Quantum Questions: Mystical Writings of the World's Greatest Physicists

by Ken Wilber (Editor)

The mystical writings of the world’s great physicists—now in one eye-opening volume that bridges the gap between science and religion

Quantum Questions collects the mystical writings of each of the major physicists involved in the discovery of quantum physics and relativity, including Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg, and Max Planck. The selections are written in nontechnical language and will be of interest to scientists and nonscientists alike.

Genres: Science, Philosophy, Spirituality, Physics, Nonfiction, Religion, Psychology

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Kenneth Earl Wilber II is an American philosopher and writer on transpersonal psychology and his own integral theory, a systematic philosophy which suggests the synthesis of all human knowledge and experience.

Reviews

[Parmida R. A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book! 100% recommend to those who seperate science and religion.

The book contains some sections of some books from notable 20th century scientists, like Heisenberg, Einstein, Schrödinger, Pauli, etc. It is very interesting to see how 20th physicists were also mystics, theologians, and philosopher. I only wish we had some aspect of Bohr's ideas as well.

[Lee Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In case you misread the subtitle, that’s physicists, not psychics!

I’ve seen them myself: arguments from modern physics that prove the existence of the Spirit (or some metaphysical phenomenon that justifies our spirituality or transcendentalism). I’ve seen the opposite, too: arguments from modern physics that debunk spirituality.

So Wilber’s book should be a hit. What do our best minds—the people who actually understand the physics of Quantum Theory, Relativity, and more—have to say on the topic? You’ll recognize a lot of the names in this book: Einstein, Schroedinger, Heisenberg, Bohr, Eddington, Pauli, Plank and more. This is a collection of essays by these men, with brief editing and an introduction by Ken Wilber.

Wilber culls the writings of these great minds to uncover their opinions, and discovers that they are virtually unanimous in the opinion that modern science can offer no support for mysticism in any variety. And yet they are all mystics of one sort or another! They simply do not believe modern physics can fully describe the universe we live in. Modern physics isn’t in opposition to spirituality, it is simply indifferent to it. Eddington explains: “We have learnt that the exploration of the external world by the methods of physical science leads not to a concrete reality but to a shadow world of symbols, beneath which those methods are unadapted for penetrating.”

If I had to choose a favorite essay, it would be “In the Mind of Some Eternal Spirit” by Sir James Jeans. Science is not yet in contact with ultimate reality, Jeans insists, and this is no surprise. Any meaning that the universe as a whole may have, would entirely transcend our terrestrial experience and so be totally unintelligible to us. The universe is a mathematical construct but—and don’t eschew the profundity of this claim—“the mathematics enters the universe from above instead of from below.” Jeans pictures the universe as consisting of “pure thought.” While Jeans may be the most daring of the bunch, the dualism of mind and matter is nevertheless a common theme.

Fascinating book which starts a bit slow (after a great introduction) and builds from there.

[Willa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really excited me... original writings of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, compiled and contextualised by Ken Wilber, giving their views on mysticism. Each one of them shows themselves as humble, passionate mystics, setting out the limites of the very science they have given their lives to, and acknowledging the fact that the only origin and purpose of that science is mystical reality. Simply beautiful!

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think he takes liberty with quoting and takes also takes comments out of context thus misrepresenting what the original author was saying. Not his best.

[Stephanie Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most insightful, mind-opening books i've ever read. For reels.

[Roby]

This was my first Wilbur book I read some time back. It took me eons to read it, as it just didn't resonate with me initially. That has since changed and I go back to it often.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically skimmed it, seemed like he took lots of liberties and the point lost somewhere in the translations.

[Sari سري Taha طه · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book to read around a holy season (April 2022) where holidays of Muslims/Ramadan, Christians/Easter and Jews/Pseach all overlap. The city of Jerusalem was also as of late many decades been going through escelated tension. Adding to it the ongoing War.

