Why the World Doesn't Seem to Make Sense: An Inquiry into Science, Philosophy, and Perception by Steve Hagen

Why the World Doesn't Seem to Make Sense: An Inquiry into Science, Philosophy, and Perception Reviews

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  David Guy

  I would say that this is the best explanation of the Buddha's three marks of existence that I've ever read, except that Steve Hagen--who is a prominent Buddhist teacher, and whose other books are from that perspective--only mentions the Buddha in passing in this book, and doesn't mention him at all when discussing the three marks (impermanence, unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and the abesence of a self). Nevertheless, by the time you reach that explanation, you find what he's saying almost undeniable. Hagen seems to be the one Buddhist teacher who understands contemporary science and math, and who can explain the Buddha's teaching in light of them. This is not an easy read, but I found it a brilliant and fascinating book, especially in its final three chapters. How the old Chinese Zen teachers understood the truths of modern physics hundreds of years ago I will never understand.
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  Nick Matropuhlus

  I read this cover to cover during a weekend. It could certainly be trimmed in certain areas (especially in regards to his mathematical examples), but it remained a thoroughly engaging read throughout and helped clarify some Buddhist inspired philosophy that I’ve had trouble fully comprehending. I also liked that it delved so deeply into quantum mechanics, explaining not only it’s mystery, but its significance in how it can help us accurately view out own lives (and life itself).
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  A.R. Davis

  This book is exactly what I wanted to read, a philosophical inquiry into the nature of Reality, although I found it riddled with fundamental logical flaws. I don’t think that would upset the author. After all, his main theme is that “liberation lies in just seeing.” Hagen believes in Reality with a capital R as well as Truth, he just doesn’t believe in the existence of the self. More troubling than the illogic, however, is the sense that this writing is an awful lot of effort, full of a great many concepts, from a non-self who wants us to “be at ease with inconceivability.” At times, the use of science and mathematical examples seemed more designed to impress the reader with the truth of the interpretation than it was to attribute meaning to the concepts. I must admit however, as a retired mathematics teacher and believer in Descartes’ “cogito ergo sum” to be extremely intrigued by Hagen’s relating measurement of the quantum world to measurement of the macro world by perception and consciousness. Overall, a very, very, thought provoking book.
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  Guillermo

  This book provided a deep exposure to a way of thinking and viewing things that I had only come across superficially in the past. The philosophical aspect behind it left me with an uplifting way to look at things. Additionally, was a math major, and no one in college ever provided as neat a perspective of imaginary numbers as Hagan’s explanation.
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  Andy Kurzweil

  I found the book not unpleasant to read but not very inspiring either. For example, that a baby and adult can be both the same person and different persons, is, to my mind, not an insuperable metaphysical problem, as the author seems to think, but, a matter of context. Given that we are finite beings in an infinite universe, it is a wonder the world makes any sense at all and we should celebrate that. I have nothing against "just seeing" (bare awareness, mindfulness) but elevating it to the sole source of Truth (with a capital "T"), as the author seems to do, is, to my mind, no wiser than the same for conceptual thinking.
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  Majken

  Hagen is a good writer and does a good job explaining and questioning epistemological issues from a zen buddhist perspective. For someone who hasn't been studying epistemology before, this is a great book. If you're an advanced learner, this book might be too light.
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  Jonn

  Excellent book explaining Buddhist philosophy from a purely philosophical, scientific, non-Buddhist perspective.
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  Kevin

  Worth reading
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  Egor Azanov

  Brilliant recontextualization of Madhyamaka seeing through contemporary perspectives