Nature Loves to Hide: Quantum Physics and Reality, a Western Perspective 1st Edition by Shimon Malin (PDF)

Description

The strangeness of modern physics has sparked several popular books–such as The Tao of Physics–that explore its affinity with Eastern mysticism. But the founders of quantum mechanics were educated in the classical traditions of Western civilization and Western philosophy. In Nature Loves to Hide, physicist Shimon Malin takes readers on a fascinating tour of quantum theory–one that turns to Western philosophical thought to clarify this strange yet inescapable explanation of reality. Malin translates quantum mechanics into plain English, explaining its origins and workings against the backdrop of the famous debate between Niels Bohr and the skeptical Albert Einstein. Then he moves on to build a philosophical framework that can account for the quantum nature of reality. He shows, for instance, how Platonic and Neoplatonic thought resonates with quantum theory. He draws out the linkage between the concepts of Neoplatonism and the more recent process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. The universe, Whitehead wrote, is an organic whole, composed not of lifeless objects, but “elementary experiences.” Beginning with Whitehead’s insight, Malin shows how this concept of “throbs of experience” expresses quantum reality, with its subatomic uncertainties, its constituents that are waves and also particles, its emphasis on acts of measurement. Once any educated person could explain the universe as a vast Newtonian web of cause and effect, but since quantum theory, reality again appears to be richer and more mysterious than we had thought. Writing with broad humanistic insight and deep knowledge of science, and using delightful conversations with fictional astronauts Peter and Julie to explain more difficult concepts, Shimon Malin offers a profound new understanding of the nature of reality–one that shows a deep continuity with aspects of our Western philosophical tradition going back 2500 years, and that feels more deeply satisfying, and truer, than the clockwork universe of Newton.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Amazon.com Review God, Albert Einstein famously observed, does not play dice with the universe. Much of quantum physics, a field of study that Einstein helped initiate and that has extended his theories into the oddest of corners, is so materialistic that it can find little room for speculation about the role of chance in the universe–and, indeed, for a supreme being at all. Shimon Malin, a professor of physics at Colgate University, notes that we are in the midst of a paradigm shift in our thinking about the universe and our place in it. With its “principle of objectivation” and its positing of a mysterious “collapse of quantum states” and multiple realities, among other theses, the new physics suggests that “nature is an organism whose functioning cannot be reduced to a set of mechanisms.” The resultant uncertainty has undermined traditional views of religion and human purpose, and philosophy has only begun to account for it. But, Malin suggests, that uncertainty need not lead to meaninglessness or nihilism. If we consider the universe to be alive and intelligent, and if we nurture “conscious attention” to it, then we become witnesses to and participants in its order and completion, even if we do not completely understand it. Confused? It’s easy to be confounded, for lines of thought in modern science and philosophy alike can be difficult to follow. Malin writes lucidly about the new physics, the quest for an overarching “theory of everything,” and the search for meaning in an apparently inanimate creation. If his discussions sometimes get a little tangled, well, that’s the nature of the subject itself. Whatever the case, there is much to ponder in his well-written book, and much to learn. –Gregory McNamee From Publishers Weekly Until the advent of quantum physics, scientists and society described the natural world in empirical terms. The theories of Werner Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrdinger shattered Newton’s mechanistic empirical theories, asserting that the reality of the natural world lay hidden behind the sensible world. What kind of reality did these scientists discover? How can one know this reality? Through