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NEWSCIENCE/PHYSICS 14.95"This important work unifies the realms of science and consciousness in a truly integral'theory of everything."'Ralph Abraham, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, University of California,and coauthor of Chaos, Creativity, and Cosmic Consciousness"A seminal book from one of the best thinkers of our time. Ervin Laszlo charts the frontiersto which science is inexorably headed. In years to come people will look back at the amazingforesight of this work."Peter Russell, Fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciencesand the Findhorn Foundation and author of From Science to God"With extraordinary intellectual clarity, Laszlo provides a vision that links the best of modernscience to the wisdom of the great spiritual traditions."Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., president and founder of the InternationalTranspersonal Association and author of The Holotropic MindMystics and sages have long maintained that there exists an interconnecting cosmic field atthe roots of reality that conserves and conveys information, a field known as the Akashicrecord. Recent discoveries in vacuum physics show that this Akashic field is real and has itsequivalent in science's zero-point field that underlies space itself. This field consists of asubtle sea of fluctuating energies from which all things arise: atoms and galaxies, stars andplanets, living beings, and even consciousness. This zero-point Akashic-field - or "A-field" is the constant and enduring memory of the universe. It holds the record of all that ever happened on Earth and in the cosmos and relates it to all that is yet to happen.In Science and the Akashic Field philosopher and scientist Ervin Laszlo conveys theessential element of this information field in language that is accessible and clear. From theworld of science he confirms our deepest intuitions of the oneness of creation in the IntegralTheory of Everything. We discover that, as philosopher William James stated, "We are likeislands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep."ERVIN LASZLO, holder of the highest degree of the Sorbonne (the State Doctorate), is recipient of four Honorary Ph.D.s and numerous awards and distinctions, including the 2001 GoiAward (the Japan Peace Prize). In 2004 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as well asthe Templeton Prize. A former professor of philosophy, systems theory, and futures studies inthe U.S., Europe, and the Far East, Laszlo is founder and president of the international thinktank The Club of Budapest as well as of the General Evolution Research Group. The author ofover 400 papers and 74 books translated into 20 languages, he lives in Tuscany.INNER TRADITIONSROCHESTER, VERMONTCover design by Peri ChampineCover photograph by Neil Lavey

SCIENCEand the Akashic Field"Ervin Laszlo presents readers with a tour de force, nothing less than a theory of everything. This book introduces such provocative concepts as the"A-field" and the "informed universe," making the case that a completeunderstanding of reality is woefully lacking without them. Readers of thisbook will never view the universe in quite the same way again."STANLEY KRIPPNER, PH.D.,PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, SAYBROOK GRADUATE SCHOOL,AND AUTHOR AND CO-EDITOR OF VARIETIES OF ANOMALOUS EXPERIENCE"Over the last 30 years, Ervin Laszlo has consistently been at the forefrontof scientific inquiry, exploring the frontiers of knowledge with insight, wisdom and integrity. With Science and the Akashic Field he takes anotherquantum leap forward in our understanding of the universe and ourselves.This enthralling vision of mind, science, and universe is essential readingfor the 21st century."ALFONSO MONTUORI, PH.D.,CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES,AND AUTHOR OF CREATORS ON CREATING"It is rare indeed that a revolution in thought can open our eyes to a new universe that transforms our inner experience as well as our relationships withothers and even with the cosmos. Martin Buber did it with I and Thou. Now,Ervin Laszlo, one of the most profound minds of our generation, has givenus a great gift in this readable book that explores how we are connected toeach other in fields of resonance that penetrate to the deepest levels of being."ALLAN COMBS, PH.D.,PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE,AND AUTHOR OF THE RADIANCE OF BEING

"If you ever wanted to hold the universe in your hand, pick up this book.You can hardly do better than join cosmologist Ervin Laszlo in the ultimatequest: for a theory of everything."CHRISTIAN DE QUINCEY, PH.D.,PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, JOHN F. KENNEDY UNIVERSITY,EDITOR OF INSTITUTE OF NOETIC SCIENCES'IONSREVIEW,AND AUTHOR OF RADICAL NATURE: REDISCOVERING THE SOUL OF MATTER"In this impressive and transformative work Laszlo brings the reader intoan integral worldview for our time. The reader who encounters this bookwill be irrevocably transformed and will henceforth experience the worldthrough a global lens."ASHOK GANGADEAN, PH.D.,PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, HAVERFORD COLLEGE,FOUNDER-DIRECTOR OF THE GLOBAL DIALOGUE INSTITUTE,AND AUTHOR OF THE AWAKENING OF THE GLOBAL MIND"In a visionary way based on profound knowledge of modern science,Laszlo creates a genuine architecture of human and cosmic evolution. Heprovides the bridge between all the different puzzle-stones of science andunifies them in a most remarkable and bold 'integral theory of everything.'"FRITZ-ALBERT POPP, PH.D.,DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOPHYSICSAND EDITOR OF RECENT ADVANCES IN BIOPHOTON RESEARCH"This is one of the most important books to be published in the lastdecades. Ervin Laszlo's Science and the Akashic Field has the power andcoherence to explain the major phenomena of cosmos, life, and mind asthey occur at the various levels of nature and society. In demonstrating thatan information field is a fundamental factor in the universe, Ervin Laszlocatalyzes a radical paradigm-shift in the contemporary sciences."IGNAZIO MASULLI, PH.D.,PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA, ITALY,AND COAUTHOR OF THE EVOLUTION OF COGNITIVE MAPS

