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BOOK REVIEW Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner Oxford University Press - June 2006
Reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty First, I want assure readers who are not physicists, and even those who are not science-enabled, that they have nothing to fear in reading Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness. The book is written for the ordinary literate reader and no understanding of physics or general science is assumed by the authors (both physicists). And it is a fascinating read! I should like to think that virtually everyone is somewhat familiar with the term "quantum theory" (or quantum mechanics). Unless one has been living under a rock from birth, with no access to television, newspapers, or magazines, it is hard to escape from having some general idea of quantum physics and the contributions it has made to our modern technological environment. As the authors point out in Chapter Eight: "Quantum mechanics works well in science, but how important is it practically? In fact, one-third of our economy involves products based on quantum mechanics." For those who like percentages instead of fractions, that's 33 and 1/3 percent! That's a lot of products, including such common items as "lasers," transistors, and the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines one hears about in hospital commercials all the time. Have a DVD player? Thank quantum mechanics. Have a new TV, cell phone, or microwave oven? Thank quantum mechanics. When one looks around at all the neat technological devices we have today, it is not difficult to see that "one-third of our economy involves products based on quantum mechanics." Now that we have the importance of quantum mechanics out of the way, why was this book written in the first place? Well, for some physicists at least, the theory, in its deepest understanding, presents a situation which the authors refer to as the "quantum enigma." This "situation" may also be important to us ordinary thinking mortals as well and could be especially so for professional philosophers and students of philosophy. Why? Because the "situation" raises a fundamental question regarding the nature of what we commonly call "reality." But before we get into that matter, we need to ask: What is an "enigma"? My Webster's New World Dictionary defines an enigma this way: "(1) a perplexing statement; riddle; hence, (2) a perplexing, baffling, or seemingly inexplicable matter...," -- and "mystery" may be an appropriate synonym. I think this definition is right on the mark for how the authors use the word "enigma" in their book. But what is the "enigma" discussed by the authors? Quantum mechanics (or theory) is part and parcel of an empirical science we know as "physics" and physics is considered a "physical" or "natural" science, a science which depends on such things as observations, quantitative measurements, systematic experimentation, testable hypotheses, and so on. The job of empirical scientists is to study phenomena "out there" in the natural (or physical) world without regard to any "nonphysical" entities which may or may not actually exist. They deal with "physical reality," an objectively-defined reality which exists "independently" of our observations or wishes. Or so it is supposed. What would happen, however, if this supposition turns out to be not quite true or correct? What would happen if it turns out that quantum theory forces us to believe that "physical" reality is actually "created" by our observation of it? What would happen if quantum mechanics, supposedly a "physical" theory within a "physical" science, was shown to be "intimately connected" with "consciousness," a decidedly "nonphysical" phenomenon traditionally held to be within the domain of psychology, an academic discipline not usually categorized as a "physical" science (except for those who belong to the school of Behaviorism, of course -- once popular, now without much influence in the academy according to my sources). In other words, what happens when "physics encounters consciousness"? Hence the subtitle for this book and the "enigma" discussed. The problem basically is this, as the authors explain: "Quantum theory ... tells us that observing an object to be someplace 'causes' it to be there. ... [A]ccording to quantum theory, an object can be in two, or many, places at once -- even far distant places. Its existence at the particular place it happens to be found becomes an actuality only upon its (conscious) observation. ... This seems to deny the existence of a physically real world independent of our observation of it." So, at this point, physics seems to encounter consciousness. And this seems to be the problematic "enigma" and it is, according to the authors (and some other physicists), a kind of "skeleton in the closet" for modern physics. Now, this proposal that "observation creates reality" is not exactly new. In fact, it has been considered a traditional "philosophical" problem and discussed by philosophers for millennia. "To be is to be perceived" (or some variation thereof) is a proposition promulgated by philosophers who are "metaphysical idealists" or "epistemological idealists" (depending on whether "being" or "knowledge of being" is emphasized) and this philosophical position has always been the bane of more "realistic" philosophers, including yours truly, who falls entirely within the tradition of Classical Philosophical Realism and supports a position within that tradition called "contextual realism." I don't have a problem with the "enigma" that many physicists (and apparently the authors) do have. Unfortunately, space prohibits me from getting into this matter in any detail. Although Quantum Enigma did not challenge my philosophical position, it was interesting to read about the various ways that physicists are attempting to deal with the "enigma." The authors note that their book is "controversial" and, indeed, I suspect that would be true among physicists and philosophers who hold to a philosophy of "scientific materialism." I found the book easily readable, although some may have to read the chapter about Schrödinger's cat more than once (can a cat be both dead and alive at the same time?). Thankfully, the authors provide a list of additional readings for both the general reader and advanced student and also a detailed index of topics. All in all, highly recommended. 
Order at Amazon.com Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness, by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner Order at Powell's Books Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness, by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner |
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