Quantum mysticism
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Quantum mysticism is a pejorative term used by Margaret Wertheim and others to address the proliferation of metaphysical or New Age interpretations of quantum mechanics.[1].
As often happens in the wake of new scientific ideas, the notions implicit in quantum mechanics have influenced philosophical thought, especially with regard to the uncertainty principle and other counterintuitive aspects of the theory. Thinkers such as Fritjof Capra claim there is a compelling connection between quantum mechanics and Eastern mysticism, a view also espoused in the 2004 film What tнe ♯$*! Do ωΣ (k)πow!? Made by the Ramtha School of Enlightenment — a movement allegedly named after the 30,000 year old spirit channelled by the founder JZ Knight — the film attempts to use ideas about quantum mechanics, among other sciences, to support its New Age thesis.
Science fiction writer Greg Egan, among many scientists and skeptics, has complained that quantum mysticism is hijacking the terminology of modern science without understanding the underlying concepts or employing any of the intellectual rigour intrinsic to scientific inquiry. The physicist Murray Gell-Mann once described these beliefs as quantum flapdoodle.[2]
Although many New Age books and websites claim that quantum mechanics provides a firm scientific basis for such beliefs as a mysterious connection between all living things, or that ESP is real, most physicists would argue that nothing in quantum mechanics offers proof for such beliefs. Strong criticism comes from adherents of scientific skepticism, who hold that (to quote Marcello Truzzi) 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary proofs'.
As physicist Heinz Pagels writes in The Cosmic Code:
- "Some recent popularizers of Bell's work when confronted with Bell's inequality have gone on to claim that telepathy is verified or the mystical notion that all parts of the universe are instantaneously interconnected is vindicated. Others assert that this implies communication faster than the speed of light. That is rubbish; the quantum theory and Bell's inequality imply nothing of this kind. Individuals who make such claims have substituted a wish-fulfilling fantasy for understanding. If we closely examine Bell's experiment we will see a bit of sleight of hand by the God that plays dice which rules out actual nonlocal influences. Just as we think we have captured a really weird beast--like acausal influences--it slips out of our grasp. The slippery property of quantum reality is again manifested."
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[edit] Works in the field
- Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism, Shamballa, 1975
- Deepak Chopra MD, various works including his theory of Quantum healing
- Amit Goswami, The Self-Aware Universe
- Lawrence Leshan, The Medium, the Mystic, and the Physicist: Toward a General Theory of the Paranormal, 1966, 1974, Ballentine, ISBN 345-24408-7-195
- Diarmuid O'Marche. Quantum Theology, Crossroads, 1997, ISBN 0-8245-1630-3
- Michael Talbot, The Holographic Universe ISBN 0-06-092258-3
- Michael Talbot, Mysticism And The New Physics ISBN 0-14-019328-6
- Michael Talbot, Beyond The Quantum ISBN 0-553-34480-3
- Arthur Zajonc, Zara Houshmand The New Physics and Cosmology Dialogues with the Dalai Lama
- Gary Zukav, The Dancing Wu Li Masters, 1980, ISBN 0-553-26382-X
[edit] Against quantum mystical point of view
- Victor J. Stenger. (1995). The Unconscious Quantum: Metaphysics in Modern Physics and Cosmology, Prometheus Books, ISBN 1-57392-022-3, an anti-mystical point-of-view
- "Quantum Physics Quackery", Skeptical Inquirer, January 1997 (discusses book The Self-Aware Universe) online
