Epilogue: Relativity and Quantum Theory

Sadri Hassani

Quantum physics and relativity are the two pillars of modern physics. Often in this context, the word “modern” is misused as an antonym of “classical.” The abstract and mathematical nature of both quantum and relativity theories makes them easy target for abuse in the hands of the purveyors of mysticism. We shall see some detailed examples of the abuse of quantum theory in Chapter 35. It will be shown there how New Age authors misrepresent quantum physics to their readers and use some twisted interpretation of the theory to advocate a parallel between quantum physics and Eastern mysticism.

Sadri Hassani

Quantum mechanics has given scientists valuable lessons in how science works. Unfortunately, it has also been misinterpreted and misrepresented by pseudoscientists and portrayed as an antipode of classical physics. As a result, the majority of the educated public is confused about both the quantum theory and classical Newtonian physics and the relation between the two. We postpone the examination of the misrepresentation of the quantum theory in pseudoscience until Chapter 35. This chapter concentrates, in part, on the characteristics of the theory and how it is similar to (and different from) the classical theory.

Sunny Y. Auyang

Abstract The relation between knowledge and object, concept and experience, we and the world, is a central problem in philosophy and fascinates many people besides philosophers. The mind-body relation shows up in quantum interpretations, mainly through the writings of physicists. In many interpretations, the mind is conceived of as an observer that is peculiar for being beyond the laws of physics. They echo the philosophies in which the mind is an exotic object that is somehow affected by plain objects. These interpretations have been undermined by the research in the quantum measurement problem. We can find causal relations among objects, but these objects do not answer to the definitive qualities of observers; such qualities are outlawed in quantum theories.

Léon Brillouin