Quantum Enigma This page intentionally left blank Quantum Enigma Physics Encounters Consciousness Second Edition Bruce Rosenblum a nd Fred Kuttner 1 1 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offi ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2011 by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rosenblum, Bruce. Quantum enigma : physics encounters consciousness / Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner. — 2nd ed. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-19-975381-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Quantum theory. 2. Science—Philosophy. I. Kuttner, Fred. II. Title. QC174.13.R67 2011 530.12—dc22 2010019465 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper We dedicate our book to the memory of John Bell, perhaps the leading quantum theorist of the latter half of the twentieth century. His writings, lectures, and personal conversations have inspired us. Is it not good to know what follows from what, even if it is not necessary FAPP? [FAPP is Bell’s suggested abbreviation of “for all practical purposes.”] Suppose for example that quantum mechanics were found to resist precise formulation. Suppose that when formulation beyond FAPP is attempted, we fi nd an unmovable fi nger obstinately pointing outside the subject, to the mind of the observer, to the Hindu scriptures, to God, or even only Gravitation? Would that not be very, very interesting? — John Bell This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments During the preparation of our book we have greatly benefi ted from the suggestions, criticism, and corrections offered us by those who have read chapters as they were being prepared and revised. We gratefully acknowl- edge the help of Leonard Anderson, Phyllis Arozena, Donald Coyne, Reay Dick, Carlos Figueroa, Freda Hedges, Nick Herbert, Alex Moraru, Andrew Neher, and Topsy Smalley. We warmly thank our former editor, Michael Penn, for his insightful advice and support, and our present editor, Phyllis Cohen, for her insight- ful advice, continued support, and encouragement of further projects. We are grateful to our former production editor, Stephanie Attia, for her valu- able suggestions. And thanks to production editor Amy Whitmer for her effi cient help with the second edition. All along, our agent, Faith Hamlin, has given us crucial advice and warm encouragement. We very much appreciate her involvement in our book. This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface to the Second Edition xi 1 Einstein Called It “Spooky”: And I Wish I Had Known 3 2 The Visit to Neg Ahne Poc: A Quantum Parable 11 3 Our Newtonian Worldview: A Universal Law of Motion 21 4 All the Rest of Classical Physics 39 Hello Quantum Mechanics 53 5 How the Quantum Was F orced on Physics 55 6 Schrödinger’s Equation: The N ew Universal Law of Motion 73 7 The Two-Slit Experiment: The Observer Problem 87 8 Our Skeleton in the Closet 101 9 One-Third of Our Economy 115 10 Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen 125 11 Schrödinger’s Controversial Cat 143 12 Seeking a Real World: EPR 155 13 Spooky Actions: Bell’s Theorem 173 14 Experimental Metaphysics 193 15 What’s Going On? Interpreting the Quantum Enigma 203 16 The Mystery of Consciousness 221