Quantum Mechanics and Dialectical Materialism

豪 邓

Paul K. Feyerabend

Dennis Alan Bartels

Paul K. Feyerabend

Sanjay Kumar

Most proponents of dialectical materialism claim it to be the most coherent understanding of developments within sciences.Hence, it should concern them that there exist seemingly contradictory dialectical materialist understandings of the accepted theory of micro physics.Among physicists who accept dialectical materialism, there are ones who argue in favour of the standard interpretation of quantum physics, as well as others who oppose it.We discuss arguments of two such physicists, Valdimir Fock and David Bohm.They both give physical arguments against the neo-Kantian and positivist elements of the dominant Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics.While Bohm uses the notion of 'qualitative infinity of nature' against the maximalist form of this interpretation, Fock defends a minimalist form of this interpretation with the argument of the 'relativity to the means of observation'.Similarly, their proposals differ on the key question of the origin of randomness in quantum measurements.Despite having a consistent formalism, there are gaps in the physical understanding of quantum physics, and at least part of their divergent interpretations relates to these gaps.It is argued that the divergent views of Bohm and Fock should not be read polemically.Rather, they together help develop a more comprehensive characterization of dialectical materialism as a worldview in development.Arguments of Bohm and Fock explore and substantiate materialist and dialectical themes in physics.Their divergence shows that dialectical materialism cannot pre-empt science.In fact, as sciences discover new properties of matter, dialectical materialism needs to continually renew its repertory of generalized concepts to grasp these properties.

Hanoch Gutfreund, Jürgen Renn

Abstract This book tells the story of Bohm’s hitherto unpublished lecture notes on quantum theory and dialectical materialism. It places his lecture notes in a wider historical, scientific, and philosophical context and traces Bohm’s intellectual development from an early attempt to better understand the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics to his elaboration of an alternative causal interpretation based on the notion of “hidden variables.” As the lecture notes strikingly illustrate, dialectical materialism played a fundamental role in the further development of his understanding of quantum mechanics. Bohm placed the notions of the infinity of nature and the unity of opposites at the center of his natural philosophy, drawing from the works of Hegel, Marx, Engels, and Lenin. The book also examines Bohm’s legacy in the history of quantum mechanics and his contribution to preparing the “second quantum revolution.” Bohm’s engagement with dialectical materialism and his role as a dissident from the orthodox interpretation of quantum mechanics were pivotal in bringing about the novel insights and technologies associated with this second quantum revolution. During the 1960s, Bohm developed a growing interest in the nature of consciousness and engaged with the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. But this new phase in Bohm’s intellectual odyssey was, in spite of a seemingly fundamental break with earlier philosophical positions, not completely unrelated to his fascination with, and deep understanding of, Hegel’s philosophy, which the lecture notes amply document for the first time.