The Turning Point (book)
Encyclopedia
The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Rising Culture is a book by Fritjof Capra
written to explain perceived scientific and economic crises.
It begins by outlining and tracing the history of science and economics, highlighting the flaws in the Cartesian, Newton
ian, and reduction
ist paradigms. It narrates how such viewpoints have grown inadequate for modern technology and ecology
needs, then argues that science needs to develop the concepts and insights of holism
and systems theory
to solve society's complex problems.
The 1990 film, Mindwalk
, is based on the book.
Fritjof Capra
Fritjof Capra is an Austrian-born American physicist. He is a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California, and is on the faculty of Schumacher College....
written to explain perceived scientific and economic crises.
It begins by outlining and tracing the history of science and economics, highlighting the flaws in the Cartesian, Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
ian, and reduction
Reductionism
Reductionism can mean either an approach to understanding the nature of complex things by reducing them to the interactions of their parts, or to simpler or more fundamental things or a philosophical position that a complex system is nothing but the sum of its parts, and that an account of it can...
ist paradigms. It narrates how such viewpoints have grown inadequate for modern technology and ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
needs, then argues that science needs to develop the concepts and insights of holism
Holism
Holism is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone...
and systems theory
Systems theory
Systems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems in general, with the goal of elucidating principles that can be applied to all types of systems at all nesting levels in all fields of research...
to solve society's complex problems.
The 1990 film, Mindwalk
Mindwalk
Mindwalk is a 1990 feature film directed by Bernt Amadeus Capra, based on his own short story, based in turn on the book The Turning Point by his brother Fritjof Capra, the author of the book The Tao of Physics....
, is based on the book.
Publication data
- Fritjof Capra, The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Rising Culture, (1982), Simon and Schuster, Bantam paperback 1983: ISBN 0-553-34572-9
- Doubleday Dell, mass market paperback 1984: ISBN 0-553-34148-0
- Flamingo Press, 1990 edition: ISBN 0-00-654017-1
- Sounds TrueSounds TrueSounds True is a multimedia publishing company based near Boulder, Colorado. It was created in 1985 by Tami Simon. The company has published approximately 1,000 titles, including spoken-word audio recordings, books, music, filmed events, multimedia packages and online educational programs from...
audio cassette, 1990