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Epistemology & Philosophy of Science

Review of Carlo Rovelli’s Book “Helgoland: The Wonderful and Strange World of Quantum Physics”

Andrey Yu. Sevalnikov

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This review is dedicated to a critical analysis of C. Rovelli’s book Helgoland: The Strange and Beautiful Story of Quantum Physics. The author presents the history of the emergence of quantum mechanics, primarily focusing on Heisenberg’s matrix formalism and the advent of the Schrodinger equation, in an engaging and lucid manner. For the Russian reader, the book is of additional interest as it examines the polemic between V.I. Lenin and A.A. Bogdanov surrounding the former’s work, Materialism and Empirio-criticism. Rovelli himself aligns with Bogdanov’s position, which is connected to E. Mach’s relational philosophy. In his book, much like Mach, Rovelli rejects the mechanistic assumption of a reality based on objects moving in space and time. Building upon this relational approach, Rovelli unfolds his own radical framework for interpreting quantum theory. Furthermore, he espouses a position akin to Nāgārjuna’s concept of the “emptiness” (śūnyatā) of the intrinsic nature of things. The review also examines certain contradictions inherent in this approach from a physics perspective.

DOI
10.5840/eps202562467

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This review is dedicated to a critical analysis of C. Rovelli’s book Helgoland: The Strange and Beautiful Story of Quantum Physics. The author presents the history of the emergence of quantum mechanics, primarily focusing on Heisenberg’s matrix formalism and the advent of the Schrodinger equation, in an engaging and lucid manner. For the Russian reader, the book is of additional interest as it examines the polemic between V.I. Lenin and A.A. Bogdanov surrounding the former’s work, Materialism and Empirio-criticism. Rovelli himself aligns with Bogdanov’s position, which is connected to E. Mach’s relational philosophy. In his book, much like Mach, Rovelli rejects the mechanistic assumption of a reality based on objects moving in space and time. Building upon this relational approach, Rovelli unfolds his own radical framework for interpreting quantum theory. Furthermore, he espouses a position akin to Nāgārjuna’s concept of the “emptiness” (śūnyatā) of the intrinsic nature of things. The review also examines certain contradictions inherent in this approach from a physics perspective.
This article offers a critical analysis of Carlo Rovelli’s conceptual positions in works devoted to interpretations of quantum mechanics and the notion of time. Attention is paid to the relational interpretation developed by the author in “Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution” and to its philosophical foundations, which go back to the ideas of Ernst Mach and Nagarjuna. The article examines key elements of the quantum-mechanical formalism, including the superposition principle, interference effects, and commutation relations, with emphasis on their interpretive consequences. The article also analyzes Rovelli’s critical remarks on alternative approaches, such as Hugh Everett III’s many-worlds interpretation, hidden-variable theories associated with the works of Louis de Broglie and David Bohm, as well as models that propose a physical explanation of wave-function collapse. It is shown that some of the author’s arguments are limited in scope and do not consider contemporary experimental results, in particular studies that cast doubt on the epistemological interpretation of the wave function. Special attention is given to internal contradictions in Rovelli’s relational approach, including the problem of the ontological status of objects and the reconciliation of the principle of relationality with the existence of invariant physical quantities. The interpretation of time given by Rovelli in works such as The Order of Time and A Brief History of Time is also examined. The limitations of his ontological approach to time within loop quantum gravity are emphasized.
Abstract This paper is a transcript of the dialogue between Carlo Rovelli and Mike Jackson after Rovelli's delivery of the 2021 Annual Mike Jackson Lecture, hosted by the Centre for Systems Studies at the University of Hull. The dialogue covers a range of topics, including how Rovelli developed a sense of curiosity in his youth; the connection between his interests in science and politics; the pathology of disciplinary divisions in academia; the value of Bogdanov's transdisciplinarity; Rovelli's theory of quantum gravity; the notions of granularity, indeterminism and relationality underpinning quantum mechanics; the role of the observer; mistaken uses of quantum mechanics; relational and network views of the world; how the discipline of Physics is becoming more systemic; the concept of levels of analysis in relation to nature and human inquiry; and the future for humanity.
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.
Abstract There is a surprising parallel between the conceptual step taken by the theoretical physicists who discovered quantum mechanics in the 1920s and the philosophical work of Alexander Bogdanov. Both were under the direct cultural influence of the ideas of Ernst Mach. Even more surprisingly, there are aspects of the current debate on the physical interpretation of the quantum formalism that closely mirror the Lenin‐Bogdanov debate, in particular on the confusion between subjectivity and relationality. It seems to me that the ideas of Alexander Bogdanov can still bring clarity and be fertile today when applied to open issues in the foundations of physics.
The underlying physical reality is a central notion in the interpretations of quantum mechanics. The a priori physical reality notion affects the corresponding interpretation. This paper explore the possibility to establish a relationship between philosophical concept of physical reality in Nagarjuna's epistemology (emptiness) and the picture of underlying physical reality in Einstein, Rovelli and Zeilinger positions. This analysis brings us to conclude that the notion of property of a quantum object is untenable. We can only speak about relational property of the object. On this basis, we are stimulated to build a new ontology of underlying physical reality: a relational ontology. Finally, we argue that Nagarjuna's view is comparable with Rovelli's interpretation of quantum mechanics. These views eliminate the privileged role of the observer.
Recent research suggests that in quantum physics facts are relative. One of the main interpretations of quantum mechanics that agrees with this view is Rovelli's relational quantum mechanics (RQM). Basically, Rovelli considers that what underlies quantum physics is a network of relations – things do not have intrinsic existence, everything is related to something else. Rovelli also advocates for a relational understanding of the mind. However, for Rovelli the network of relations associated to quantum physics and the network of relations associated to the mind do not seem to be related in any relevant sense. Here we discuss Rovelli's recent attempt to relate RQM to the Madhyamaka school of Buddhist philosophy. We also discuss the Prāsangika-Madhyamaka subschool, considered by some to be the subtlest interpretation of the Madhyamaka school. This subschool suggests that the mind should indeed play a relevant role in the network of relations that Rovelli associates to quantum physics. We discuss how we might reconcile the Prāsangika-Madhyamaka subschool with Rovelli's recent take on RQM. We also introduce some conjectures as to how quantum mechanics might emerge from a Prāsangika-Madhyamaka perspective.