"Laszlo's book opens the way toward a great synthesis. Whoever readsLaszlo's book witnesses the greatest awakening of the human spirit. Notsince Plato and Democritus has there been such a transformation in the history of thought!"LASZL6 GAZDAG, PH.D.,PHYSICIST AND PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF PECS,HUNGARY, AND AUTHOR OF BEYOND THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY"In his admirable 40-year quest for an integral theory of everything, Laszlohas not restricted himself to physics but presented a coherent globalhypothesis of connectivity between quantum, cosmos, life and consciousness. I cannot think of anyone else who is better prepared and more able,than the genuine post-modern Renaissance Man Laszlo, to offer a visionthat is imaginative, but not imaginary, a vision where all things are connected with all other things and nothing disappears without a trace."ZEV NAVEH, PH.D.,PROFESSOR EMERITUS, ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,AND AUTHOR OF LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY"Is everything that ever happened on this earth recorded in some huge,ultra-dimensional information bank? Are some of us occasionally able totap into it with some facility, and perhaps all of us to some extent now andthen during our lives? Science and the Akashic Field provides the pioneering scientific answer to these and many other fundamental questions ourspecies faces at this critical time in human evolution."DAVID LOYE, P H . D . ,FORMER RESEARCH DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM ONPSYCHOSOCIAL ADAPTATION AND THE FUTURE,UCLASCHOOL OF MEDICINE,AND AUTHOR OF AN ARROW THROUGH CHAOS"Science and the Akashic Field shows clearly that science is poised at thethreshold of a new paradigm. The new vision offers humanity the perspective of more peace and security, not as an idealistic goal but as a reflectionof reality."JURRIAAN KAMP,EDITOR IN CHIEF OF ODE MAGAZINEAND AUTHOR OF BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER

"When in search of impacts or nuances useful in discovering and understanding the essential universe, Ervin Laszlo's brilliant new work, Scienceand the Akashic Field, surpasses previous explorations. The work opens aroad to understanding the universe as an integrated entity, connecting science and consciousness, and recognizing the wholeness of the universe, life,and mind. This is a "make-sense-of-the-complex" opus, accessible to everyreader."A. HARRIS STONE, ED.D.,FOUNDER OF THE GRADUATE INSTITUTE IN MlLFORD, CONNECTICUT,AND AUTHOR OF THE LAST FREE BIRD"There is turmoil and excitement at the cutting edge of cosmology andrelated sciences. Ervin Laszlo, with his insightful and systems-orientedapproach, charts a course through it all that is both truly radical and trulyplausible. This is a solidly grounded vision of our cosmos, with perspectives that are wide and deep and have profound implications for all of us."HENRIK B. TSCHUDI,CHAIRMAN OF THE FLUX FOUNDATION, OSLO, NORWAY"Ervin Laszlo is, arguably, the most profound thinker alive today."LADY MONTAGU OF BEAULIEU,FIRST AMBASSADOR OF THE CLUB OF BUDAPEST

SCIENCEand theAkashic FieldAn Integral Theory of EverythingERVIN LASZLOInner TraditionsRochester, Vermont

Inner TraditionsOne Park StreetRochester, Vermont 05767www.InnerTraditions.comCopyright 2004 by Ervin LaszloAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or byany means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by anyinformation storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGINC-IN-PUBLICATION DATALaszlo, Ervin, 1932Science and the Akashic field : an integral theory of everything / Ervin Laszlo.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 1-59477-042-5 (pbk.)1. Akashic records. 2. Parapsychology and science. I. Title.BF1045.A44L39 2004501 - dc222004016393Printed and bound in the United States by Lake Book Manufacturing10987 6 5Text design by Rachel GoldenbergText layout by Virginia Scott BowmanThis book was typeset in Sabon with Avenir as a display typeface

for Christopher and Alexander, whocontinue to comprehend, connect,and co-create - with love

ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionxiii1PART O N ETHE QUEST FOR AN INTEGRAL THEORYOF EVERYTHING1 A Meaningful Worldview for Our Time2 On Puzzles and Fables:The Next Paradigm Shift in Science12163 A Concise Catalog of Contemporary zzlesof cosmology26of quantum physics31of biology34of consciousness research26394 Searching for the Memory of the Universe45On the track of nature's information field46How the quantum vacuum generates, conserves, andconveys information515 Enter the Akashic Field56Why the A-field - reviewing the evidence 561. Cosmology57

2. Quantum Physics693. Biology834. Consciousness Research6 The "A-Field Effect"90106The varieties of A-field effectIn conclusion . . .112106PART T W OEXPLORING THE INFORMED UNIVERSE7 The Origins and Destiny of Life and the Universe121Where everything came from - and where it is going 121Life on Earth and in the universe131The future of life in the cosmos1378Consciousness: Human and Cosmic143The roots of consciousness143The wider information of consciousness149The next evolution of human consciousness151Cosmic consciousness153Immortality and reincarnation1569 The Poetry of Cosmic Vision164An Autobiographical Retrospective:Forty Years in Quest ofthe Integral Theory of Everything168The author's journey mirrored in comments by some of theforemost scientists and thinkers of our time178References and Further ReadingIndex200187