a splendid survey of quantum physics and Western philosophy, physicist Malin (Colgate) offers answers to these and other questions. Using Plato’s theory of Forms he argues that reality cannot be confined to the sensible world. Malin then relies on Plotinus, a much later disciple of Plato, to contend that the universe is composed of multiple levels of being, which include both the phenomenal (the sensible) and the noumenal (the ideal). According to Malin, “our function in the universe is to bring about a relationship between the phenomenal and the noumenal worlds.” We can only do this, he argues, if we do not separate ourselves from the world mechanistically, if we do not act as subjects who seek purely to know the objective world. Through contemplation, not reason, we can grasp the organic unity of the universe and transcend the subject/object dichotomy that characterizes the Cartesian and Newtonian views of the universe. In order to explain the concepts of quantum physics and Western philosophy, Malin borrows an idea from Jostein Gaarder’s novel Sophie’s World, and introduces Julie and Peter, two astronauts who discuss the ideas Malin introduces, but these sections are contrived and silly. They merely interrupt an otherwise smooth narrative, in which Malin writes lucidly and explains complex ideas simply and thoroughly. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Review “A fascinating introduction to the strange world of quantum physics and its wider implications.”–Christian Science Monitor”In recent years, there have been many books for the lay reader on quantum mechanics and its philosophical and metaphysical implications, but this is an exceptionally good one…. Takes the reader step by step through the famous and difficult paradoxes of modern physics with remarkable clarity of thought and expression…. One of the delights of this book is an extensive encounter with the profound philosophical ponderings, struggles, and debates of [Plato, Plotinus, Whitehead, and the founding fathers of quantum mechanics]…. The author treats his reader with impeccable respect.”–Christian Wertenbaker, Parabola”Delightful and clear. Marvelous simplicity. Difficult concepts are explained with humor and felicity. Malin does a wonderful job in turning the weirdness of quantum mechanics into an exciting and intriguing discovery of a new way of looking at and relating with reality. A rich feast of ideas and concepts from many seminal minds of the Western world, especially those of Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Whitehead, and Plotinus.”–Ravi Ravindra, author of Science and the Sacred”This is a wonderful book. A clear presentation of the principles of quantum physics is followed by an equally clear exposition of the surprising resonance between quantum physics and great paradigms of Western civilization, both old and new. The entertaining conversations between two fictional characters add to the clarity of the presentation and the enjoyment of reading. A great read for anyone who is interested in the existential message of quantum mechanics.”–Anne Freire-Ashbaugh, author of Plato’s Theory of Explanation About the Author Shimon Malin is a Professor of Physics at Colgate University. A leading authority on quantum mechanics, General Relativity and cosmology, and philosophy, he is the author or co-author of three books and some fifty scientific papers. He lives in Brattleboro, Vermont. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This brilliant book brings physics and philosophy together with clarity and understanding. The conflict in physics between the claim that quantum physics is restricted to predictive descriptions and the claim that the results must be interpreted to understand reality is clearly shown here. Since those who just want to describe tend to a reductionist and materialist view of reality are, in fact, accepting an interpretation of quantum findings, it is important to face the issue squarely. Malin does just this with straightforward explanations of quantum physics (without the mathematics that drive lay people away) and frank interpretive possibilities. Malin concludes that Plato rather than Aristotle came closer to reality, a view that he substantiates in a variety of persuasive and fascinating ways. This is a luminous volume, both readable and profound.

