Blackfoot Physics: A Journey into the Native American Practice | F. David Peat

Blackfoot Physics: A Journey into the Native American Practice | F. David Peat | A unique and original work of insight

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Blackfoot Physics:...

	Blackfoot Physics: A Journey into the Native American Practice F. David Peat Weiser Books, 2005 - 356 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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One summer in the 1980s, theoretical physicist F. David Peat went to a Blackfoot Sun Dance ceremony. Having spent all of his life steeped in and influenced by linear Western science, he was entranced by the Native American worldview and, through dialogue circles between scientists and native elders, he began to explore it in greater depth.

Blackfoot Physics is the account of his discoveries. In an edifying synthesis of anthropology, history, metaphysics, cosmology, and quantum theory, Peat compares the medicines, the myths, the languages?the entire perceptions of reality of the Western and indigenous peoples. What becomes apparent is the amazing resemblance between indigenous teachings and some of the insights that are emerging from modern science, a congruence that is as enlightening about the physical universe as it is about the circular evolution of humanity?s understanding. Through Peat?s insightful observations, he extends our understanding of ourselves, our understanding of the universe, and how the two intersect in a meaningful vision of human life in relation to a greater reality.

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Fascinating Stuff

It takes a while to get into this book because the first chapter is a bit boring (needs some serious editing, in fact). But once past that hurdle, there's not a dull moment. While one might take issue with the author's apparent attitude that the Native American version of science is superior to that of the Western world's, there's no doubt that the Western world has missed a lot of vital information about the nature of reality. The Native Americans were shoved aside by the Western invaders, who seldom had the sense to acknowledge the wisdom (not to mention the mathematics and the astronomy and the way to make a decent canoe) that the natives had to offer; now we're learning that much of what the natives believed is echoed in the new physics that is still being examined.

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A unique and original work of insight

Blackfoot Physics: A Journey Into The Native American Universe is a melding of anthropology, history, metaphysics, cosmology, and quantum theory. Written by F. David Peat (a theoretical physicist who has also studied Native American ceremonies and traditions such as the Blackfoot Sun Dance), Blackfoot Physics strives to bridge the gap between diverse understandings of the universe, while crafting parallels between science and spirituality. A unique and original work of insight, Blackfoot Physics in a unique and strongly recommended contribution to Metaphysical Philosophy and Native American Studies.

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A good Paradigm Shifter

Grounds heady new understandings and observations in physics and quantum physics with the human sense of the sacred found within the human experience and wisdom of indigenous peoples. The child within you just might remember. Worth the time and expense.

Blackfoot Physics

When I found this book, as an archaeologist who works primarily with Plains First Nations, I was thrilled that someone had written an in-depth book about the worldview of the Blackfoot. Through my own experiences, I have gained some outsider insight into the wealth of Blackfoot culture and was eager to learn more.

Unfortunately, the title Blackfoot Physics is a misnomer. Though the author describes his experiences while waiting for the Sun Dance to begin in the first few chapters, most of the book discusses various traditional belief systems and world views ranging from various North America First Nations to various cultures, past and present, around the world. Much of this material is either very general in nature or is intended for those without any prior knowledge of these traditions, basically illustrating the point that all world views have value.

Although I thought that the author did a very good job of illustrating that other cultures have different (and just as valid) ways of viewing the world, I am concerned that people will believe that all aboriginal world views are the same. This erroneous perception could further strengthen the common "primitive societies" stereotypes that the author was trying to break down.

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