Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer (The Frontiers Collection) [Hardcover]

Henry P. Stapp (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3540724133 | ISBN-13: 978-3540724131 | Publication Date: July 20, 2007 | Edition: 1

The classical mechanistic idea of nature that prevailed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was essentially mindless: the physically described aspects of nature were asserted to be completely determined by prior physically described aspects alone, with conscious experiences entering only passively. In the last century these classical concepts were found inadequate. In the new quantum mechanics theory, conscious experiences enter into the dynamics in specified ways not fixed by physically described aspects alone.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews: "Stapp's book is a bold and original attack on the problem of consciousness and free will based on the openings provided by the laws of quantum mechanics. This is a serious and interesting attack on a truly fundamental problem." Tony Leggett, Physics Nobel Laureate (2003) "In his new book, Stapp insists that the "causal closure of the physical", in particular concerning quantum theory, is an untenable myth. He elaborates on ideas of Bohr, von Neumann, Heisenberg and, from a philosophical point of view, James and Whitehead to sketch a complex picture in which the physical and the mental are emphatically conditioned by each other. Stapp's wide-ranging proposal offers stimulating reading, a strong sense of conceptual coherence and intuitive appeal, and empirical predictions that deserve to be refined and tested." Harald Atmanspacher A highly readable book of genuine wisdom by one of the foremost minds for our generation. The paradoxical enigma of consciousness and matter has been tackled by virtually every modern philosopher and many scientists as well. Unfortunately most philosophers have grounded their thinking in century old physics while most scientists fail to understand the nuances of philosophical thought. Here a foremost quantum physicist speaks to us not only from a profound understanding of physics, but with a sophistication about consciousness and philosophy of mind that few short of William James and Alfred North Whitehead have sustained. The result is a radical rethinking of issues as fundamental and vital as free will, ethics, the mind-body problem, and the dimensions of human nature itself. Allan Combs, CIIS Editor of Mind in Time: The Dynamics of Thought, Reality, and Consciousness "Stapp has devoted some of the 17 chapters of the book to arguments for the need to use quantum theory in neuroscience, explanations of his theory, and discussions of the consistency of his theory with the ideas of William James and Alfred Whitehead. … This book has been written in a style that is clearly meant to make the book widely accessible… . Henry Stapp’s theory is worthy of attention, and this book provides a good introduction to it." (Imants Barušs, Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 21 (3), 2008) "In this book Stapp tackles the ‘mind-body problem’ (or rather the ‘mind-matter’ problem). … The book is certainly an enjoyable read (I read it in one sitting) … . Philosophers of mind should read this book because it frequently discusses elements of the contemporary debate in novel ways, and may trigger some entirely new debates. It will also provide a nice entrée into quantum theory … . Those interested in the philosophical foundations of physics will no doubt find it enjoyable … ." (Dean Rickles, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2008 g)

From the Back Cover

The classical mechanistic idea of nature that prevailed in science during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was an essentially mindless conception: the physically described aspects of nature were asserted to be completely determined by prior physically described aspects alone, with our conscious experiences entering only passively. During the twentieth century the classical concepts were found to be inadequate. In the new theory, quantum mechanics, our conscious experiences enter into the dynamics in specified ways not fixed by the physically described aspects alone. Consequences of this radical change in our understanding of the connection between mind and brain are described. "Stapp's book is a bold and original attack on the problem of consciousness and free will based on the openings provided by the laws of quantum mechanics. This is a serious and interesting attack on a truly fundamental problem." Tony Leggett [Physics Nobel Laureate, 2003]  "Stapp's wide-ranging proposal offers stimulating reading, a strong sense of conceptual coherence and intuitive appeal, and empirical predictions that deserve to be refined and tested." Harald Atmanspacher "A highly readable book of genuine wisdom by one of the foremost minds for our generation." Allan Combs

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 210 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (July 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3540724133
• ISBN-13: 978-3540724131
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Physics Explained for Human Beings, January 29, 2008

By 

Wigner's Girlfriend - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer (The Frontiers Collection) (Hardcover)

"Mindful Universe" by Henry Stapp begins with the sentences, "This book concerns your nature as a human being. It is about the connection of your mind to your body."

When I first read that I thought, "Oh, sure, what would a physicist know about that?" I read the book anyway, and I'm glad I did. It is without a doubt the best, most comprehensible, most useful book about modern physics I've ever read.

First Stapp lays out the basic discoveries and their ramifications that led to the overthrow of 'classical physics' in a way that is easily understood. He then goes into the 'orthodox interpretation' of modern physics as laid out by von Neumann and others. This has provided me with an understanding of modern physics that is both intuitive and actually useful to my everyday life.

Stapp has managed to do something amazing -- he teaches us what modern physics really says about the nature of the universe and our role in it, without dumbing it down and without the jargon and mathematics that make so many of the other books I've read so difficult. And what modern science really says is very different to what most books and mass-media articles present. Be ready for a reality shift.

In Chapter 6 "The Effectiveness of Conscious Will and the Quantum Zeno Effect" Stapp explains how this modern physics applies to the mind-brain connection in a way that fits well with experience. I've never understood modern physics like that.

The last sentence of the chapter "Conclusions" is, "The falseness of that deviation of science (the classical ideal of a mechanical universe) must be made known, and heralded, because human beings are not likely to endure in a society ruled by a conception of themselves that denies the essence of their being."

