American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (1992) Winner
Fritjof Capra
フリチョフ・カプラ
Fritjof Capra
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1939-02-01 （Vienna, Austria）
- Nationality
- Austria, United States
- Languages
- English, German
- Residence History
- Vienna, Austria → Berkeley, California, USA → Santa Cruz, California, USA → San Francisco, California, USA → London, United Kingdom (worked)
Career
- Occupations
- physicist, author, systems theorist, deep ecologist
- Active Years
- 1966-2025
- Affiliations
- University of California, Santa Cruz (faculty), University of California, Berkeley (faculty), San Francisco State University (faculty), Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (research), Center for Ecoliteracy (founding director), Schumacher College (faculty)
- Influenced By
- Gregory Bateson, Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, Ilya Prigogine
- Influenced
- ecoliteracy movement, systems-thinking based education and practice
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Vienna | Faculty of Science (Physics) | Theoretical Physics | PhD | 1960–1966 | Austria |
University of Vienna
Faculty of Science (Physics)
/ Theoretical Physics
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1960–1966
Year of Graduation:
1966
Country:
Austria
PhD in theoretical physics
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | American Book Award | — | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
American Book Award
1992
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Tao of Physics
1975 popular science / comparative thoughtA popular account drawing parallels between modern physics and Eastern mysticism, exploring connections between science and spirituality.
comparison of physics and religionEastern thoughtquantum mysticism
The Turning Point
1982 science & societyCritiques reductionist paradigms and advocates a shift to holistic systems thinking to address societal and ecological problems.
holismsystems theoryscience-society relations
Adaptations
- [film] Mindwalk (1990)
The Web of Life
1996 popular science / systems biologySynthesizes complexity and nonlinear theories to present a systems-based understanding of living systems and their interrelationships.
complex systemsinterconnectednesssystems thinking
The Hidden Connections
2002 social science / systems thinkingExtends systems and complexity theory to the social domain to discuss critical contemporary issues.
social systemssustainabilityinterdependence
Bibliography
- The Tao of Physics
- The Turning Point
- Green Politics (with Charlene Spretnak)
- Uncommon Wisdom
- Belonging to the Universe (with David Steindl-Rast)
- The Web of Life
- The Hidden Connections
- The Science of Leonardo
- Learning from Leonardo
- The Systems View of Life (with Pier Luigi Luisi)
- Patterns of Connection
Adaptations
- Film 'Mindwalk' (Capra contributed to screenplay; loosely based on The Turning Point)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- clear popular-science expositioninterdisciplinary prose bridging science and philosophyholistic, systems-theory based approach
- Recurring Motifs
- interconnectedness and networksholismintersection of Eastern thought and modern science
Legacy
Capra has fostered dialogue between science and spirituality through works like The Tao of Physics and contributed to the spread of systems thinking and ecoliteracy. His work influenced education, environmental thought, and interdisciplinary discourse.
In Popular Culture
- Contributed to the screenplay of the film 'Mindwalk', promoting public dialogue on science and ideas
Quotes
-
The Tao of Physics asserts that both physics and metaphysics lead to the same knowledge.
Source: Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics (1975)
Trivia
- Born in Vienna in 1939.
- Became a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in 1995.
- Contributed to the screenplay of the 1990 film Mindwalk.
- Participated in the Fundamental Fysiks Group in the 1970s.