Over recent years, many popular books and movies have made us wonder whether we are in touch with a “cosmic consciousness,” through the mechanisms of quantum physics. Butterfly effects, separate realities, and collective consciousnesses are all themes that have been exploited to the full, albeit not always from a scientifically correct standpoint. In fact, some of these movies and books are only attempting to link physics and spirituality, holding that our knowledge permeates the Universe, and that an omnipotent God is out there, taking care of us.
In his new book, “Quantum Gods: Creation, Chaos and the Search for Cosmic Consciousness,” author Victor J. Stenger, the physicist who also wrote the bestseller “God: The Failed Hypothesis,” takes an incisive and clear look at some of the most popular theories presented by Hollywood and science-fiction writers, including the uncertainty principle and the butterfly effect. He especially analyzes the ideas that God (or some other Universal mind) has control over the material world from afar.
“The public understanding of modern physics is seriously out of whack, thanks largely to pop junk like The Secret and What the BLEEP Do We Know?, [which] promote a bogus version of quantum mechanics – the belief that 'you create your own reality' by controlling the laws of physics with your mind (...) The world has needed a book like this for a long time. If you care about scientific literacy, Quantum Gods is not optional,” the author of “The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey Through the Movement That Transformed American Spirituality,” Geoff Gilpin, says of Stenger's work.
“In this much-needed book, physicist Victor Stenger isolates and then debunks the claims of two kinds of 'quantum belief.' One he calls 'quantum theology' because it offers quantum physics as a way for God to act in the world without violating natural laws. The second is 'quantum spirituality,' which is rooted in the even vaguer notion that quantum physics connects the human mind to the universe, allowing us to create our own reality,” Amanda Gefter of NewScientist writes in a book review.
“Even though he skips rather dizzyingly between traditional religious beliefs, quantum spirituality and quantum physics itself, Stenger is a pleasure to read. And, pleasingly, the title Quantum Gods: Creation, chaos and the search for cosmic consciousness sounds just crackpot enough to attract those readers who will benefit most,” Gefter concludes her review by saying.
Author: Victor J. Stenger
Quantum Gods: Creation, chaos and the search for cosmic consciousness
Publisher: Prometheus Books