I would like to say this: Stapp makes good on the promise of the first sentence of the book and I understand and agree with the last. Fantastic book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The thing that studies the world is that world, November 12, 2011

By 

Nova137 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer (The Frontiers Collection) (Hardcover)

Review of "Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer" by Henry P. Stapp. Published by Springer as part of their Frontiers Collection. It is relatively short at 198 pages including a Preface, 13 main chapters making up part I, 4 chapters making up part II, 7 Appendices making up part III, References and Index.

In the Preface, Dr. Stapp summarizes his book thusly:

1. Mind matters/I matter. Mind<--->Body matters.
2. Classical view of reality is fundamentally incorrect.
3. Quantum view of reality encompasses classical physics in the limit where Planck's Constant goes to zero.
4. Actual hard science considers us natural phenomenon. Worst case scenario is we are considered "automaton". Quantum theory rejects this now falsified relic of classcial physics.
5. New physics does this by placing consciousness back on the table.
6. Why this is so important? Because classical physical theory still drives decisions of governments, schools, courts and medicine.
7. Aim of book is to explain the new science and its social consequences.

One thing I must say about Henry P. Stapp is that he has been at this from the beginning of his career. His doctoral thesis in particle physics working on proton-proton interactions led to his post-doctoral work under Wolfgang Pauli. During this time (c. 1958) he wrote an article entitled, "Mind, Matter and Quantum Mechanics." Thirty-five years latter his book of the same title was published under the same Foundational Series as the book here being reviewed. I would consider this work a smaller snapshot of his whole thrust toward showing how the mathematical and physical foundations of quantum theory bring the human being to the conscious center of our exploration of the reality we are intimately a part of.

Having paid him some due, I have to let the potential buyer know right away that reading this book without a background study in Quantum Mechanics (QM`s) and Quantum Reality (QR) will make the going somewhat difficult. Why? Because the conclusions of Dr. Stapp about the body-mind problem have an intricacy involved that an uninformed reading will not navigate easily. Having said that, this work isn't beyond the first time listener. There are enough interesting suggestions in this work that will appeal to the lay reader enough to peak the interest and make for an enjoyable read such that other works of a more general nature on QR and its implications and this purchase will be rewarding.

One of the main thrusts of Dr. Stapp's philosophical positions is that classical physics fails to provide a foundational basis for meaning in the human being and, given the more comprehensive science of reality being "quantum" in nature at is base, that classical Newtonian (clock-like) physics as a statement of human reality should be rejected. QM's should be invoked in the case of "us" when we ask, "Is our mind explained by brain processes alone?" Henry P. Stapp does another excellent job making plain why.

For instance, the Title alone is very suggestive. This is a book about the Universe, QM and You! Are you "the Participating Observer"? Well, according to Henry P. Stapp you sure are. What could that possibly mean? Well if you've read up on QM's over the years, you've come to the understanding that a particle, say an electron, exist in a wave-like probability state of pure potential *until it is observed*. This is known as the "collapse of the wave function" of the electron so that it shows up as a particle on a detector screen. The double-slit experiment informs us that this is so and Dr. Stapp touches on why the founders of quantum theory were forced to revise their understanding of the base of reality.

This leads us to the "Mindful" part of the Title. To convince you that you are participating in the collapse of the state vector of your reality, Henry P. Stapp will make the case that the brain has a quantum component (at the ionic level) and with mindful attention, the wave of you (your many thousands of potential acts each second) are being collapsed by that attention into a single, whole conscious percept by you and your brain to create your reality.

In the Appendices and throughout this work, Henry P. Stapp lays out some of the important history supporting the connection of QM's and consciousness.

Let me quote the book's aim:

"The aim of this book is to describe the development of this revised conceptualization of the connection between our minds and our brains, and the consequent revision of the role of human consciousness in the unfolding of reality."

Here are a couple of quotes that help us understand "this revised conceptualization":

"...the proper subject matter of science is not what may or may not be `out there,' unobserved and unknown to human beings. It is rather what we human beings can know, and can do to know more. Thus, they formulated their new theory, called quantum mechanics, or quantum theory, around the knowledge-acquiring actions of human beings, and the knowledge we acquire by performing these actions, rather than around a conjectured causally sufficient mechanical world..."

"...it is the revised understanding of the nature of human beings, and of the causal role of human consciousness in the unfolding of reality, that is, I believe, the most exciting thing about the new physics, and probably, in the final analysis, also the most important contribution of science to the well-being of our species."

He continues:

"The rational foundation for this revised conceptual structure emerged from the intense intellectual struggles that took place during the twenties, principally between Neils Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and Wolfgang Pauli. Those struggles replaced the then-prevailing Newtonian idea of matter as `solid, massy, hard, impenetrable, moveable particles' with a new concept that allowed, and in fact required, an entry into the causal structure of the physical effects of conscious decision made by human subjects. This radical change swept away the meaningless billiard-ball universe, and replaced it with a universe in which we beings, by means of our value-based intentional efforts, can make a difference first in our own behaviors, thence in the social matrix we are embedded, and eventually in the entire physical reality that sustains our streams of conscious experience."

I think that pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the book. I hope I've peaked your interest.

If so, buy a copy today.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, November 19, 2008

By 

Katherine (Palm Harbor, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer (The Frontiers Collection) (Hardcover)

I have found this book to be very well written and thought provoking. I love a book that makes you think and that brings up points of view that perhaps you haven't considered before. This book certainly makes you ponder how your thoughts actually affect the Universe, excuse me, Multiverse. No longer are we just passive bystanders but rather hopeful co-creators. This is on a grand scale as well as a micro scale. So go ahead...stretch your brain a little...it might hurt at first to use muscles that you might not have used in a long while (trust me I know!) but you'll thank me later!(lol)