Download this PDF book: Quantum Physics Made Me Do It: A Simple Guide to the Fundamental Nature of Everything
An entertaining and accessible dive into the riveting world described by quantum mechanics, from physicist, AI risk expert, and Hollywood "alternative reality" consultant Jérémie Harris.
Are human beings immortal? Are apples conscious? Do our legal systems make assumptions about free will that are just plain wrong? Of all the terrific books on quantum physics--from Stephen Hawking to Brian Greene--the questions they never seem to satisfy are the implications of the science. We know that quantum physics is real--our phones and computers wouldn't work if the science wasn't right. But what does it all mean?
Does it mean that we live in one among a near-infinity of parallel universes? Or that everything that happens in the universe is pre-ordained--right down to what we think and how we act? Or does the science point in a stranger direction--towards the idea that the entire universe is one big mind? If one of these is true, what would it mean for our place in the universe, our immortal souls, and the future of humanity itself?
The most basic encounter with quantum physics leads us to a dizzying array of incredible implications, each one more capable than the last of blowing our minds--all of which can be engaged without advanced math or deep knowledge of theory.
Enter: Quantum Physics Made Me Do It--a smart, accessible, and engaging adventure through the complex and beautiful world mapped out by modern physics. Jérémie Harris at last offers us a book on quantum physics that the entire universe can enjoy--perhaps together as one big mind.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1:Down the Rabbit Hole
Chapter 2:Conscious Collapse and the Physics of the Soul
Chapter 3:One With the Universe?
Chapter 4:Conscious Creation
Chapter 5:Collapse Without Consciousness
Chapter 6:The Quantum Multiverse
Chapter 7:A Brief Histories of Times
Chapter 8:Quantum Mechanics Breaks the Law
Chapter 9:Hidden Variables and the Trouble with Physics
Chapter 10:Bohmian Mechanics
Chapter 11:The Future of Consciousness Acknowledgments Index
Introduction
Quantum mechanics is the astonishing science of the microworld. It describes tiny particles, like atoms and molecules, that can perform logic-defying acrobatics, finding themselves in many places at the same time or spinning in two directions at once. It’s a dizzying story that pulls in everything from consciousness and parallel universes to free will and eternal life, and it offers us the only scientific lens we have for understanding what human beings fundamentally are.
It’s a weird field, run by weird people. And sometimes, those weird people throw parties.
Back in 2014, I went to a party that was hosted by an eccentric, highly respected quantum physicist. Let’s call him Bob, because that was his actual name.
Physics has its rock stars, and Bob was one of them. By the time I started working in his lab, he’d written a bestselling textbook, made major contributions to laser theory, and carried out famous experiments exploring quantum properties of light. He’d even won a career award named after a Prussian aristocrat, which—at least in physics—is how you know you’ve really made it.
I don’t mind telling you that Bob taught me a thing or two about physics during my time in grad school. But at this particular party, the tables were turned.
Huddled around me were Bob, one or two other rock star researchers, and half a dozen greasy-haired graduate students, all staring intently at the piece of paper before me, utterly transfixed by what I’d just finished doodling. They were some of the most amateurish stick figures you’ve ever seen.
“So that’s it,” I said. “That’s why some people think quantum mechanics makes parallel universes possible.”
Not to toot my own horn here, but the crowd was impressed. “That . . . makes a lot more sense than I expected it to,” one of them said. “I can’t believe no one ever showed me that! This theory isn’t nearly as crazy as I thought.” Even Bob was mind-blown by the whole thing.
Over the next few weeks, I watched as many of my labmates started to take the idea of parallel universes more seriously—something they’d previously dismissed as pure science fiction. Some even took it on board as their new favourite way of thinking about quantum mechanics. There’s nothing like the zeal of a new convert.
So how is it that we find ourselves in a world where some of our most accomplished physicists are liable to have their brains melted by a twenty-minute conversation with a schmuck like me? How did these great scientists get to a point where their sense of what exists and what doesn’t is so brittle that it can be shattered by a couple of stick figures doodled by a half-drunk twentysomething?
I think the answer has something to do with the reason the Pope probably doesn’t know much about Scientology. When you think you know the truth already, you generally don’t go looking for other versions of it. And you tend to become weirdly confident that you don’t need to, which is why popes have martyrs, Scientology has Tom Cruise, and different perspectives on quantum theory have their own zealots too.
Maybe that shouldn’t be too surprising, though. Quantum mechanics is a lot like religion. It’s a story about the universe, how it was created, and where it might go from here. It tells us about who and what we are, and believe it or not, it even has something to say about what happens to us when we die.
About the book:
Free Download the Book: Quantum Physics Made Me Do It: A Simple Guide to the Fundamental Nature of Everything
PS: Share the link with your friends
If the Download link is not working, kindly drop a comment below, so we'll update the download link for you.
Happy downloading!
