In this classic work David Bohm, writing clearly and without technical jargon, develops a theory of quantum physics which treats the totality of existence as an unbroken whole.

This important philosophical statement by an eminent scientist is written with such clarity and directness, and derives from so broad a humanistic perspective, that the thoughtful reader will find it as rewarding as it is instructive. The author's purpose in this undertaking is to: "...outline a system of thought in which notions or values can find a place along with the ideas of causal relationships that are applied in the physical sciences. The essential doctrine of this system, which is taken (...) from the metaphysical picture developed by Alfred North Whitehead... is the assumption that, in every act occurring in the universe, experience derived from that which has gone before is integrated with conceptions concerning possibilities in the future." Analyzing and extending Whitehead's picture, Dr. Burgers argues that the physical view of causality in itself is too restrictive for a general description of the universe, and is valid only for those phenomena where values are irrelevant. His concern is to introduce the entire panorama with its complementary physical and conceptual aspects in such a way that a wider view of causality is obtained, whereby an opening is found for the explanation of life. The author points out that the concept of "organism" implies "purpose," and is thus not amenable to complete description in the terms of molecular biology. Although most evolutionary steps are the result of unplanned chance effects, the recognition and conception of future possibilities are factors in the evolutionary trend: "The existence of matter is the result of persistent repetition of certain patterns. Matter is a set of habits of the universe; it is these habits which are studied in physics. [But] life is more than habit: it is the coordination of spontaneity... a struggle against mere randomness.... "It is the key of the philosophy here presented to consider expectations and valuations not as accidental by-products of physical states of matter, but as essential forms of functioning.". (shrink)

But there is considerable consensus, even among writers who disagree radically about the ultimate significance of time so understood, that time as ...

The model of the world proposed by Whitehead provides a natural theoretical framework in which to imbed quantum theory. This model accords with the ontological ideas of Heisenberg, and also with Einstein's view that physical theories should refer nominally to the objective physical situation, rather than our knowledge of that system. Whitehead imposed on his model the relativistic requirement that what happens in any given spacetime region be determined only by what has happened in its absolute past, i.e., in the (...) backward light-cone drawn from that region. This requirement must be modified, for it is inconsistent with the implications of quantum theory expressed by a generalized version of Bell's theorem. Revamping the causal spacetime structure of the Whitehead-Heisenberg ontology to bring it into accord with the generalized Bell's theorem creates the possibility of a nonlocal causal covariant theory that accords with the statistical prediction of quantum theory. (shrink)

In this book, which contains several of his key papers as well as new material, he focuses on the problem of consciousness and explains how quantum mechanics...

Recent investigations have conclusively proved that, because of their collapse, quantum states transform noncovariantly under Lorentz transformations. This result is shown to imply that quantum states do not represent probability distributions for the results of measurements. They represent, rather, perspectives of such probability distributions from the point of view of the frame of reference in which they are given. The ontological status of these “perspectives of potentialities” is discussed. It is conjectured that they propagate from the location of a measurement (...) to the origins of all frames of reference at the speed of light. (shrink)

In a previous article it was shown that in general quantum states represent perspectives on the potentialities of quantum systems, rather than the potentialities themselves. In the present paper the following questions are investigated in the context of this result: (1) How do quantum states which undergo collapse transform under pure translations? (2) Under what conditions do quantum states represent the potentialities themselves? Two alternatives are presented in response to the first question: (1) Quantum states are scalars under translations. (2) (...) The collapse of a quantum state propagates between frames of reference at the speed of light. The advantages and disadvantages of the two alternatives are discussed. The response to the second question is shown to depend on the chosen alternative. In addition, the second alternative is shown to lead to a consistent view of quantum states as “potential perspectives on potentialities.”. (shrink)