Mark Booth is the author of the new book The Secret History of the Universe: How Ancient Wisdom Made the Modern World. His other books include The Secret History of the World. He lives in London.
Q: What inspired you to write The Secret History of the Universe?
A: A few years previously I’d written a book called The Secret History of the World. The idea was to look at mystical traditions about history, see what they had in common, then tell it as a straightforward narrative.
I didn’t try to prove any of it, just to show that there is a coherent, cogent worldview to set against the materialistic one we’ve been educated to believe in.
I invited readers to see if it resonated with their experience of the world. And it seemed to. As a result, many people from different walks of life got in touch, including writers, artists, rock stars, comedians, spies – they love a bit of secrecy – and, most surprisingly, scientists.
They told me about their mystical beliefs and explained how these beliefs helped them to formulate their theories. I discovered that this was true of many of the great physicists of modern times, and that theirs was a remarkable story which has never been told.
Q: What do you see as the relationship between this book and The Secret History of the World?
A: The Secret History of the World reveals the esoteric or occult meanings of many myths, religious texts, great art and literature. The Secret History of the Universe does the same for science. I’m saying you can’t really understand what, for instance, Einstein or Bohr meant unless you understand the mystical philosophies and experiences that drove them.
Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: I was useless at physics at school. I found it boring. But the scientists who came to see me patiently explained the new science, very different to the science I was taught at school, and it’s fascinating! Something that helped me is that I’m very familiar with the esoteric ideas that inform the new science.
I think what’s most surprising is that the new science says that the universe has three dimensions, and time moving steadily forward is an illusion. We believe it because it’s useful, not because it’s true. What we perceive as solid objects are not solid at all. So as a vision of reality, it’s very close to the ancient, religious one.
There are lots of books written about e.g. “quantum spirituality” or “quantum healing” which are very wishy-washy. Wishful thinking. I was determined that my book would quote the scientists directly from sources listed in the notes. These are not my ideas about science. They’re the ideas of Nobel laureates and professors at top universities.
Q: What do you ultimately hope readers take away from the book?
A: We have been educated to believe that science is a barrier to religious belief. I hope readers will see that that is not the case!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m busy engaging with readers’ questions and comments, both online and on the air. It’s exhilarating. I think we’re thinking a lot of thoughts no one has thought before. This is especially true in the area of AI.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’m on Substack, where my feed is available for free: https://thesecrethistoryof.substack.com/
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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