The Dancing WuLi Masters: Fact or Fiction?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the book "The Dancing WuLi Masters" by Gary Zukav, exploring its value as a popular science text and its reception among physicists. Participants express their opinions on the book's content, its illustrations, and comparisons to other popular science works.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant finds the book interesting and accessible due to its simple illustrations but expresses confusion over criticisms from physicists.
  • Another participant suggests that reading the book may not lead to learning physics, implying limitations in its educational value.
  • Some participants compare "The Dancing WuLi Masters" to other popular science books, noting that while it contains elements of new age ideas, it is considered to be of moderate quality compared to others.
  • Feynman's "QED - The Strange Theory Of Light And Matter" is mentioned as a superior alternative for understanding physics at a popular level.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the quality and educational value of "The Dancing WuLi Masters." There is no consensus on whether it is factually correct or whether it should be recommended for learning physics.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference criticisms of the book without detailing specific points, leaving the nature of these criticisms and their implications unclear.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to readers exploring popular science literature, particularly those considering "The Dancing WuLi Masters" and its reception in the scientific community.

A AM ARYA
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What do you think about the book "The Dancing WuLi Masters" by Gary Zukav?
I got this book from library and found it very interesting due to the simple illustrations(which I think is very good for a layman like me),but when I googled it I found some criticisms by the physicists regarding this book and also another book "The Tao Of Physics": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Physics#Acclaim_and_criticism
That's why I am confused...
Is it factually correct??
Should I continue reading the book or not?
 
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I haven't read it, but here's a review I found pretty quickly: http://www.popularscience.co.uk/reviews/rev120.htm
 
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A AM ARYA said:
Should I continue reading the book or not?

Sure, so long as you don't think you'll learn any physics from it,
 
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Popularisations are quite variable - some like Feynman's QED - The Strange Theory Of Light And Matter are excellent while others like - What The Bleep Do We Know Anyway is basically new age drivel trying to justify obvious rot like the Secret. The Dancing WuLi Masters IMHO is about the middle of that spectrum - it has a few aspects of new age gibberish - but overall not too bad.

Feynman's book is much much better at that level IMHO.

Thanks
Bill
 
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Drakkith said:
I haven't read it, but here's a review I found pretty quickly: http://www.popularscience.co.uk/reviews/rev120.htm
Thanks! I found it very helpful...
 
bhobba said:
Popularisations are quite variable - some like Feynman's QED - The Strange Theory Of Light And Matter are excellent while others like - What The Bleep Do We Know Anyway is basically new age drivel trying to justify obvious rot like the Secret. The Dancing WuLi Masters IMHO is about the middle of that spectrum - it has a few aspects of new age gibberish - but overall not too bad.

Feynman's book is much much better at that level IMHO.

Thanks
Bill
Thanks Mr.Bill for your suggestion.I'll read Feynman's book...
 
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