David Bohm

In some sense man is a microcosm of the universe; therefore what man is, is a clue to the universe. We are enfolded in the universe.

Summary

David Joseph Bohm (1917 - 1992) was an American quantum physicist who made significant contributions in the fields of theoretical physics, philosophy and neuropsychology, and to scientists working on the Manhattan Project.

He proposed the concept of Implicate and Explicate Order (see Vital Unconscious and Biocentric Principle).

Ideas

• Bohm interpretation - An interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.
  • Bohm, together with de Broglie, proposed that, in the world of quantum phenomena, every particle has a definite position and momentum; however, these values are known to the observer only through measurements, and there are limits on what can be observed. As a result, we cannot know the position and momentum of a particle at the same time. This lead to Heisenburg's Uncertainty Principle.
  • It is called an interpretation because tt has not been disproven, but there are other schemes (such as the Copenhagen Interpretation) that give the same theoretical predictions, so are equally confirmed by the experimental results.
  • It is an example of a Hidden Variables Theory. He hoped the hidden variables would resolve/ eliminate many of the paradoxes of Quantum Mechanics, such as Schroedinger's cat.
• Physical Modelling of the Universe - Implicate and Explicate Order is a concept evolved by Bohm, to explain the dualistic view of the universe, where behaviour is determined by probability at large scales and is indeterminate at small (quantum) scales.
  • He postulates that the ultimate nature of physical reality is not a collection of separate objects (as it appears to us), but rather it is an undivided whole that is in perpetual dynamic flux.
  • Quantum Mechanics and Relativity point to a universe that is undivided and in which all parts merge and unite in one totality. This implies that every part contains the whole.
  • See Physical Modelling of the Universe for more detail.
• Holonomic Brain Theory - Developed by psychologist Karl Pribram in collaboration with Bohm
  • It proposes that the brain operates in a manner similar to Holograms, in accordance with quantum mathematical principles and the characteristics of wave patterns.
  • It is a model for human cognition that is drastically different from conventionally accepted ideas.
  • The theory states that memory (information) is stored not in cells, but rather in wave interference patterns throughout our bodies. Pribram was drawn to this conclusion by two facts:
    • Responsive functions of the visual cortex exist that correspond with Gaborian functions. This means that the eye translates images to our brain in the same way that images are translated to Holograms.
    • Drastic lesions can be made in animal brains which reduce, but do not extinguish memories (training), as demonstrated by Karl Lashley in the 1920s. This tells us that memory is distributed throughout the entire body and is not limited to the brain.