It is true to say that the magnificent discoveries of quantum physics have not penetrated the thinking and outlook of other than a handful of scientists and doctors. In our culture, the machine paradigm largely prevails. The whole essence of the problem is the failure to perceive the distinction between the machine and the mechanic, between the instrument and the performer.
In his Passions of the Soul and The Description of the Human Body, René Descartes suggested that the body works like a machine, and has material properties. But the mind, on the other hand, was described as non-material and not following what he saw as the mechanical laws of nature. The idea of matter being dead or inert and the body, a machine, has persisted even to this day, especially in the context of the ever-increasing supremacy of scientific technology, whereas the spirit and soul have largely been either conveniently ignored, or explained away in terms of matter. So, the root cause of the current malaise in thinking, epitomized by the computationalist cult, is the notion which sees natural things as objects – inert, senseless and detached from us. And such thinking might well explain the attitude that has led to the present ecological crisis whereby our planet is regarded as an inert object to plunder, at will, for technological advancement and commercial expansion.
Whereas quantum physics has repeatedly shown with such impressive theory, backed by sophisticated experimental evidence, the interconnectedness of things in the world, the non-materiality of so-called physical matter, and the role of consciousness in any consideration of quantum behaviour, yet the collective psyche of the vast majority of mainstream scientists, especially most biologists, has hardly progressed beyond the outworn paradigm of the ‘billiard ball’ notion[1] of dead matter behaving according to pre-quantum physics without any higher informing principle, by whatever name.
But there are ways forward, which release us from this outdated paradigm. The English Romantic poet John Keats talked about what he called negative capability – the capacity to sit with the unknown, to trust the process and have faith that there is a greater Consciousness that we can tune into. Doubt and uncertainty are anathema to left brained scientism. But the right brain hemisphere preferring to deal with wholes rather than parts, and with qualities over quantities, has no problem with subject experience or waiting patiently in silence attuning to a higher power. This is the kind of holistic approach, used by luminaries of science, such as Leonardo and Newton that would help us greatly in facing the complex problems of today.
[1] The "billiard ball" notion of classical physics refers to the idea that particles behave like small, solid, indivisible spheres that interact through direct contact or simple forces, following deterministic and predictable laws of motion.
Author: Edi Bilimoria, DPhil,FIMechE,FEI,FRSA from his book: Unfolding Consciousness: Exploring the Living Universe and Intelligent Powers in Nature and Humans (2022) Shepheard-Walwyn Publishers, London. Newsflash! The book has just won The People’s Book Prize 2025 Award for Best Achievement. https://edibilimoria.com
2025 has been designated UNESCO year of Quantum Science and Technology. The Fintry Trust Summer School takes place on Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th July and will explore the theme As Above, So Below: The Wisdom of Integral Science. Guest Speakers will be internationally acclaimed theologian and priest Matthew Fox. Matthew will speak on his book, co-authored with biologist, Rupert Sheldrake, The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet. We also welcome Wakyani Hoffman, an expert in Ubuntu wisdom and ethical AI. Find out more
