Fritjof Capra - Bibliography

Bibliography

Capra has written several books and articles. A selection of his books:

The Tao of Physics: Capra's first book, first published in 1975, challenges conventional wisdom by demonstrating striking parallels between Oriental and Greek mystical traditions and the discoveries of 20th century physics. It was originally published by a small publisher with no budget for promotion, but the book became bestseller by word of mouth before it was picked up by a major American publishing house. The Tao of Physics has now been published in 43 editions in 23 languages.

The Turning Point: First published in 1982, and subtitled Science, Society, and the Rising Culture, the book explains perceived scientific and economic crises. It begins by outlining and tracing the history of science and economics, highlighting the flaws in the Cartesian, Newtonian, and reductionist paradigms. It explains how such viewpoints have grown inadequate for modern technology and ecology needs, then argues that science needs to develop the concepts and insights of holism and systems theory to solve society's complex problems.

Green Politics: Green Politics, co-authored with Charlene Spretnak and first published in 1984, analyzes the rise of the Green Party in Germany and similar ecology-oriented political parties in other European countries. It has been published in 7 editions in 4 languages.

Uncommon Wisdom: First published in 1988, the book describes dialogues and personal encounters between himself and the thinkers who helped to shape the theme of The Turning Point. It has been published in 16 editions and 12 languages.

Belonging to the Universe: Belonging to the Universe is subtitled Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality and was coauthored with David Steindl-Rast and Thomas Matus. The book explores parallels between new ways of thinking in science and Christian theology. It has been published in 10 editions in 7 languages.

The Web of Life: First published in 1997, book starts from the conceptual framework presented in The Turning Point, summarizes the mathematics of complexity, and offers a synthesis of recent nonlinear theories of living systems that have dramatically increased our understanding of the key characteristics of life. The book has been published in 14 editions in 10 languages.

The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living: First published in 2002, extends the framework of systems and complexity theory to the social domain and uses the extended framework to discuss some of the critical issues of our time.

The Science of Leonardo: Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance: Published in 2007, its central idea is that Leonardo's science is a science of living forms, of quality, which can be seen as a distant forerunner of today's complexity and systems theories. The book has been published in 7 editions in 5 languages.