Book Reviewed: Beyond Biocentrism: Rethinking Time, Space, Consciousness, and the Illusion of Death, by Robert Lanza and Bob Beerman

Biocentrism is a way of defining the nature of physical reality

Biocentrism is a concept that suggests the consciousness creates the universe and not the cosmos creating life and consciousness. Consequently life (biology) is primal to understanding physical reality that is normally described by the laws of physics operating in space and time. This idea is not new, in fact Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism proposed this simple concept through the sacred scriptures of Upanishads and Brahma-sutras that existed in in the Hindu literature since sixth century B.C.E. In fact the authors briefly discuss Vedanta but do not elaborate to any significant length. The Buddhist doctrine also believes in the ultimate reality as being the “Pure Consciousness.”

The idea that consciousness creates reality is also a unique feature of quantum physics. What we observe in quantum physics experiments is dependent on the observer and it involves our consciousness. If we do not observe, quantum physics states that matter is suspended in an undetermined state of probability and all possible realities are possible. Besides there is no such thing as past or future according to the laws of physics, since laws are equally applicable, going from past to future or future to past. Both relativistic physics ad quantum physics is unequivocal about this reality.

The authors observe that the consciousness and cosmos are one and the same because there is no universe without perception. In this life-centered view, space is created by mind’ algorithms, and the cosmos is outside of time and there is no death or birth, and seeing space is a word that symbolizes nothing meaningful. They conclude that spacetime and the cosmos is infinite. But here is the real problem; infinity is a concept, a mathematical abstraction and it is different from infinity in physics or cosmology. The space and time are not infinite and infinity cannot exist in reality. Physicists have struggled to marry quantum mechanics with classical gravity for decades, and they run into trouble because the calculations yield infinity, which according to physics and reality is a nonsensical result. In quantum mechanics, space and time is a unified concept as four-dimensional background where matter dances in its presence to create gravity and the classical reality. Some physicists, who think outside the “box,” suggest that space is real and time is an illusion; and others argue that time is real and space is an illusion.

I have rated two stars since the authors have not proposed anything new in this book. Most of these ideas are already discussed in their 2010 book published under the title, “Biocentrism: How life and consciousness are the keys to the understanding of the universe.” Secondly the idea being proposed that the universe and spacetime are infinite is unreal and not possible in any form of realty. Cosmology proposes that there are 10100 universes, but that number is not infinite, it is just large. Finally this book is purported to discuss the concept of death, the role of plant consciousness, and if machines becomes conscious. But it does not go into any depth but makes few observations and draws conclusions. The author also argues that death does not exist, but do not explain what exactly does death means to the body, and if there is a soul that transmigrates upon death. Another misleading fact is that the authors refer to mind instead consciousness; according many neurobiologists they are not the same.