BOOK REVIEW 111 has looked into the box and recorded the fact in human consciousness. The cat paradox was thus useful as an antidote to the view that the wave function refers not to a physical model but to human knowledge about an object. Notwithstanding h^s total opposition to the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum physics and his scathing criticism of the positivist philosophy of science, Schrodinger's biographer points out, 'From his time as a young man in cold and hungry wartime Vienna, when he delved deep into the Upanishads, through his years of great scientific accomplishment, to his situation as a philosopher on the verge of old age, Schrodinger had never deviated from a religious understanding of our mysterious world.' (p. 438) Scientists working in the frontier areas of their disciplines do come to the conclusion that there is no distinction between physics and metaphysics. Finding themselves in the Socratic dilemma 'the more you know, the less you know'; enthralled by the infinitely inexhaustible process of cognition, the response of the scientist is determined by a whole gamut of complex factors including personal predilections and familiarity with contemporary thought. But Schrodinger's metaphysical world-view is prior to his involvement in the frontier areas of research. He held the view that 'physics provides no answers to philosophical questions.' His biographer observes, 'It is not known that his belief in Vedanta ever influenced his actions as distinct from his philosophical writings, and he also kept this belief scrupulously separated from his work in theoretical physics, even from his interpretation of wave mechanics.' Discussing in detail the popular works of Schrodinger, My View of the World and What is Life, Moore says, 'Erwin, however, never allowed his distrust of Maya to inhibit his enjoyment of its illusory pleasures. He found happiness in his intellectual work, the companionship of friends, good wine, poetry and drama, the love of women, and explorations of mountains and seashores. In these ways also he resembled his mentor Schopenhauer, who was able to combine a pessimism about the world with an indulgence in its pleasures, and an almost paranoid misogyny with an ardent pursuit of fair women.' (p. 176) Schrodinger displayed rare strength of character and fortitude that led to his decision to leave Berlin in the heyday of Nazism. His dislike of Nazism was quite well known. His biographer notes, 'His manner of leaving his important Berlin position was like a slap in the face of the regime; even though he made no overt political statement, the Nazis recognised him as an enemy.' Schrodinger's collection of philosophical essays titled Mind and Matter published in 1958 has him quote Carl Jung approvingly: 'All science is a function of the soul, in which all knowledge is rooted. The soul is the greatest of all cosmic wonders, it is the conditio sine qua non of the world as an object. It is remarkable that Western mankind, with a few exceptions, has accorded so little value to this fact. The flood of