His work on Indian science has transformed the understanding of the nature of Indian civilization and he is one of the prominent figures of the contemporary Indian renaissance.
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2 Indic Studies 3 Bibliography 4 External Links |
Information and Quantum Theory
Kak's scientific research is in information theory, artificial intelligence including neural networks, and quantum theory. He is the inventor of a novel protocol for quantum teleportation and on quantum cosmological model of the universe.
Due to the subject-object dichotomy that undergirds science, Kak believes that it can only deal with objects and not with the perceiving subject. Therefore, he thinks it will be impossible to create a formal science of consciousness. Nevertheless, the use of quantum mechanics may provide insights into the nature of mind. He sees brain as a classical machine that is able to reduce the infinite possibilities of a quantum-like universal consciousness. The mind can only think sequentially while reality is simultaneous across countless dimensions. He has argued that such a reduction from a universal consciousness may explain the amazing feats of savants.
His scientific philosophy indicates that a complete science based on the reductionist approach is impossible and thus the scientific enterprise is one without end.
Indic Studies
Kak discovered an astronomy in the altar construction connected with Vedic ritual and showed how these numbers are reflected in the very organization of the Rigveda. This work has opened the way to a proper appreciation of the sciences of ancient India, especially that of Vedic culture. In particular, he has presented new interpretations of Vedic ritual such as the Ashvamedha sacrifice.
The demonstration of an early Indian astronomy means that the astronomical references in the Vedic books cannot be ignored. These references indicate events that go back to the 3rd or the 4th millennium BC. Such early dates mean that the theories of the large-scale movements of the Indo-European people in the 2nd millennium BC are wrong.
Kak has stressed that a consistent cosmology underlies the Vedic view. In this cosmology the central notion is that of connections between the outer (physical) and the inner (subjective) worlds. This cosmology is the common theme running through spirituality, dance, music, temple architecture, and sculpture. The most striking example of these connections is the number 108. In the outer world, it is approximately the distance in terms of their diameters that the sun and the moon are away from the earth. Furthermore, the diameter of the sun is also about 108 times the diameter of the earth. The Natya Shastra, the 400 BC text on Indian arts by Bharata Muni describes 108 dances poses; the Indian rosary has 108 beads; and in Hindu worship one is enjoined to repeat the deitiy's name 108 times.
According to the Vedic cosmology, the gods of the hymns are cognitive centers, or the centers of the inner space of the mind. The Vedic system is a cryptic description of a science of consciousness.
He has shown that the Brahmi script of early classical India is derived from the Indus (or Sarasvati) script of the third millennium BC.
Bibliography
External Links