Light and Quantum Mind with Arthur Zajonc, Ph.D.

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Dr. Zajonc explores the history of light and attempts to unravel its mysteries in this fascinating dialogue. Frequently citing examples from the great German poet, Goethe and exploring how quantum physics breaks down classical notions of how the world is put together, Zajonc moves on to the question, "Do we see the world fully, or is there a part of it that's still invisible?" Dr. Zajonc has incorporated into his research the struggle to bridge the vital connection between the outer light of nature and our inner spiritual light, stressing the relationship between human experience and scientific exploration. (hosted by Mark Walstrom)

Bio

Arthur Zajonc is Andrew Mellon professor of physics emeritus at Amherst College and President of the Mind & Life Institute. He has been visiting professor and research scientist at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, and a Fulbright professor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. His research has included studies in parity violation in atoms, the experimental foundations of quantum physics, and the relationship between sciences, the humanities, and meditation.

His books include:

• Catching the Light: The Entwined History of Light and Mind (Oxford University Press, 1995)
• Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry: When Knowing Becomes Love (Lindisfarne Books 2008)
• The New Physics and Cosmology Dialogues with the Dalai Lama (coauthor Zara Houshmand) (Oxford University Press 2004)
• The Quantum Challenge: Modern Research on the Foundations of Quantum (coauthor George Greenstein) (Jones & Bartlett Learning 2005)
• Goethe's Way of Science (coauthor David Seamon) (Suny Series 1998)
• The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal (coauthor Parker Palmer) (Jossey-Bass 2010)

To learn more about the work of Arthur Zajonc to go www.arthurzajonc.org.

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• Why you may feel nervous or anxious under fluorescent lights
• How light affects your mood and sense of well-being
• The types of light and the amounts you need in your life
• What the visually-impaired teach us about seeing
• Color therapy for physically and mentally-challenged children
• The use and potential of color and light as tools to heal
• Secrets of the Gothic cathedrals
• The possibility of invisible worlds
• Possible future directions on scientific studies of light
• How the artist trains his "inner eyes"