asanjuan2008 Posted January 16, 2009 (edited) From the site: "How to explain phenomenon such as spirits, ghosts, and death in terms of a holistic metaphysical framework which aligns current quantum mechanical theories with philosophical tenets from Taoism, Buddhism and other spiritual foundations." Quantum Tao Thoughts? Ideas? Edited January 16, 2009 by asanjuan2008 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anabhogya-Carya Posted January 17, 2009 I was expecting some kind of pseudo-science garbage, but that was actually quite interesting. Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
asanjuan2008 Posted January 17, 2009 I was expecting some kind of pseudo-science garbage, but that was actually quite interesting. Thanks. The quantum stuff is legit; the question is whether it was over-reaching in the end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anabhogya-Carya Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) The quantum stuff is legit; the question is whether it was over-reaching in the end. It may very well be, but he did not make many claims. He just suggested the possibility, which is a nice break from many of the religious people who 'know' everything. Edited January 17, 2009 by Anabhogya-Carya Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zhongyongdaoist Posted January 18, 2009 I am not impressed with this site. It has a very 'new age' feel to it and the author shows no particularly deep understanding of Quantum Mechanics. I have made a particular study of Quantum Mechanics and its implication for spiritual practice. If one wants to take a rigorous approach to QM and make well formed deductions, then the only thing that strongly emerges at this time is that QM is a Reductio as Absurdam proof of the the atomistic and mechanistic presupposition that have dominated so called 'science' since the 17th Century. In order to understand QM more deeply I am now making a study of mathematical group theory and symmetry, mostly for my own purposes. Somehow I don't think that the author of this page could say what group theory is off the top of his head or why it is important to QM. A very interesting book for anyone interested in QM and spiritual traditions is Synchronicity: The Bridge Between Matter and Mind by David Peat. A very clearly written book which opens fantastic windows on may vistas. It is actually written by a physicist and a person who has put a lot of thought into the matters which he discusses. I have a couple of minor complaints about it, but otherwise it is absolutely worth the read. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
asanjuan2008 Posted January 19, 2009 It may very well be, but he did not make many claims. He just suggested the possibility, which is a nice break from many of the religious people who 'know' everything. It was the claims about death and spirits...but, you are right, the main point is that these were just suggestions. I am not impressed with this site. It has a very 'new age' feel to it and the author shows no particularly deep understanding of Quantum Mechanics. Definitely New Age feel to it, which isn't necessarily bad. At least it did not start spouting off about Love is the center of the Universe and such ;-) And from what i have read about Quantum Theory, the statements made about it seem to be very valid, and the tenets derived from those seem to be reasonable as well. It's the claims made in the paragraphs about haunted houses and such that were going towards the boundaries. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zhongyongdaoist Posted January 19, 2009 Tyler, thanks very much for your stimulating reply! I have just scanned it and think that we agree on many points. My interest in group theory and QM follows from reading Not Even Wrong by Peter Woit, it definitely emphasizes the central place of group theory in the development of the Standard Model. One of the things that I found most interesting was the discussion on p. 46 about how the SU(2) symmetry gives rise to particle spin. Particle spin has bothered me for some time, because as you and I know there are no particles and they are not spinning, but to see it arising, apparently out of the mathematics does this old Platonists heart good. I have often maintained that it is not mathematics that models machines, but machines that model mathematics. In any case I will be reviewing both your post and your other link and perhaps preparing some further reflections. If you are interested in who set the stage for Laplace and his demon you might find The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science by E. A. Burtt interesting. I had left my previous remarks very short because of a lack of time, but hoped that someone might pick it up in an interesting way. You certainly have done so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
asanjuan2008 Posted January 19, 2009 (edited) What the author doesn't understand is that the "wave" corresponding to a many particle system is a function of the configuration space, not ordinary space. They are only the same for a single particle system. For a two particle system it is six dimensional, for a three particle system it is nine dimensional, etc. This is the mathematical reason behind "entanglement": quantum many particle systems are not reducible to many wavefunctions on three dimensional space, but are entangled in a higher dimensional space (NOT a physical space, for all the armchair string theorists reading this). So a human body's wavefunction is a "wave" in a space of at least a trillion trillion dimensions Very interesting. But how does this negate the suggestion that many-particle systems are still made of waves? Waves with aspects in a trillion dimensions actually sounds fascinating ;-) Observing something having an influence on it does not translate to intention having an influence, like in the law of attraction. Can you elaborate on this? Edited January 19, 2009 by asanjuan2008 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
