Wholeness and the Implicate Order [Paperback]

David Bohm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0415289793 | ISBN-13: 978-0415289795 | Edition: Reissue

David Bohm was one of the foremost scientific thinkers and philosophers of our time. Although deeply influenced by Einstein, he was also, more unusually for a scientist, inspired by mysticism. Indeed, in the 1970s and 1980s he made contact with both J. Krishnamurti and the Dalai Lama whose teachings helped shape his work. In both science and philosophy, Bohm's main concern was with understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular. In this classic work he develops a theory of quantum physics which treats the totality of existence as an unbroken whole. Writing clearly and without technical jargon, he makes complex ideas accessible to anyone interested in the nature of reality.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Bohm is a tremendously exciting thinker, and this is undoubtedly a book of the first importance.' - Colin Wilson

'One of the most important books of our times.' - Resurgence

About the Author

David Bohm (1917-92). Renowned physicist and theorist who was one of the most original thinkers of the second half of the twentieth century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; Reissue edition (November 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415289793
• ISBN-13: 978-0415289795
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Research

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

230 of 251 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Introduction to Bohmian Quantum Mechanics November 23, 2002

By PHILIP A. STAHL

Format:Paperback

The Stochastic Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics was developed over a number of years, starting with Louis DeBroglie's 'pilot wave' innovation, then being much further refined by Jean Paul Vigier, and later David Bohm and Brian Hiley of University of London. Much of the theoretical basis for their work rests on the split photon experiments of Alain Aspect and colleagues at the University of Paris. I.e. Aspect et al evidently found 'correlations' between the polarizations of separated photons at significant (~ 12 m) distances.

All of which is the underpinning for David Bohm's book, 'Wholeness and The Implicate Order'. The book perfectly ties together all the loose ends and integrates them - starting with hidden variables theory, going on to the quantum potential and finally the explicate and implicate order.

In the most general sense, the apparently 'fragmented' universe we behold- made of disparate stars, galaxies, galaxy clusters etc. is the explicate order. The outwardly manfest reality occurring in 4 dimensional space time. However, we cannot be sure that at a higher dimensionality all the fragmented forms are not unified.

A good illustration is one that Bohm himself provides in this superb monograph. Imagine a fish in an aquarium tank and two TV cameras are trained on him. One captures his frontal view - the other his lateral view. These images are transmitted to two separate screens-monitors in another room. The casual observer on encountering the TV monitors most probably would infer two separate fish. But in fact they constitute one fish at the higher (3D) dimensionality.

This unified order would be described as 'implicate' - and one can ascertain that the explicate order is or can be 'enfolded' into it. In effect, one confronts a universe that has deceived our senses. We are decieved into believing there exist a multiplicity of entities, when in fact there is only one. We just can't apprehend it from our vantage point.

Now, a number of books have come out with similar themes. Some of these are simply too childish, and with too many mystical or 'supernatural' overtones. For example, David Talbot's 'Holographic Universe' falls under this rubric, where he gets carried away and led on to considering 'supernatural' mannifestations and 'miracles' merely because the universe may be implicate. Fritjof Capra's 'Tao of Physics' also falls under this, but nowhere near as badly. If nothing else, one can get a reasonable introduction to particle physics and group theory in Capra's book.

I think the interested reader is probably better served by three other books, which I think ought to be read before tackling David Bohm's - which, despite some portrayals - is not a popular science work! The first is perhaps the cartoon-plus-text book entitled 'Space, Time and Beyond' by Fred Alan Wolf and Bob Toben (Bantam New Age, 1982). After that, I recommend going on to 'The Non-Local Universe' by Robert Nadeau and Menas Kafatos (Oxford Univ. Press, 1999). Then, 'In Search of Reality' by Bernard d'Espagnat which is the best immediate introduction to Bohm's work. To really enable the reader to appreciate it.

It also helps to have some general familiarity with basic notions of physics- such as wave forms, interference and diffraction. For example, this would be particularly useful in seeing how Bohm composes 'the holomovement' (p.151).

The mathematics scattered throughout the text, cf. the chapter on 'Hidden Variables' is actually very basic for a book of this sort of depth and insight. However, to fully appreciate the gist of things, it does help to have a background at least in Calculus - if not Mechanics. (The latter is especially useful in understanding the sort of canonical transformations shown, e.g. on p. 92).

Finally, rather than supernaturalist drivel, I think the book really shows that we need to think of new ways- for example- to describe the phenomenon of human consciousness. I already attempted one such way, using 'Pauli spin operator' gates in the brain, in my book 'The Atheist's Handbook to Modern Materialism' (Chapter 5, 'Consciousness and Modern Materialism'). This also leads to the development of 'quantum' neural networks with the possibility of non-local features governing their operation (cf. p. 157 - my book).

The gateway to this whole panorama of ideas and concepts - connected to an inseparable cosmos- is Bohm's book. I've already re-read it three times, and still find new insights when I go back to it. I had hoped that before he died, Bohm (or colleague Brian Hiley) might have produced a more popular 'reader-friendly' version, but alas it was not to be. Still, it is possible for the non-physics specialist to get a lot out of it by navigating the route I suggested earlier.

The only ones likely to be disappointed, if any, will be those who either: a) are not familiar with the preliminary work leading up to Bohm's, or b) those who mistakenly think this book is of the 'popular' variety.

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Bohm's Classic work that started a new dialog on reality May 31, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Bohm treats the totality of existence as an unbroken whole. His implicate order conncept: that any independent element in our universe contains within it the sum of all elements, i.e the sum of all existence itself. He describes an enfolding-unfolding universe with consciousness playing a central role. He was a great thinker ahead of his time. This classic work captures a good cross section of his ideas.

80 of 86 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm not quite ready for this book July 22, 2001

By Earl Hazell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

What Freud is to psychoanalysis, Thomas Merton and Aquinas are to Christian theology and spirituality, Maimonedes is to Judaism, Picasso is to modern art, Armstrong, Ellington, Parker and Coltrane are to jazz and Einstein is to the first half of the twentieth century in terms of science, is what this man and this book will probably be for the next hundred or so years of our culture. I am still having a hard time with this book, because he reifies and affirms so many of my most cherished intuitions regarding spirituality via using the highest brand of intellectuallisms one can probably hope to use in today's world--AND VICE VERSA.

I would recommend anyone who finds the majesty of today's world and its endeavors to bridge the gap between science and spirituality fascinating to read first the work of his would be disciples: Michael Talbot (the Holographic Universe) and Jenny Wade (Changes of Mind). They will prepare both your mind and heart for what Bohm elucidates in this book, the central one of his life, thought and career.

Nonetheless, this book effectively bridges the gap, and becomes in may ways the blue print by which the highest level of consciousness and perspective achievable in the context of Western Society today will be henceforth embraced and appreciated. Bohm was one of the most important thinkers in Western culture, not just our time or the last century. And this incredible challange of a work of his may not take you half as long to fully digest as it is taking me, but it will open your eyes in ways that you would not expect about possibility, mind, matter, energy, thought, order and existence in the universe. The yogis and the Memphite priests of ancient Egypt were right: here is the proof by the highest science.