Perspectives on Quantum Reality

Darrin W.S. Belousek

Roger P. Paul

Theological thinking is influenced by perspectives on the relation of scientific knowledge to reality. Two paradigms for understanding the nature of human knowledge are considered in relation to quantum mechanics: the subjective-observing perspective of Kant, and the objective-participant perspective of Thomas Aquinas. I discuss whether quantum mechanics necessarily implies a subject centered perspective on reality, and argue, with reference to d'Espagnat's notion of veiled reality, that quantum non-separability challenges this view. I then explore whether the objective-participant perspective of Thomas Aquinas provides a more fruitful context for understanding quantum mechanics. I discuss quantum measurement in terms of the transition from potentiality to actuality, and knowledge as the latent intelligibility of the world realized. However, the negative nature of our knowledge of quantum non-separability also challenges this perspective. Our theological thinking in response to quantum knowledge must therefore proceed tentatively, balancing a via positiva, with a via negativa.

Javed Mohammad

This paper by Mohammed Javed introduces Javed’s Quantum Thought, a conceptual and metaphysical framework that clarifies the relationship between human intention and reality. It argues that reality exists as a fixed map governed by Divine Command, while human intention functions merely as a location within this map. The paper formalizes the 99% Rule, stating that humans access only 1% of reality wherever intention operates, with the remaining 99% hidden within Divine knowledge. Collapse is shown to be an illusion arising from confusing perspective for causality, reaction for action, and medium for source. By distinguishing cause, illusion, perspective (nazariya), and medium (zariya), the paper resolves apparent contradictions between fixed reality and ongoing experience, demonstrating that incompleteness exists only in human perception, not in reality itself.

Silvio Bergia

Vikram Athalye

Abstract This article1 presents a two-part proposal aimed at exploring “reality” through unifying perspectives and universally consistent foundations. Both parts are inspired by Erwin Schrödinger’s principle of objectivation, particularly the function of the ‘Subject of Cognizance’ embedded within it, and the (seemingly unresolvable, yet inescapable!) issue of the ‘location’ of the boundary between the ‘observed’ and the ‘observer’ that arises in the interpretation of quantum theory. In the first part, it is argued that different interpretations of quantum theory could be viewed as complementary rather than as alternatives, for each interpretation provides insight into different aspects of reality, and thus, integrating perspectives from multiple quantum interpretations can offer a more holistic understanding of reality than relying on a single interpretation. The plausibility of this argument is explained with a brief reference to the phenomenon of electron double-slit interference. The second part of the proposal asserts that, it is essential to eliminate any discrepancy between the way in which the terms ‘physics’ and ‘reality’ are regarded in scientific inquiry, for developing a universal, all-encompassing and consistent world view of the latter — emphasising that not only the ‘observed’ but also the ‘observer’ (considered here as the measuring instrument or apparatus) and the ‘Subject of Cognizance’ (viewed here as the conscious observer) are integral parts of the whole reality. This assertion is supported by some specific remarks of Richard Feynman and David Bohm.

Bunge, Mario