This book is a savour and a great escape... The writings of most famous physicists about that which is not physical and also beyond their grasp. This humbling understanding and admittance of our and the science limitation is important to draw attention to every now and then.

Having said that, it is very important to be scientific but still with surrender to that which is beyond the control of science and also the grasp of our human thinking ability.

[Alex Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around the time when theoretical physics turned increasingly towards mathematical models to predict discoveries about our collective universe, many fundamental assumptions about the nature of reality also changed.

Previous to the discovery of the quantum world, and the revolutions of general and special relativity, Newton's scientific research program dominated the sciences. The aesthetics of this Newtonian world view specified scientific Truth, a dogma that militantly eschewed religion, mysticism and other "subjective" world views. Much of our ideas about the nature of science and religion still originate from the stranglehold of science, as it dominated the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries until Einstein presented a more exacting order of things... for example, some physicists and atheists alike will claim that religion is outdated, or that science can provide all the mystical answers in a clearer way than religion has.

This book states the opposite. In this wonderful collection, we have "mystical writings of the world's greatest physicists", all of which proclaim that science has its place (and limits) and religion with mysticism has its place in our human world. For to be a complete human being, we would need both.. and as more than one physicist wrote, you need faith first and foremost before you can even proceed into the unknown domains that are science's areas of study.

While the message was a little repetitive, I did get a good sense that these amazing men, who shook the foundations of our world, came away from their search for the real substance, a deeply profound respect for the mysteries of being and the universe. Rather than discarding the work of humans for thousands of years (in areas of religion) they turned back to these areas with a greater respect after tackling basic questions about the nature of reality. The editor, Ken Wilber, did well to end with Sir Arthur Eddington. Eddington's lucid remarks on how understanding reality through mathematics and how this compares to religion goes at great lengths to demonstrate just how in the search for making sense of the world, we end with equations that nearly make no sense in themselves, leaving more questions than answers.

After all, science is to be the study of what is. That doesn't necessarily even begin to address how we should be, or what has meaning or how meaning even comes about. We've got a long way to go before these two different areas can even begin to rightly address one another in ways that make any consistent sense.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about reality, causality and you. The authors offer a very thorough discussion of the border, and collusion, between the mystical and scientific. Since the time of ancient Greek philosophers, the atom was thought to be the end-all of reality, but this age of physicists discovered that it is not; and in fact, the supposed bedrock of reality is a place of apparent non-causality, “spooky” action, and unknowable states. So, just as the arrow of science from Democritus to Kepler, Newton and Darwin seemed to be pointing to causality, independence, and certitude, Schroedinger, Heisenberg and Einstein revealed that underlying all of it, from sub-atomic particles to the relationship between space and time, there is an interdependence, apparent non-causality, and uncertitude. In short, there is an apparent mysticism to reality that clearly does not exclude its plausibility in the human experience; and, importantly to the author, does not necessarily include it either. And yet, I am personally struck by what I see as the collaboration between physics and the mystical in our own understanding of the universe.

[Sol Rezza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fantastic. I had wanted to read it for many years and it was finally worth the wait.

[Horsesheet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could do without the Wilber Introduction. And the "Mystical" in the title, I think is misleading as it pertains to supernatural beliefs which, from my perspective, is a good thing. But the essays speak for themselves given the brilliance of the authors whose scientific fields are generally inaccessible intellectually to most persons. Always erudite, insightful, and learned in their literary references, their thoughts and musings are seasoned with the wonder and curiosity found genuinely in children and equally contagious to this reader who was moved to hear them at a level and on subjects I could understand. The questions are worth re-reading, which I am always doing, keeping it handy around the house. I'd like to see a similar compendium from contemporary physicists--any scientist really--who has the rare experience of truly discovering something new about the Universe and contributing to the scientific knowledge of mankind. Thanks....

