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

Book 8 of 82: The Frontiers Collection

Stapp, Henry P.

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9783642180750: Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer (The Frontiers Collection)
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 3642180752 ISBN 13: 9783642180750
Publisher: Springer, 2011

Synopsis

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. This second edition contains two new chapters investigating the role of quantum phenomena in the problem of free will and in the placebo effect.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Author of over three hundred research papers on the mathematical, physical, and philosophical foundations of quantum mechanics, and a Springer book 'Mind, matter, and quantum mechanics'. Worked personally with W. Heisenberg, W. Pauli, and J.A. Wheeler on these issues. Invited author of entries about quantum theories consciousness in several currently about to appear encyclopedias. Invited plenary speaker at numerous international conferences. For book cover: Henry Stapp has spent his entire career working in frontier areas of theoretical physics. After completing his thesis work under Nobel Laureates Emilio Segré and Owen Chamberlain, he joined Wolfgang Pauli to tackle foundational issues. After Pauli's early death, he turned to von Neumann's ideas about the mathematical foundations of quantum theory. The essay 'Mind, Matter and Quantum Mechanics', that developed out of this work eventually evolved into Stapp's classic book bearing the same title. His deep interest in the quantum measurement problem led him to pursue extensive work pertaining to the influence of our conscious thoughts on physical processes occurring in our brains. The understandings achieved in this work have been described in many technical articles and now, in more accessible prose, in the present book.

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. This second edition contains two new chapters investigating the role of quantum phenomena in the problem of free will and in the placebo effect.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Springer
Publication date
2011
Language
English
ISBN 10 
3642180752
ISBN 13 
9783642180750
Binding
Hardcover
Edition number
2
Number of pages
225
Rating
  • 4.09 out of 5 stars
    94 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9783642444081: Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer (The Frontiers Collection)

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  3642444083 ISBN 13:  9783642444081
Publisher: Springer, 2014
Softcover