Events

David Bohm made very important contributions to a range of different areas in physics. Amongst these, his work on quantum theory is possibly the most relevant to Pari discussions. In this talk I will attempt to outline Bohm’s ontological interpretation of quantum theory, which has since been developed by Basil Hiley amongst others. I will also discuss Bohm’s development of the Einstein-Podalsky-Rosen (EPR paradox) paper which led to John Bell’s work and our current understanding of entanglement.

Quantum mechanics is often regarded as an important case for pluralism in science, as the theory allows for a plurality of interpretations. This talk shows that scientific pluralism is also historically connected to quantum mechanics: in particular, the philosopher of science, Paul Feyerabend developed his arguments for pluralism in the context of debates on quantum mechanics and in conversation with David Bohm.

David Bohm and Hugh Everett were both mavericks in physics,  bucking the Copenhagen trend (which was exceptionally  powerful during their formative years and long after). They each developed a surprising and novel interpretation  of quantum mechanics, which shared some features but were  also radically dissimilar, almost as dissimilar as their  personalities and outlook on life. Their views have been much  discussed, but less has been said of the place of mind  and consciousness within their interpretations. Bohm wrote  more explicitly about this, but Everett said very little about  the nature of mind. Here, I want to explore their views, to outline Bohm’s approach to the mind and to see how mind can  be integrated with the so-called Many-Worlds interpretation we owe to Everett.

This talk considers Bohm’s view of the self and the observer in the light of the recently published Bohm’s letters to Jeffrey Bub. (C. Talbot ed. (2020) David Bohm’s Critique of Modern Physics. Letters to Jeffrey Bub, 1966-1969. Cham: Springer).  Bohm’s view is influenced on the one hand by the situation in quantum physics, where the role of the observer is an important topic.  But there are also influences from his discussions with Krishnamurti. According to Bohm the plain fact in the mental domain is that observation is going on, but there is no separate observer inside the mind, who would be “doing the looking”.  Is this view plausible and consistent, and how does it relate to other contemporary views of the self?

The eighth conversation in this series will be on Wednesday August 23, 2023 with Mauro Biglino. Our conversation will orbit around “the literal translation of the Bible and the oldest secret in history”.

David Bohm was a physicist and an explorer of mind who probed deeply the question of what might bring about a transformation of consciousness in the individual and in society as a whole. Such a renaissance he perceived could arise as humanity awakened to what he termed orders between and beyond, new orders of cognition within which thought would operate in a movement subtle and creative. One approach that he brought to opening this understanding to others was to bring attention to how new orders of perception may be formed by bringing together and transcending orders already present.

There was “a linguistic turn” in Bohm’s thinking, particularly as a result of interaction with Donald Schumacher.  Among other things this led Bohm to propose a new language mode, the rheomode which gives the verb a central role in language structure.  In this session Bohm’s proposals will be considered and critically examined.