⭐This is an excellent book on the interface of science and philosophy. Ever since Capra’s immensely successful ‘The Tao of Physics’, there has been widespread interest in the connections between modern theoretical physics and eastern religion. While opening many minds to a deeper sense of spirituality, this also may have helped to close many minds to the possibilities of a genuine Western spirituality. In this fascinating and readable book, Professor Malin succeeds in two important respects: First, through his clear exposition, and the use of charming dialogues, he brings the challenging and mind-altering ideas of modern physics within the reach of just about anyone. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, he has contributed to the reinvigoration of our Western philosophical tradition by bringing the ideas of Plato, Plotinus, and Whitehead, among others, back into the forefront, and he has shown how these great thinkers have foreseen our contemporary scientific achievements, and can imbue them with sense and meaning.

⭐Exactly as described, I was very happy to add to our collection.

⭐I bought the book used. The company I bought it from they were absolutely wonderful! I would recommend them to anyone. The price was right and they got it to me right away!

⭐I really admire Shimon Malin’s clear thinking and writing. His passing is a loss to us all.

⭐I am hardly an authority on quantum Physics, but this book seems in depth and perhaps profound.

⭐I WANT TO SEE THE TABLE CONTENTS OF AMAZON BOOKS!!!

⭐One could be forgiven for assuming that this was yet another book from the popularising-of-science stable written to assuage the thirst for them by the general public. But I must ask Malin for that forgiveness. This book is the most lucid account of the significance and implications of quantum theory written to date. Unlike Hawking’sbook in which he was instructed not to make use of equations as each one costs so many readers (and yet still managing to write a text that few understand),Malin never has a use for them because he writes as one dedicated to elucidation. He proceeds step by step, constantly summing up the main points. There is no obfuscation and no mystery. We are left in no doubt with regard to meaning, and the problems that remain to be solved are clearly outlined. Malin traces the history of quantum theory through the spirit of philosophy that imbues it. The founders of quantum theory did not work out these ideas as though they were merely puzzling phenomena. They were enthused by a sense of philosophical curiosity and dissatisfaction. Were it not for this, we may still be trying to work out the implications of the very small in a neo-Newtonian context. It is this emphasis on the philosophical that is contingent on the scientific that is the real subject here. The front cover reads “Quantum Physics and the Nature of Reality”, but these are not synonymous terms. Malin makes it clear that the former is an aspect of the latter, while philosophy already contains the perspective of the former as an intrinsic feature. This is clear from the ideas of Plato and Plotinus, but Malin emphasises their influence on another philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead. This is significant, because Whitehead is almost forgotten as a major figure, and yet there is not a statement in quantum physics that is not already prefigured in his philosophy. It is based on the relations between the temporal and the non-temporal, or eternal objects. Noting the dislike for “eternal objects” as a concept, Whitehead suggests that one use the idea of potential instead, an idea that is crucial to understanding quantum collapse. It is the relationship between the potential and the actual that is the stuff of quantum theory, and yet in Whitehead these are explored as a matter of course. The relationship between Whitehead’s philosophy and quantum physics is the major contribution that Malin makes in the pursuit of the paradigm shift that currently evades us. Science, as Malin points out, is restricted in its relevance by its objectivating nature, which excludes the subject of cognizance from its domain of relevance. It is for this reason that reality in a scientific treatment is essentially inert. Malin points this out, quoting from Heisenberg, one of the leading figures in quantum theory. It is a great pity that these philosophical outpourings from scientists themselves are not more openly displayed, for we live in an age that assumes that all of reality can be captivated in a scientific concept. A paradigm shift, as Malin points out, must extend beyond the bounds of science since these exclude the very essence of that which defines the new paradigm. It is a rare thing these days to hear a scientist speaking so boldly concerning the limitations of their work, compared with Stephen Hawking, say, who through science hopes to know the mind of God, while assuming that philosophy ended with Wittgenstein. Perhaps if he had read Whitehead, he may have concluded differently. However, (and this `however’ is intended as constructive criticism to help point the way into the new paradigm), Malin underestimates the significance of emotion as Whitehead employs it in his philosophy. He does not quote Whitehead on the subject, but a third party who interprets it: Victor Lowe is right, I believe, when he warns us of “the danger of reading too much into the term `feeling’…” Feeling is the relationship between the one who feels and that which is felt. This is not Whitehead’s thought, but Lowe’s. For Whitehead, the significance of emotion is central and crucial. Whitehead’s actual words are: “It is an essential doctrine in the philosophy of organism, that the primary function of a proposition is to be relevant as a lure for feeling.” It is this feeling that is the defining quality of Whitehead’s philosophy. Without it, organism becomes a “system”, to be understood in the traditional way that excludes the very thing that is the focus of attention for Whitehead. To reduce it to the terms of a relationship is to convert it into a mathematical equation and so negate the very principle that Malin is trying to introduce. In some ways, this is understandable, for to move towards the new paradigm requires the old to be discarded. This is happening in this book very slowly, but nonetheless it is moving. Consequently, in his chapter “Nature Alive”, Malin writes:If the universe is alive, emotions may well have cosmological significance. What he should be writing is “The universe is alive, and emotions do indeed have cosmological significance”. To take this step forward, and speak with such a confidence that removes the doubt from it is a huge undertaking. Whitehead knew this and said so. Rationalism is an adventure in the clarification of thought, progressive and never final. But it is an adventure in which even partial success has importance.Malin has had that partial success with this book, for no-one has come as close to this convergence between philosophy and science as he. I hope he will continue the adventure and find the courage to intuit the next step and involve himself more fully. Most certainly this is one of the few books you will read that does not feel finished. It is on an edge of discovery. It points somewhere. It points somehow. Read it!

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