Introduces key principles in quantum and quantum field theories for non-specialists: wave-particle duality, complementarity, uncertainty and quantum indeterminism, quantum field theory; ontology vs. epistemology.
This article explores the profound epistemological and philosophical intersection between modern quantum theory and ancient Chinese Laozi’s philosophy to navigate the complexities of chaos and uncertainty. By challenging the limitations of classical Newtonian reductionism, which assumes the whole is merely the sum of its parts, the author argues that macroscopic life, cognitive processes, and human consciousness inherently operate under quantum-like laws characterized by wave-particle duality and state superposition. The framework map parallels the foundations of quantum mechanics and Taoist ontology, interpreting the core principles of Yin-Yang complementarity and the mutual creation of being ( yo u) and non-being ( wu ) as classical reflections of quantum dualities and entanglement. Furthermore, the study reinterprets Laozi’s cosmological principle that "Three gives birth to all things," aligning it with modern chaos theory and quantum mechanics, in which a threefold orthogonal superposition serves as the minimal source for resolving complexity and indeterminacy. Through this interdisciplinary dialogue, the article advocates for a paradigm shift from rigid, fragmented academic mindsets to an integrated, wave-like, holistic worldview—unifying Eastern wisdom and Western science—to foster cognitive evolution, innovative educational models, and sustainable human development in the era of artificial intelligence.
This article considers a rarely discussed aspect, the no-cloning principle or postulate, recast as the uniqueness postulate, of the mathematical modeling known as quantum-like, Q-L, modeling (vs. classical-like, C-L, modeling, based in the mathematics adopted from classical physics) and the corresponding Q-L theories beyond physics. The principle is a transfer of the no-cloning principle (arising from the no-cloning theorem) in quantum mechanics (QM) to Q-L theories. My interest in this principle, to be related to several other key features of QM and Q-L theories, such as the irreducible role of observation, complementarity, and probabilistic causality, is connected to a more general question: What are the ontological and epistemological reasons for using Q-L models vs. C-L ones? I shall argue that adopting the uniqueness postulate is justified in Q-L theories and adds an important new motivation for doing so and a new venue for considering this question. In order to properly ground this argument, the article also offers a discussion along similar lines of QM, providing a new angle on Bohr's concept of complementarity via the uniqueness postulate.