Editing Fritjof Capra (section)

== Life and work ==
Born in Vienna, Austria, Capra attended the [[University of Vienna]], where he earned his [[PhD]] in [[theoretical physics]] in 1966. He conducted research in [[particle physics]] and [[systems theory]] at the [[University of Paris]] (1966–1968), the [[University of California, Santa Cruz]] (1968–1970), the [[Stanford Linear Accelerator Center]] (1970), [[Imperial College, London]] (1971–1974) and the [[Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory]] (1975–1988). While at Berkeley, he was a member of the [[Fundamental Fysiks Group]], founded in May 1975 by [[Elizabeth Rauscher]] and [[George Weissmann]], which met weekly to discuss [[philosophy]] and [[quantum physics]].<ref>[[David Kaiser (physicist)|Kaiser, David]]. ''How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture and the Quantum Revival''. W. W. Norton & Company, 2011, pp. xv–xvii, xxiii.</ref> He also taught at U.C. Santa Cruz, [[U.C. Berkeley]], and [[San Francisco State University]].

He has written popular books on the implications of science, notably ''The Tao of Physics'' (1975), subtitled ''An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism''. ''The Tao of Physics'' asserts that both [[physics]] and [[metaphysics]] lead inexorably to the same knowledge. After touring Germany in the early 1980s, Capra co-wrote ''Green Politics'' with author [[Charlene Spretnak]] in 1984.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

He is fluent in German, English, French and Italian.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Capra contributed to the screenplay for the 1990 movie ''[[Mindwalk]]'', starring [[Liv Ullmann]], [[Sam Waterston]] and [[John Heard (actor)|John Heard]]. The film is loosely based on his book, ''The Turning Point''.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

In 1991 Capra co-authored ''[[Belonging to the Universe]]'' with [[David Steindl-Rast]], a [[Benedictine]] [[monk]]. Using Thomas Kuhn's ''[[The Structure of Scientific Revolutions]]'' as a stepping stone, the book explores parallels between [[Paradigm shift|new paradigm]] thinking in science and in  religion; the authors posit that, together, these new paradigms offer remarkably compatible views about the universe.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Capra advocates that [[Western culture]] abandon conventional linear thought and the [[mechanistic]] views of [[Descartes]]. Critiquing the [[reductionistic]] Cartesian view that everything can be studied in parts to understand the whole, he encourages a [[holistic]] approach. In ''The Web of Life'', Capra focuses on systemic information generated by the ''relationships'' among all parts as a significant additional factor in understanding the  character of the whole, emphasizing the web-like structure of all systems and the interconnectedness of all parts.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

He is a founding director of the [[Center for Ecoliteracy]] located in [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]], California, which promotes ecology and [[systems thinking]] in primary and secondary education.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Capra is an [[Earth Charter]] International Council member.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}