities, both within scientific community and political establishment.
The man whose contribution to physics and to understanding of human consciousness will very likely be fully understood and recognized only in future.
Great work by D. Peat in portraying such a complex and maverick personality that Bohm had been throughout his life and career.
September 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this comprehensive biography of quantum physicist David Bohm. The author communicates Bohm’s compelling and imaginative theories into language a layperson can (at least begin) to comprehend. I liked this book because I am intrigued by quantum physics and hope one day to have a rudimentary understanding. This book helped me in that quest.
October 7, 2018
Thorough and honest portrait of a fascinating figure.
June 26, 2020
Read this during a cruise on year. Super... Dr. Bohm was a brilliant guy. 👍
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July 6, 2016
This is a well-written book about a very interesting person. David Bohm was a unique and very creative person who had an exceptional mind. He was able to pursue abstract thought to a far greater degree than most other people. But it’s difficult to live in high abstraction without loosing one’s grounding. David Bohm’s wife, Saral, was his anchor in life. Saral gave David stability and, to the extent that it was possible, a normal life. Saral also tried to support David during his recurring periods of depression which, without her, could have cost him his life.
January 30, 2012
A very interesting subject but poor writing; couldn't finish it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews