‘Quantum Enigma’, a term used by the physicists and philosophers alike is given to the unusual behaviour of quantum particles and the resulting implications for reality. The quantum realm is extraordinary: quantum particles can be located in different places simultaneously; they can move through barriers and share a connection no matter how far apart they are. This is where physics meets consciousness.
Can you believe that physical reality is created by our observation of it? The world in which modern physics deals: if we don’t observe it, it doesn’t exist. This physics is based always upon measurement, that measurement is always with an instrument and the outcome of measurement with an instrument is always a quantity of number. It is extraordinary to note by this definition, numbers are the language of physical reality. As we know that existence is a manifestation of dualism, the singularity of the multiplicity, it poses the question what are letters the language of? I won’t explore this, this is a discussion for another day!
But I will now dwell into my thoughts and the perception of physical reality, nature and the quantum enigma based on the book ‘The Quantum Enigma: finding the hidden key’ by Wolfgang Smith.
Physical World vs. Corporeal World:
Physics explores the physical universe using instruments and tools and never by direct perception. This is the world we measure and describe mathematically, like cardinality (number) and extension (size).
However, the corporeal universe is the world that we experience with our sense, filled with rich qualitative experiences (like colour and texture) and where ontology is present. This universe can not be reduced to numbers or measurements. These two worlds exist on two planes of reality, and it can be defined that quantum physics operated inevitably on these two planes.
Whilst there is a connection between the physical world and the corporeal world that we perceive, they are fundamentally different. Physical entities (SX) relate to the corporeal world (X) but they are not the same. When the physicists observe something, they translate it from the physical plane (SX) to the corporeal plane (X), however the exact nature of this link remains a mystery.
In quantum physics, “specification” is about defining a physical object through careful observation and measurement and can only be defined as specific after it has gone through that process. Generic physical objects, like electromagnetic fields, are not tied to anything we can directly see. Specific physical objects, like Saturn, are observable entities. However, on the corporeal plane- the world of our senses and experiences- no specific physical object can exist as it does in the measurable physical plane. This plane can not be captured by instruments or numbers.
This reminds us of the basic truth that that the world we see, and feel is not just a collection of atomic particles studied through math and instruments, but rather it is a deeply spiritual, ontologically charged universe that has been divinely crafted with purpose. It starts with the corporeal world because it has qualities that come from the essence of objects and not just their mathematical properties.
Traditional sciences focus on the essence and qualities of corporeal objects, they provide true knowledge about the world we perceive, however modern sciences focus on the quantities and material aspects, treating the physical world mathematically. Both these sciences offer valuable knowledge, each focusing on different aspects of reality.
I hope to not throw a spanner into the works, but there is also an incorporeal world that exists, a world which can not be perceived by our physcial senses (corporeal world), but of our spiritual senses. I hope to explore this in another post.
Nature:
“The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass, God is waiting for you”
– Werner Heisneberg (the father of Quantum Physics)
Physics doesn’t deal with nature directly but rather with our interaction with it. We use observation and instruments to understand how nature responds to our questions. This idea, highlighted by Heisenberg, shows that nature’s response is shaped by the questions that we ask.
There is a deep relationship between any specific physical phenomenon and the entire universe. This means physical objects are not isolated but are diverse expressions of a single reality. Heisenberg called with reality “Nature”, while Bohr referred to it as “Unbroken Wholeness”. This thought is aligned with many Islamic Philosophers that, this is God manifesting himself in collective Nature in the pure essence of Tawhid (Oneness): the singularity in the multiplicity.
In quantum physics world view, the physical world points to a reality beyond itself, which here is defined as ‘Nature’. There are three established realms:
- Nature: the ultimate reality
- Corporeal Body: the world that we perceive with our sense
- Physical Body: the measurable, scientific view of objects.
Reality isn’t confined to space and time; instead, it contains them. Physics can not explain this ultimate reality but points towards it. Bell’s theorem on interconnectedness shows that events can influence each other instantly, defying the limits if space and time.
“Nature” lies beyond space and time but manifests itself in space and time. The modern views that reduce reality to just what is manifested becomes harder to maintain with the insights of quantum mechanics. To truly understand Nature, we must turn to metaphysics and traditional sciences, which explores the fundamental nature of reality beyond physical measurements.
Hylomorphism in “Nature”:
Aristotle’s theory of hylomorphism beautifully explains the nature of reality by combining two essential aspects: matter and form.
Matter: the substance or material from which things are made
Form: the structure or essence that defines what something truly is.
Every physical entity is made up of both matter and form; one can not exist without the other. In the natural world, objects are not just heaps of particles (matter). They are given life and purpose through their form. For instance, a living organism is not merely a collection of cells (matter). It is a wonderfully organised entity with specific structure and function (form).
Hylomorphism explains changes in nature, this involved a transformation in form while the underlying matter is the same. For example, a seed growing into a tree. The biological material (matter) transforms into a new form (tree), revealing the potential within the seed.
Hylomorphism is a comprehensive theory of being (ontology) that integrates both matter and form, explain the essence and existence of objects. This dual-aspect approach helps us understand not only the physical composition of objects but also their inherent nature and how they change over time. This profound understanding of reality is found in major philosophical traditions around the world, from China and India to Greece and Palestine.
Epistemology (theory of knowledge):
According to traditional knowledge, to know something involves forming a deep connection between our mind (intellect) and the object of our knowledge. This means truly understanding something involves connecting our thoughts directly with the essence of that thing. This connection requires a third element, which is the form (the essence).
When we seek to know something, our mind tries to connect with the object’s form (its essence). This connection is what we call knowledge. However, the form is distinct from the physical matter of the object. The matter makes up the object’s substance, but the form is what gives it meaning and allows our mind to truly understand it. It is the bridge between the intellect and the physical world. This traditional view emphasies the profound connection between our thoughts and the true nature of the object we seek to understand.
Nature: Materia Quantitate Signata
Nature is not just raw matter, but it is a specific kind of matter that possesses universal law and brings order to the universe (materia quantitate signata).
In traditional views, nature is seen as a higher principle that stands above the physical and corporeal world. The Hermetic principle, ‘as above, so below’, everything in the lower realms reflects the higher cosmic order.
Matter associated with quantity (materia quantitate signata) lies below the level of the corporeal world, but reflects the higher realities of mathematical forms and quantities. This specific matter reflects the deeper, archetypal realities of the universe theough mathematical principles and quantities.
Determinism vs. Indeterminism:
Determinism: the belief that all events in the universe, including human actions and decisions, are caused by previous events and are inevitable.
Indeterminism: the belief that some events occur randomly or by chance, without deterministic cause.
The ying-yang concept from Eastern philosophy to explain the coexistence of determinism (predictability) and indeterminism (unpredictability) in quantum mechanics.
Yang (Determinism): mathematically understandable aspects of physics. The orderly, structured side.
Ying (Indeterminism): the unpredictable, uncertain aspects of physics. This is the chaotic spontaneous side.
Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle:
We can not know both the position and speed of a particle (like a photon or electron) with perfect accuracy. The more precisely we know one, the less precisely we know the other.
For example, if you try to pinpoint a particle’s position, its speed becomes uncertain, and if you know its speed accurately, its position becomes less certain.
The uncertainty principle highlights this duality, showing that we live in a world where order and chaos, certainty and uncertainty, exists side by side, reflecting the balance of complementary opposites.
Intelligibility vs. Unintelligibility:
There is no reason why the universe can not have both understandable and mysterious elements.
Concidentia Oppositorum (Coincidence of Opposites) (Cusanus):
An idea that ultimate reality transcends and unites all opposites. What seems contradictory is actually part of a single, unified truth. This concept challenges our usual way of thinking and encourages us to see the divine and the nature of reality.
It was proposed at the highest level of reality, opposites like dark and light, good and bad are just not reconciled but united. They coexist harmoniously. This unity of opposites goes beyond what we can easily understand, showing a deeper more profound truth.
In the ultimate reality, opposites coexist at the heart of things. They are not mutually exclusive but work together in harmony.
Art and Science Parallel:
Artistic creation involves not only two elements of hylomorphism (matter & form), but four factors corresponding to Aristotle:
- Material Cause: the substance used (e.g. the marble for a statue)
- Formal Cause: the shape or design (e.g. the statues form)
- Efficient Cause: the agent creating the work (e.g. the sculptor)
- Final Cause: the purpose or goal (e.g. the finished statue).
Even if we combine the efficient and final cause into the artist, we are still in need of an agent or active principle in the creation of any work of art in addition to the material and the formal.
Agent Principle / Agent:
In nature, the active principle that gives form to matter is called Natura Naturans, which cannot be simplified to just Natura Naturata (the created form of nature).
- Natura Naturans: the form bestowing principle, seen as the divine force (God).
- Natura Naturata: the resulting forms in nature.
Natural forms (Natura Naturata) requires a supernatural cause (Natura Naturans), identified as the Name of God.
Continuity vs. Discontinuity:
Continuity (Natura Naturata- the created forms and material manifestation in nature):
- Changes and processes appear smooth an uninterrupted
- This continuity reflects stable patterns we see in the natural world , such as flow of rivers, the growth of plants, or the orbits of planets.
e.g.
1) Physical Laws: gravity or electromagnetism, which operate consistently and predictably.
2) Biological Growth : the gradual and continuous development of living organisms from seed to maturity.
Continuity in natura naturata suggests a world governed by regularities and laws that can be studied and understood through science.
Discontinuity (Natura Naturans- the active form bestowing principle, God).
- Changes can be sudden and transformative
- Discontinuity represents the moments of creation or the transition from potential to actual forms.
e.g.
1) Quantum mechanics: the sudden collapse of wave function, where particles change state instantaneously and unpredictably
2) Creative Acts: the moments of inspiration or creation in art, where new forms and ideas emergy seemingly out of nowehere.
Discontinuity in natura naturans indicates that some aspects of reality are not governed by continuous, predictable processes, but by sudden, creative acts that bring new forms into existence.
Continuity and discontinuity are not opposing but complementary aspects of reality. While natura naturata provides a stable, continuous framework for the natural world, natura naturans introduces the potential for sudden, creative changes.
The natural world that we observe (Natura Naturata) is underpinned by a deeper, creative force (Natura Naturans) that brings about new forms and changes. This aligns with the theological tradition that the physical world is a manifestation of a higher creative principle. This highlights the dual nature of reality, where continuous processes coexist with moments of sudden, creative change suggesting a deeper, divine influence behind the natural world.
Every act of observation of the perceptible world, is based upon the action of the Divine Agent who is the bestower of forms upon all things and all processes of nature.
Beginning of the Universe: Big Bang Theory
The Concept of T=0:
T=0: this term refers to the exact moment of the beginning of the universe in context of the big bang theory.
Big bang theory: describes the expansion of the universe from an extremely hot, dense state. However, it does not describe what happened at the exact moment the universe began.
Initial Singularity:
A point where physical theories, such as general relativity, break down. At the singularity, density and temperature become infinite, and the laws of physics as we know then cease to function.
The singularity is not an event in the conventional sense, because time and space as understand them do not exist in this state. There are no before and after moments to describe, it is a point of infinite density where our current understanding of physics fail.
Since singularity represents a breakdown of space-time, it can not be described as an event because space-time coordinates lose their meaning. Thus, t=0 represents not a specific happening but a boundary where conventional notions of events do not apply.
Metaphysical Implication:
The inability to describe the initial singularity as an event suggests that understanding the true beginning of the universe requires metaphysical or philosophical considerations. It truly raises the question about the nature of existence and the origin of the cosmos that go beyond empirical science.
Time and Eternity:
We can not say that the universe began in time because time itself is part of the universe.
This idea mirrors Avicenna’s (Ibn Sina) statement that time did not exist before the universe because time is a quantitative measurement of change and movement, which requires the existence of the physical universe. Therefore, the creation of the universe also marks the beginning of time. The origin of time lies in eternity, beyond the physical universe, implying a metaphysical beginning.
The ultimate beginning or boundary of the universe can not be reached by physics. The true limit is transcendent, eternal bound which Smith calls “the Beginning”.
The beginning is not something that happened in the past but is continuously present, it is the eternal presence. The beginning is not a past event but an ever present cause, reflecting the religious notions that God, who lives in eternity, created everything simultaneously.
Early Universe and Cosmic Cycles:
The early universe does not have a unique privileged status as being directly created by God. This view challenges the traditional doctrine of cosmic cycles, which suggests that earlier periods of universe are more perfect.
Symbolism:
Light cloud symbolism:
The early universe as a light cloud, symbolising its position at the end of our universe at its role in transmitting divine glory.
Initial singularity:
The initial singularity to metaphysical concepts like sunyata (emptiness) or ex nihilo (creation from nothing). The singularity reflects a deeper, metaphysical centre.
State vector collapse:
On a smaller scale, the collapse of the quantum state vector (a sudden change in a particles state) also represents this transcendent centre, showing the action of the form bestowing principle (Natura Naturans).
God’s Presence:
Smith concludes that God’s causal relationship with the universe is about the present moment (nunc stans), rather than the past. This idea aligns with religious teachings that God is both the First, beginning (Alpha) and the Last, end (Omega).
References:
www.livingislam.org. (n.d.). Review Essay of Wolfgang Smith’s The Quantum Enigma. [online] Available at: https://www.livingislam.org/ir/ez/dc/poqp_e.html [Accessed 20 Jul. 2024]
Wolfgang Smith (2011). The quantum enigma : finding the hidden key. San Rafael, Calif.: Angelico Press / Sophia Perennis.