[#DÏ4B7Ø Chinnamasta-Bhairav]

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[Clara Kieschnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book out loud to my grandma per her request (she can't see well enough to read anymore). Unconvinced... the physicists kept grouping everything we don't understand through science as a "proof" of religion. I already went into this book biased—I think trying to "prove" God exists (or vice versa) is futile. It wasn't until Eddington—the final section—that someone finally acknowledged the importance of faith in religion and the futility of trying to convince someone to be religious. Isn't a large part of religion showing that you have faith in God, without the need for proof? Regardless, it was something I never would have read on my own and it was nice discussing it with my grandma every time we finished a chapter.

[Javier Hernández Sinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Textos de carácter místico y espiritual escritos por los más prestigiosos físicos. Todos ellos premiados con el Nobel por sus descubrimientos y trabajos en el campo de la física de partículas, cuántica y relativista.

Cuanto más nos aproximamos a los secretos de la ciencia, más sentido cobran las enseñanzas de los maestros espirituales.

[Lucila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho el punto de vista de Eddington. El resto me pareció interesante, y la opinión del editor no me gustó para nada

[Dabiz · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/10

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es uno de esos libros que te deja con más interrogantes en la última página que en la primera.
Es un libro que te hace cuestionar ciertos temas en los que normalmente uno no reflexiona.

[Ryan FC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Martin J. Cusack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slower than it needed to be, language a bit clumsy, content good.

[Josh Maher]

Book about old white men who can't agree on the definition of certain words.

[Paulina H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy interesante leer las distintas perspectivas espirituales de quienes construyeron la cuántica. Bueno si quieres leer más sobre las ideas de alguno de ellos.

[Rodrigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si quieres profundizar en el sentido de la realidad, aprenderás que las mentes más lúcidas del siglo ya le daban vueltas a ello. La matemática y la realidad, Dios… confluye en lo que somos

[Fernando Betancourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una cuestión común es oír a gente insinuar que ser científico implica automáticamente que no crees en ningún tipo de misticismo. Eso se traduce, por ejemplo, en el desprecio que se le tiene al horóscopo o todo lo que suena a New Age. Este libro es un buen contraejemplo a ese pensamiento. Los autores de cada capítulo no solamente son de los principales físicos del siglo pasado, también son personas (o fueron) que creían fervientemente en algún tipo de misticismo.

[Frank Jude · Rating 2 out of 5]

An anthology of writings by some of the 20th centuries top physicists goes to prove that great physicists aren't necessarily great writers nor coherent thinkers outside their sphere of expertise! Some of their writings on mysticism are simply mystifying! Some are though-provoking, but I remain unconvinced. I have no problem with the idea that our consciousness is emergent from protons and electrons. To think otherwise drops us into a dualism that I find extremely problematic!

To my mind, the real 'miraculous' phenomenon is that matter/energy can lead to this thinking being typing on his keyboard. Why posit some ethereal, 'cosmic consciousness' that animates me and you and all phenomena?

[Alcasá · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bastante denso aunque curioso.

[Ken Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Increíble. La introducción de Ken Wilber bastante mala, pero una vez deja de hablar este tipo el libro es impresionante. Sigue siendo mi libro favorito a día de hoy. Merece muchísimo la pena tragarse el tostón terriblemente escrito de introducción, ha cambiado por completo mi relación con la religión y la mística, y sobre todo mi entendimiento de la relación entre la matemática y la Realidad.

Brutal.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ken Wilber is an incredible intellectual and author. He is a great source for those of us who enjoy exploring the crossroads between philosophy, science, and spirituality.

This book is interesting, but not one of Wilber's best books. It is really a compilation of the mystical beliefs of some prominent scientist throughout history. Interesting, but does not really deal with Wilber's best ideas.

[Rodrigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente libro acerca de la concepción mística de físicos muy renombrados, te hace reevaluar si es verdad que todos los científicos son escépticos de todo lo espiritual. La mayoría de todos los escritos me recuerdan mucho al pensamiento neoplatónico-hermético

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

contains the mystical writings of some of the minds who have mapped reality from max planck to sir author eddington to albert einstein.