Philosophy-Science Ebooks
This page presents ebooks dealing with the relationship between science and philosophy. Animal Intelligence is included on this page and a brief description of the book is given below. Nature, Science, and Spirituality is a collection of previous articles. It can be found on the Articles. We have also collected all the previous quotations in the form of an ebook. The link for this book is Quotations.
In this issue we are adding another ebook. It can be viewed or downloaded using the link Gems from Panchatantra.
Brief descriptions of two new ebooks "Consciousness, Mind, and Intelligence" and "What Dies Is Not Me"are given here. The second one is a novel and in print form it is more than four hundred pages; it consists of five parts and each is presented as a separate ebook. These books are available through DPP Online Store.
Quotations and What They Mean
This booklet contains all the quotations that have appeared on the Quotations Page in previous issues.
Consciousness, Mind, and Intelligence
This book explores consciousness from two different perspectives - of philosophy and of science. Consciousness is discussed in relation to the theory of relativity and quantum physics, as well as to Vedanta and other Eastern philosophies. An attempt is made to harmonize the two apparently different views by pointing out the commonalities. When consciousness is viewed as a field containing the all-pervasive cosmic energy, the differences seem to disappear. In view of the principle of equivalence of matter and energy, it seems reasonable to believe that this cosmic energy is the ultimate source of the universe.
With this view, consciousness is the link connecting everything in the universe to everything else. This is the basic premise of the holistic concept. Space, time, matter - they all originate from consciousness. This leads to the belief that consciousness is intrinsic to matter and, hence, it is present in inanimate as well as animate objects. This view seems to be substantiated by the observed fact that elementary particles like electrons show features suggesting the presence of intelligence. Since these particles are the building blocks for all matter, consciousness resides in all matter.
The section on animal intelligence presents illustrative examples of insects and birds to show that animals may have as much intelligence as human beings. Even plants may be our intelligent companions.
What Dies Is Not Me
This is the story of two boys from vastly different backgrounds, who represent the emerging breed of intellectuals of the new era in India. They meet on the first day of college and become life-long friends, sharing their triumphs and tragedies, trials and tribulations. Charged with emotion the story covers various situations - from common events like birth and death to the politically explosive atmosphere of the reign of terror in Russia, all taking place in the normal modes of interaction among normal people in normal families.
Woven delicately into the plot is also a reincarnation theme linking the present to a bygone era of the previous century. This theme and the underlying philosophy are implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, present throughout the book. From a tiny village to the lavishly built Pink City and the large metropolis of Bombay and from the pristine academia of Cambridge to terror-stricken, intrigue-ridden Moscow, it takes the reader through the rich heritage of the Indian society and its interaction with the outside world. Interspersed throughout are also rational explanations of many aspects of Vedanta philosophy and of the common beliefs and practices. Sometimes these explanations are explicit, but more often they are subtle aspects of the lives of the characters.
Animal Intelligence
Man is at the highest stage of evolution with the most developed brain and intelligence. So it is automatically assumed that his intelligence is the highest among the living creatures. Intelligence is of different kinds and even among humans it is not uniformly distributed. However, there is no rational reason to believe that human intelligence is superior to that of animals in all respects. There is ample evidence to suggest that in some areas animals may have intelligence as good or even better.
What is more surprising is that in certain species the intelligence seems to be rather uniformly distributed. In some cases the intelligence may be instinctive and inherited genetically but in others it definitely involves a learning process. Considering the fact that animals do not have the vast repertoir of accumulated knowledge their intelligence appears astounding. THis book discusses the consciousness and intelligence in animals with examples of four different species - ants, spiders, honeybees, and a small weaverbird.
The book can be downloaded using the link Animal Intelligence.
Where Is God
The booklet traces the development of the concept of God. As long as there are different people there will be different religions and different concepts of God. But God is one and there should be a general underlying basis for the different concepts. Recent developments in physics and cosmology are bridging the gap between science and religion. God is the Ultimate Reality that can be equated to the universal consciousness (and energy) from which the entire universe springs forth. This concept retains the three fundamental attributes of God - omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience.
Good and evil are a part of nature. Like all pairs of opposites they are two sides of the same coin and one does not exist without the other. It is not possible to control their relative presence in nature. What is under human control is the presence of one in relation to the other in the individual, the society, and the world in general. The responsibility of all actions, whether good or evil, lies squarely with the individuals or the groups. God as the Ultimate Reality is neutral.
This book can be downloaded using the link Where Is God
Page updated January 26, 2007
