Fritjof Capra

Fritjof Capra (born 1 February 1939) is a physicist, systems theorist and author who has been at the forefront of ‘new paradigm’ thinking in society for several decades. After receiving his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Vienna in 1966, Capra did research in particle physics at the University of Paris (1966–68), the University of California at Santa Cruz (1968–70), the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (1970), Imperial College, University of London (1971–74), and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory at the University of California (1975–88). He also taught at UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State University.

In addition to his research in physics and systems theory, Capra has been engaged in a systematic examination of the philosophical and social implications of contemporary science for the past 30 years. His books and films on this subject – most famously, the million-selling Tao of Physics and film Mindwalk – have been acclaimed internationally, and he has lectured widely to lay and professional audiences in Europe, Asia, and North and South America.

Capra has been the focus of over 50 television interviews, documentaries, and talk shows in Europe, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Japan, and has been featured in major newspapers and magazines internationally. Capra is also founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California, which promotes ecology and systems thinking in primary and secondary education and is on the faculty of Schumacher College, an international centre for ecological studies in England.  

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Interview Transcript

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In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about The Turning Point and sustainability with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about systems thinking and sustainability with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about holism, living systems and Leonardo da Vinci with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about climate change and systems thinking with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about economic growth and China with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about dynamics of societal change with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about leadership with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about systems thinking for social systems with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about systems thinking and sustainability for companies with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Fritjof Capra, author of The Turning Point (1982), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about looking to the future with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 15 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.