Professor Andrei Khrennikov (Linnaeus University – Sweden) and Professor Emmanuel Haven (Memorial University of Newfoundland – Canada) utilise the mathematical framework of quantum theory to offer novel insights into the complexities of biological systems, cognition, decision-making, and other areas of social science, such as economics and finance. Their work showcases the potential of quantum-like models to decode the intricacies of non-physical systems, paving the way for innovative approaches to understanding the dynamics of life and thought, social processes and financial markets.
Professor Andrei Khrennikov (Linnaeus University – Sweden) and Professor Emmanuel Haven (Memorial University of Newfoundland – Canada) utilise the mathematical framework of quantum theory to offer novel insights into the complexities of biological systems, cognition, decision-making, and other areas of social science, such as economics and finance. Their work showcases the potential of quantum-like models to decode the intricacies of non-physical systems, paving the way for innovative approaches to understanding the dynamics of life and thought, social processes and financial markets.
This new book by Emmanuel Haven and Andrei Khrennikov argues that information processing in social systems can to a degree be formalized with the mathematical apparatus of quantum mechanics. This is a novel approach. Understanding decision making is a central objective of economics and finance and the quantum like approach proposed here, is used as a tool to enrich the formalism of such decision making. Emmanuel and Andrei argue for instance that probability interference can be used to explain the violation of the law of total probability in well known paradoxes like the Ellsberg decision making paradox. Emmanuel and Andrei's book forms one of the very first contributions in a very novel area of research. I hope this book can open the road for many new books to come. More new results are needed, especially in the area of decision making. H. Eugene Stanley William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor; Professor of Physics; Professor of Chemistry; Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Professor of Physiology (School of Medicine) Director, Center for Polymer Studies, Department of Physics, Boston University By chance a few days before Andrei Khrennikov and Emmanuel Haven asked me to write this Foreword to their new book Quantum Social Science , I was browsing the collected works of Wolfgang Pauli, Writings on Physics and Philosophy , eds. Charles P. Enz and Karl von Meyenn, Springer (1994).
This concise and self-contained book opens completely novel areas of research by directly implementing concepts from quantum physics into areas of social science. It constructs compelling arguments originating from fundamental concepts in physics and the philosophy of science, including key developments in economics and finance, then surveys the important work which has been performed to date through applying the formalism of quantum mechanics to decision making and finance. The book is accessible to graduate students and researchers in social science and physics, as well as avid interdisciplinary readers. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.
At first glance, quantum mechanics and behavioural science seem worlds apart -- one rooted in equations and particles, the other in thoughts and choices. Yet, emerging research reveals a profound and unexpected bridge between them. This chapter explores that bridge through quantum models of cognition and decision-making, showing how principles from quantum mechanics can help understand, and even predict, the complexities of human perception, behaviour and societal dynamics. We introduce a computationally accessible framework grounded in quantum theory, designed to model ambiguity, bias and choice in a way that classical logic cannot. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources, we demonstrate how this approach not only enriches our understanding of individual cognition but also extends to AI, video game design, financial behaviour and collective decision-making in society. Through vivid case studies -- from optical illusions in video games to decision biases in economic, defence and political contexts -- we show how quantum models offer new explanatory and predictive power. Thus, this chapter invites readers from all professional backgrounds to reimagine cognition and decision-making, opening new avenues for science, technology and human understanding.
At first glance, quantum mechanics and behavioural science seem worlds apart---one rooted in equations and particles, the other in thoughts and choices. Yet, emerging research reveals a profound and unexpected bridge between them. This chapter explores that bridge through quantum models of cognition and decision-making, showing how principles from quantum mechanics can help understand, and even predict, the complexities of human perception, behaviour and societal dynamics. We introduce a computationally accessible framework grounded in quantum theory, designed to model ambiguity, bias and choice in a way that classical logic cannot. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources, we demonstrate how this approach not only enriches our understanding of individual cognition but also extends to AI, video game design, financial behaviour and collective decision-making in society. Through vivid case studies---from optical illusions in video games to decision biases in economic, defence and political contexts---we show how quantum models offer new explanatory and predictive power. Thus, this chapter invites readers from all professional backgrounds to reimagine cognition and decision-making, opening new avenues for science, technology and human understanding.
Quantum mechanics is traditionally associated with microscopic systems; however, quantum concepts have also been successfully applied to a diverse range of macroscopic systems both within and outside of physics. This book describes how complex systems from a variety of fields can be modelled using quantum mechanical principles; from biology and ecology, to sociology and decision-making. The mathematical basis of these models is covered in detail, furnishing a self-contained and consistent approach. This book provides unique insight into the dynamics of these macroscopic systems and opens new interdisciplinary research frontiers. It will be an essential resource for students and researchers in applied mathematics or theoretical physics who are interested in applying quantum mechanics to dynamical systems in the social, biological or ecological sciences.
Our central proposal in the book is that general quantum-like principles guide life in totality. By totality, we mean both physical and psychological lives. Our philosophical stance is inclined towards dual-aspect monism, with a psycho-physical neutral reality underlying. However, we observe that such reality cannot be directly represented, or even conceived; only its contextual aspects can be observed. Also, the relation between such contextual aspects (simply put, mind and body) can be complex and multi-layered. We also maintain that quantum-like principles need to be conceived in the atmosphere of complex adaptive systems (CAS), and we turn to this open area of study in the sections below. We observe that in the last decade, there has been a surge of interest in quantum-like framework (QLF) in domains of political science, particularly in international relations (Der Derian and Wendt, 2020 , 2022 ). Scholars observe that Newtonian realism has to be overcome in the social sciences. It is surprising that multiple social sciences, particularly economics, are still visibly influenced by neoclassical realism, where the latter can almost be conceived as applied classical physics. The history of such a neoclassical approach to economic science is complex. Even though Newtonian-Hamiltonian formalism has always influenced equilibrium modelling in economics, some early founders of microeconomics, for example Alfred Marshall ( Cory Jr, 2022 ), thought that biology should be the central motivation for understanding economic life. We have already discussed the bio-cosmology view, which challenges the ergodic hypothesis of classical thermodynamics. In economics, 1 we find many features which are quantum-like and complex-adaptive.