Suggested Reading

March 13, 2007 in Uncategorized

I’ve been reading Quantum Enigma, recent book by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner, published through Oxford. Both of the authors are physics professors, so they might seem like unlikely cognitive science writers, but their explorations of the bridge between physics and consciousness are interesting. The tone of the book is factual, giving brief explanations of quantum mechanical theory and the spooky sorts of things implied (wave/particle duality, uncertainty), but the underlying theme is the question of whether physics rests on consciousness or vice-versa. While I know some especially physicalist cognitive scientists laugh dismissively at this very question, I think it is one that we should at least bear in mind– physics, a science we consider foundational to all our empirical knowledge, has its own rift between the micro- and macroscopic worlds in quantum mechanics, and this rift allows for some degree of interpretation. Of course, the relevance or existence of consciousness is also an issue worth raising, and Rosenblum and Kuttner do not leave this stone unturned, either. As the authors point out, however, quantum mechanics is THE most reliably tested theory in physics, and at no point have its odd predictions been shown to be incorrect by a valid experiment. While Rosenblum and Kuttner avoid coming to any hasty conclusions, they present physics’ observations and offer a number of interpretations, some of which are more solipsistic than others. Other philosophical favorites like free will vs. determinism are also brought up. I think this book would interest anyone interested in physics, psychology, or cognitive science; it features some pretty cogent explanations of quantum mechanics and its applications in addition to intriguing devil’s advocacy and philosophical interpretation, which remains a big part of scientific thought today.