The Mental Universe

Image credit: Jonathan Pie

This morning, while reviewing my email drafts folder, which I frequently use to save links, quotes, and other things I want to save or come back to later, I came across a quote:

“Get over it, and accept the inarguable conclusion.
The universe is immaterial-mental and spiritual.”
– R.C. Henry, Professor of physics and Astronomy
at Johns Hopkins University.

The quote really resonated with me, but I could not remember where I first saw it, then consequently added it to the draft email.  In the past, I have found some quotes to be inaccurate, and often times even attributed to the wrong person, so I’ve gotten in the (sometimes very time-consuming) habit of researching quotes before adding them to this website.  To me, a quote, no matter how inspiring or otherwise worthy of my attention, should be accurate both in content and attribution.

In searching for the quote already mentioned, I was unable to find a word-for-word confirmation of its authenticity.  I did, however, find that the quote is at the least a good paraphrasing of ideas articulated by Professor of Physics and Astronomy at John’s Hopkins University, Richard Conn Henry.  In my search I found an essay written by Professor Henry entitled The Mental Universe (pdf download), which was published in Nature Magazine, Volume 436, 7/7/2005.  Below are a couple of my favorite quotes from the essay.

According to Sir James Jeans: “the stream of knowledge is heading towards a non-mechanical reality; the Universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine.  Mind no longer appears to be an accidental intruder into the realm of matter… we ought rather hail it as the creator and governor of the realm of matter.”

One  benefit  of  switching humanity to a correct perception of the world is the resulting joy of discovering the mental nature of the Universe. We have no idea what this mental nature implies, but — the great thing is — it is true. Beyond the acquisition of this perception, physics can no longer help. You may descend into solipsism, expand to deism, or something else if you can justify it — just don’t ask physics for help.

The Universe is immaterial — mental and spiritual. Live, and enjoy.

During my search, I also found this page, entitled The Paradox of Physics Envy: The Mental Universe which states:

One wonders how long this great disconnect can be sustained, and what has made such irrationality possible among researchers who pride themselves on their hardheadedness and the sophistication of their intellectual work, as well as the compatibility of their discipline with the truth of physics.

Lastly, I also find it very interesting that The Kybalion, A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece, which was published in 1908 states within the first of Seven Hermetic Principles (“The Principle of Mentalism”):

The ALL IS MIND; The Universe is Mental.

You can download a PDF file of The Kybalion here at CreativeRadiance.com.

You can download a PDF file of The Mysterious Universe, by Sir James Jeans at Archive.org.