Esoteric Quantization, The Esoteric Imagination in David Bohm's Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

摘要

This thesis aims to explore the relationship between the science, theudphilosophy and the esoteric imagination of the American physicist DavidudBohm (1917-1992).udBohm is recognized as one of the most brilliant physicists of his generation.udHe is famous for his ‘hidden variables’ interpretation of quantumudmechanics. Bohm wrote extensively on philosophical and psychologicaludsubjects. In his celebrated book Wholeness and the Implicate Order (1882)udhe introduced the influential ideas of the Explicate and the Implicate ordersudthat are at the core of his process philosophy. Bohm was also a very closeuddisciple of the Indian teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), whom heudrecognized to have had an important influence on his thought.udChapter 1 is a general explanation of what I intend to do, why my researchudis filling an important gap, introduce the field of Western esotericismudas a scholarly subject and suggesting that it offers a fruitful way ofudapproaching the thought of David Bohm. I also explain my research principlesudand a brief description of the philosophical standpoint from which Iudam approaching the material.udChapter 2 gives a description of the textual sources I used in my research.udThis is followed by a comprehensive literature review.udChapter 3 is a biographical essay where I give an account of Bohm’sudlife, career, works, major ideas and their development, stressing their significanceudfor the development of Bohm’s holistic philosophy and his interactionsudwith the esoteric. This chapter is an introduction to the main ideasudof the dissertation.udChapter 4 revisits the genesis of the Causal Interpretation, Bohm’s firstudattempt to deal with the interpretation of quantum mechanics. I make emphasisudon the philosophical developments that gave rise to it. I introduceudall the relevant physics and give a detailed explanation of the problem ofudinterpretation and Bohm’s first proposal.udChapter 5 is about the philosophical developments in Bohm’s thoughtudbrought by the Causal Interpretation. In particular I examine the influenceudthat G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831) had on Bohm’s thought and explain why Iudtake the view that this is an esoteric influence.udChapter 6 reviews the developments in Bohm’s thought during the 1960’s.udI describe Bohm’s search for radically new concepts in physics and his exchangesudwith several thinkers ending with his encounter with Jiddu Krishnamurti.udChapters 7 and 8 are devoted to the study of Bohm’s philosophy as he elaborated it after 1960. Chapter 7 concentrates on the idea of the ImplicateudOrder and it also studies the Ontological Interpretation of QuantumudMechanics, Bohm’s last version of his interpretation effort, which is basedudon the Implicate Order. In chapter 8 I examine Bohm’s theory of howudthe mind and the body are connected through a ladder of consciousnessudformed by a series of Explicate and Implicate Orders, and finishes with anudexposition of Bohm’s dialogue technique.udIn the last chapter I summarize my conclusions.udAn appendix is included with a brief overview of Bohm’s legacy.udAll the relevant details about the esoteric currents that Bohm encounteredudduring his life and that are required to understand our argument are introducedudas they are needed throughout the main body of the text.