'Helgoland' Review: A Grounding In Indian Philosophy Can Help In Understanding Quantum Mechanics Better; Where Is India's Carlo Rovelli?

Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution. Carlo Rovelli. Penguin. Pages 175. Rs 759 (Kindle).

‘New Physics’, whose emergence dates back to almost a century, is one of the finest achievements of the human mind. It has fundamentally changed the way we view reality. There have been umpteen number of books which tell non-physicists what ‘New’ Physics is all about. From that masterpiece, The Universe and Dr. Einstein by Lincoln Barnett in 1948 to The God Equation of Michio Kaku in 2021, the need to communicate the exotic reality which the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics have unveiled, has spawned the best in the genre of popular science writing.

In the same way, Quantum Mechanics (QM) has also triggered some intense philosophical debates. From the very beginning, parallels have been drawn between the worldview revealed by QM and the one spoken about in the Hindu-Buddhist-Taoist mystical traditions. Niels Bohr, Heisenberg, and John Wheeler had openly spoken about their engagement with Eastern mystic philosophies.

Fritjof Capra not only made this connection popular but also extended the concepts of interconnectedness and holism, which are favoured by QM, into other domains such as biology and ecology. The conversations between physicist David Bohm and J. Krishnamurthi are still considered an important milestone in this direction.

However, QM in the popular culture has also become a staple diet of New Age cultists and quake-gurus. The abuse of the Q-word in the new age market and corporate gurudom has actually made many scholars stay muted in exploring and using the parallels between Eastern philosophical traditions and the view of reality brought forth by QM.

In this context, Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution, written by theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, comes across as a gush of fresh air.

Helgoland is the small island where in 1925, the 23-year-old Heisenberg worked out what would be one of foundations of the quantum revolution. Right from the beginning, Rovelli makes a sense of awe grip the reader:

The author informs that the book is written 'for those who are unfamiliar with quantum physics and are interested in trying to understand, as far as any of us can,’ and is also written ‘thinking of my colleagues—scientists and philosophers, who, the more they delve into the theory, the more they are perplexed…’. That is a tough endeavour – but for those who read the book the flow is so natural and gripping that one forgets the difficulty of the feat this book accomplishes.

QM has always excited physicists and philosophers. However, physicists have always disliked it when philosophers try to come up with a single, complete picture of QM– as in the case of David Bohm’s ‘hidden variables.’

Just see how crisply Rovelli puts it for the readers:

This passage is quoted at large to show how Rovelli explains tough concepts to his readers. It is done in a way that everyone interested in QM can understand without the subject-matter being diluted.

Rovelli's own favoured view of QM is what is called the relational interpretation. According to this, the interactions and relations between matter form what we experience as reality, from quarks to galaxies. This resonates with the fabled Indra’s Net in a way – popularised in the context of modern science, though in a different-yet-related domain, by Douglas Hofstadter in his ever-green classic Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (1979).

Rovelli points out that when he talks about quanta in conferences, people invariably ask him about the 3^rd century Buddhist philosopher, Nagarjuna. This how Rovelli describes Nagarjuna's ideas:

After this, the entire chapter becomes a poetic musing, interwoven with the relational interpretation of QM. Perhaps UGC should think of including excerpts from this chapter in the curricula our college students -whether science, commerce, art, or humanities.

Rovelli extends his approach to the topic of Consciousness as well and tries to tackle the 'Hard Problem' of David Chalmers. Here, Rovelli presents a view that is quite fascinating. Is consciousness or the 'I' an epiphenomenon of matter? He thinks both the 'I' and 'matter' are 'confused and misleading' concepts.

The Anatmavada of Buddhism could not have been put in more precise terms for the modern mind. But there are problems. Often, the Hindu-Buddhist dialogue of Atmavadin-anatmavadin is reframed in the Western mind as corresponding to Cartesian substance. Naturally, in that context, the Western mind veers towards the Buddhist stand.

That said, the book leaves one with a profound sense of having undertaken a pilgrimage.

This is a must-read book for the current generation of college-going students, whatever may be their chosen field of study. This also makes one realise an important lacunae in popular science writing in India. It is struck with either glorification of the past or with patronizingly cultivating ‘scientific temperament.’ Both alienate the general population from modern science. This gives way to quackery, pseudo-science and politicisation of science.

Think about this. After Helgoland there was Santiniketan. Fritjof Capra records:

That is definitely self-congratulatory. But we need to go beyond that comfort zone. This culture has fluidity in looking at existence. Looking at a kolam that comes up every morning. What is kolam but the interconnections between the points? What can be a better tool to communicate the wonder of all this existence arising out of relations and interconnections than a kolam? One wonders how much could have been written, bringing the wonders of QM to our society using our own cultural traditions. I'm not saying ‘we knew it all’ but that we can understand it better and internalise it more efficiently.

Atmanirbhar Bharat needs its own Rovellis.