Dear Professor GirijaVallabhan,
>
> I am a scientist and also a student of Vedanta. I recently came
> across your paper "Indian Influence in the Development of Quantum
> Mechanics" which I found informative and fascinating. I was writing
> to ask a question. Currently I'm interested in doing some research on
> the slightly broader question of the influence of Eastern philosophy
> on Western science (in general). I wanted to ask whether you are
> familiar with other examples of this stream from east to west in the
> realm of science. You mentioned Oppenheimer and, of course, David
> Bohm was very influenced by Krishnamurti. If you have the time could
> you point me in the direction of other examples? Thanks for any help
> you can give.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Robin Weeks
>
> Affiliate Assistant Professor
> Earth and Space Sciences
> University of Washington,
> Seattle.

Dear Dr. Robin Weeks,
Thank you very much for your mail. I am very happy to learn about your interest in Science and Vedanta. I am glad that you could appreciate my article on Indian influence in the development of Q.M. Your interest in the broader theme of influence of Eastern Philosopy in modern science is certaily a worth while one. This aspect has been discussed nicely in the recent book "Doubt and Certainty" by Tony Rothman and George Sudarshan (Persues Books, USA, 1998). In my opinion the concept of Unified Field Theory is nothing but the "Advaitha Philosophy" of 7th Centuary Indian Seer, Adi Sankara. I will be glad to be in touch with to discuss more on this. Best Regards

Dr.C.P.GIRIJAVALLABHAN
Director, CELOS &
Dean, Faculty of Technology
Cochin University of Science & Technology
Cochin 682022
Tel: 91 484 2577540(O), 91 484 2346869(R)

Dear Professor GirijaVallabhan,
>>
>> I am a scientist and also a student of Vedanta. I recently came
>> across your paper "Indian Influence in the Development of Quantum
>> Mechanics" which I found informative and fascinating. I was writing
>> to ask a question. Currently I'm interested in doing some research
>> on the slightly broader question of the influence of Eastern
>> philosophy on Western science (in general). I wanted to ask whether
>> you are familiar with other examples of this stream from east to west
>> in the realm of science. You mentioned Oppenheimer and, of course,
>> David Bohm was very influenced by Krishnamurti. If you have the time
>> could you point me in the direction of other examples? Thanks for
>> any help you can give.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Robin Weeks
>>
>> Affiliate Assistant Professor
>> Earth and Space Sciences
>> University of Washington,
>> Seattle.

Dear Dr. Robin Weeks,
> Thank you very much for your mail. I am very happy to learn about your
> interest in Science and Vedanta. I am glad that you could appreciate
> my article on Indian influence in the
> development of Q.M. Your interest in the broader theme of influence of
> Eastern Philosopy in modern science is certaily a worth while one.
> This aspect has been discussed nicely in the recent book "Doubt and
> Certainty" by Tony Rothman and George Sudarshan (Persues Books, USA,
> 1998).
> In my opinion the concept of Unified Field Theory is nothing but the
> "Advaitha Philosophy" of 7th Centuary Indian Seer, Adi Sankara.
> I will be glad to be in touch with to discuss more on this.
> Best Regards
>
> Dr.C.P.GIRIJAVALLABHAN
> Director, CELOS &
> Dean, Faculty of Technology
> Cochin University of Science & Technology
> Cochin 682022
> Tel: 91 484 2577540(O), 91 484 2346869(R)

Dear Dr Girijavallabhan:
>
> Thank you for including me in your email distribution - I appreciate
> this.
>
> I graduated from King's College in Electronics with honors and have a
> reasonably good understanding of QM but I am not a postgraduate
> student of QM however I am keenly interested in it.
>
> My first email to you explained my doubts about linking it to Vedanta.
>
> I would appreciate your help in how and where my thinking stops being
> rational. I have been trained as a scientist to be first and foremost
> a rationalist - Karl Popper being the guiding light much more than any
> other.
>
> Abdus Salam - a devout Muslim and with Nobel Prize in Physics 1979 -
> cannot claim, unless he can prove, that his discoveries in Nuclear
> Physics proves certain aspects of Islam. Or can he?
>
> Please enlighten.
>
> I would like to believe as you do but as it is I can not. Please show
> where my thinking is faulty.
>
> Thanks.
>
> === Nalin.

Dear Dr. Nalin,
Thank you very much for your mail and for enlightening me on your background. I did not want to respond directly to your criticism of my article on Q.M., but just wanted you to know how others view the facts presented in the same. Regarding your doubts, I would like to assure you that there is nothing faulty with your thinking. I was exactly in your stage of thinking 40 years ago! However your curiosity to know as to where one has gone wrong itsef is a very encouraging sign in your search for greater truth. Your questions have opened up the vast arena of philosphy of science which we cannot discuss fully in e mail sessions. I can point out to you other sources which answer your questions. for a begining kindly read the book by Sir Arthur Eddigton- 'Philosophy of Physical Science',Ann Arbor paper backs(1967). He was not a Hindu but arrives at the same conclusions as our ancient seers.(Incidentlly, I am not referring to any specific religion, organized or otherwise). Simple minded rationalism is correct but it is a tunnel vision; that is why Karl Popper has a limited validity. No QM or relativity will arise with Karl Popper. Nor would there be entanglemet, teleportation, dark mattter or dark energy and ultimately no conciousness either! I shall forward to you in a separate mail the English version of an interview which I did for a local language magazine. This is on a book by Sir Roger Penrose "The Road to Reality- A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe". If you have the patience to read it, the last part will clarify where you stand in your perception of reality. Every one is right about what they see; but to see the larger truth one should invariably open up more windows!

Best regards

Girijavallabhan

Quantum Mechanics - Indian Influence? - Part 1

Introduction:

I have come accorss, both in print and in person, quite a number of Indian scientists and other learned Indians who maintain in effect that the Quantum Mechanics was first discovered by the Indians and/or that its findings were first thought of by them.

In the next few articles I will try to show that this is more a wishful thinking than the truth. The best that can be said about this is that some of the abstract thoughts of Quantum Mechanics happen to have some resemblance to some of the Indian Philosophy but note that this is not the same as Indian Science, as it did not exist at the sophisticated level required to deal with QM. But in any case, none of these have been proved to be true by any empirical proofs carred out in India.

I intend to show, in brief, the aspects of modern Quantum Mechanics that the Indians maintain that they first thought of and if so whether there is any historical proof of them having done so, and more importantly, proved to be so.

I intend to start with the history of QM and then show which aspects are similar to some of the Indian Philosophical notions.


Early History of Quantum Mechanics: