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Wholeness and the Implicate Order
David Bohm was one of the foremost scientific thinkers and philosophers of our time. Although deeply influenced by Einstein, he was also, more unusually for a scientist, inspired by mysticism. Indeed, in the 1970s and 1980s he made contact with both J. Krishnamurti and the Dalai Lama whose teachings helped shape his work. In both science and philosophy, Bohm's main concern was with understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular. In this classic work he develops a theory of quantum physics which treats the totality of existence as an unbroken whole. Writing clearly and without technical jargon, he makes complex ideas accessible to anyone interested in the nature of reality.
284 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1980
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About the author
David Bohm
62 books431 followersDavid Joseph Bohm (December 20, 1917 – October 27, 1992) was an American scientist who has been described as one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th century and who contributed innovative and unorthodox ideas to quantum theory, neuropsychology and the philosophy of mind.
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December 17, 2017
Acknowledgments
Introduction
--Fragmentation and wholeness
Appendix: Résumé of discussion on Western and Eastern forms of insight into wholeness
--The rheomode - an experiment with language and thought
--Reality and knowledge considered as process
--Hidden variables in the quantum theory
Quantum theory as an indication of a new order in physics:
--Part A: The development of new orders as shown through the history of physics
--Part B: Implicate and explicate order in physical law
Appendix: implicate and explicate order in physical law
--The enfolding-unfolding universe and consciousness
Notes
Index
Introduction
--Fragmentation and wholeness
Appendix: Résumé of discussion on Western and Eastern forms of insight into wholeness
--The rheomode - an experiment with language and thought
--Reality and knowledge considered as process
--Hidden variables in the quantum theory
Quantum theory as an indication of a new order in physics:
--Part A: The development of new orders as shown through the history of physics
--Part B: Implicate and explicate order in physical law
Appendix: implicate and explicate order in physical law
--The enfolding-unfolding universe and consciousness
Notes
Index
May 30, 2014
I love this man! Like an old friend giving you guidance of how you should proceed with your science to understand what you're trying to understand about the universe. No book ever speaks to my heart like this one. Every sentence says that he knows exactly what I want, and what I'm not confident about being able to grasp. The "rheomode" of language use he proposed, that is to turn adjectives back their original verb form, is a great way to organize thoughts and reduce confusion. Chapter 5 and 6 gives clear formal exposition what does it mean by hidden variables--critical guide for scientists who cares about the dynamic of being. The the final magnificent passages are more romantic - time, space, consciousness, movement and continuity. Interestingly, he's the first man I read who gave fair comments about Descartes. Apparently, he didn't label Descartes as a murderer of the wholeness but rather a proponent. I feel assured. Maybe indeed, as he said, the wholeness is the way you look at things. The hologram is implicated itself, and the explicit understanding of the text is what mirrors my perspective. Different readers unfold a different mind from the same pages.
August 23, 2022
Bohm is arguably the most under-appreciated--and original--thinker in mid 20th century quantum physics. Lest that come across as damning with faint praise, consider his contemporaries: Bohr, Heisenberg, von Neumann, Dirac, Einstein, Feynmann, Wheeler, et al. Nearly all of them have left a profound mark on our modern, physical understanding of reality. Bohm's work, by contrast, seems to have been largely ignored or forgotten.
Perhaps this is because he developed an "unwholesome" appetite for ontology (and metaphysics) and, unlike some of his colleagues, was intellectually honest enough to pursue his interests to their often bizarre, mesmerizing conclusions.
In Wholeness and the Implicate Order, Bohm succinctly lays out his thesis of the undivided nature of reality. Beyond the quantum realm, Bohm believes there exist other orders--implicate, superimplicate, and generative--from which our experience of both consciousness and reality (the same thing, really) emerge.
This book is less technical than some of Bohm's other writings, so it is a good starting point for those interested in his approach. That said, do not expect "enlightenment" here. Like everyone else in the field, Bohm confesses to a limited understanding of quantum mechanics. Ultimately, his theories concerning the underlying, sub-quantum orders are a kind of poetry or metaphor.
And perhaps that is precisely what Bohm intended.
Perhaps this is because he developed an "unwholesome" appetite for ontology (and metaphysics) and, unlike some of his colleagues, was intellectually honest enough to pursue his interests to their often bizarre, mesmerizing conclusions.
In Wholeness and the Implicate Order, Bohm succinctly lays out his thesis of the undivided nature of reality. Beyond the quantum realm, Bohm believes there exist other orders--implicate, superimplicate, and generative--from which our experience of both consciousness and reality (the same thing, really) emerge.
This book is less technical than some of Bohm's other writings, so it is a good starting point for those interested in his approach. That said, do not expect "enlightenment" here. Like everyone else in the field, Bohm confesses to a limited understanding of quantum mechanics. Ultimately, his theories concerning the underlying, sub-quantum orders are a kind of poetry or metaphor.
And perhaps that is precisely what Bohm intended.
June 9, 2016
Bohm approaches a Deleuzian concept of fold through physics alone. In tracing the development of quantum mechanics from general relativity, he points out the added concepts (explicate order) that characterize physics today. These added concepts are invisible, and thus modify the data to lead to confusing questions about the physical nature of reality.
Bohm's approach leads him very close to Barad in his critique of quantum mechanics interpretations and towards agential realism in how cuts and metrics can emerge from the "universe measuring itself" as Barad would say.
Barad however is far closer to philosophy than Bohm. What amazes me about Bohm is that he is able to say the same thing in less words (with less extension) but from a view building out of the mechanics of physics itself.
Having read the others above, including some philosophers of science, I must say that Bohm is not startling for his conclusions but he is startling in that he presents his own approach to get to that conclusion. His notions of "implicate order" is particular interesting as the cut between implicate and explicate seem wholly his own. Very useful concepts.
If you love reading about the intersection of philosophy, consciousness, math and science you should read this book. Its not that big but it is highly ambitious and extremely clear.
Bohm's approach leads him very close to Barad in his critique of quantum mechanics interpretations and towards agential realism in how cuts and metrics can emerge from the "universe measuring itself" as Barad would say.
Barad however is far closer to philosophy than Bohm. What amazes me about Bohm is that he is able to say the same thing in less words (with less extension) but from a view building out of the mechanics of physics itself.
Having read the others above, including some philosophers of science, I must say that Bohm is not startling for his conclusions but he is startling in that he presents his own approach to get to that conclusion. His notions of "implicate order" is particular interesting as the cut between implicate and explicate seem wholly his own. Very useful concepts.
If you love reading about the intersection of philosophy, consciousness, math and science you should read this book. Its not that big but it is highly ambitious and extremely clear.
March 9, 2012
This book is basically 1/3 physics, 1/3 semantics and linguistics, and 1/3 philosophy. If you aren't interested in all three, it's probably not the book for you. And yes, there is some math in it, but it's really not that much outside of one appendix, and most of it is algebra. You can ignore it and still understand most of the book. You do have to have some patience and an IQ higher than that of a carrot to get through it, but even if you only grasp 2/3rds of the content, it's worth the effort.
April 18, 2010
Perhaps one of the most unfounded books I have ever read. Bohm's goal to cure the world from its 'fragmentation' is a good one, and comes from a good place, but both his ideas of culture and reality as well as his mode of presentation and argumentation are that of a middle-schooler. For instance, Bohm takes Greece (and therefore Rome as well) to represent all of the 'West' and ancient India to represent all of the 'East.' From a single examination of a single word in both of these cultures, he then decides that the Eastern idea of measure is better than the Western, and therefore that the East is better than the West. Bohm frequently ignores counter-evidence in his arguments, such as the two thousand years of strict Chinese scholar culture when discussing how the East has been (since the beginning of human society) non-conformist in its education. He also ignores, when pinning the West as ignorant of the immeasurable, religion, and philosophy, ALL Western religions, both Christian and non-Christian. To sum up his argument on measures, he writes "Thus, in the West, society has mainly emphasized the development of science nad technology (dependant on measure) while in the East, the main emphasis has gone to religion and philosophy (which are directed ultimately toward the immeasurable). If one considers this question carefully, one can see that in a certain sense the East was right to see the immeasurale as the primary reality." The East was right! Well! I wasn't aware that we were up to such childish games as 'right' and 'wrong!'
And that's just the first chapter. I got through only a few more pages of the second (where Bohm makes more wild guesses at existence by saying things like 'all modern languages have a subject-verb-object structure') as it is obvious that Bohm has a very small and biased view of reality and history. Arguments based on such poor knowledge have no weight and really come to be unreadable.
Don't waste your time with this book. There are many other interesting pieces of literature that go into these ideas, and by reading this book (in my opinion) you will either be giving yourself a bias against other authors or swallowing information that has no foundation in reality. If I could give this book negative stars, I would.
And that's just the first chapter. I got through only a few more pages of the second (where Bohm makes more wild guesses at existence by saying things like 'all modern languages have a subject-verb-object structure') as it is obvious that Bohm has a very small and biased view of reality and history. Arguments based on such poor knowledge have no weight and really come to be unreadable.
Don't waste your time with this book. There are many other interesting pieces of literature that go into these ideas, and by reading this book (in my opinion) you will either be giving yourself a bias against other authors or swallowing information that has no foundation in reality. If I could give this book negative stars, I would.
December 28, 2020
This is a difficult book to read and understand.
When I read books like this, I am thankful that scientists such as Brian Cox, Frank Close, and Michio Kaku are able to explain difficult concepts so clearly in their books. Indeed, it would be fun if any one of these three authors could translate David Bohm's ideas into language understood by people like me.
I am sure there are some great ideas in this book, but I might have missed them. In case you were wondering, by implicate order the author means enfolded structures such as the order the images are sent in for a TV program.
When I read books like this, I am thankful that scientists such as Brian Cox, Frank Close, and Michio Kaku are able to explain difficult concepts so clearly in their books. Indeed, it would be fun if any one of these three authors could translate David Bohm's ideas into language understood by people like me.
I am sure there are some great ideas in this book, but I might have missed them. In case you were wondering, by implicate order the author means enfolded structures such as the order the images are sent in for a TV program.
August 2, 2019
Wholeness and the Implicate Order proposes a new model of reality. Professor Bohm argues that if we are guided by a self-willed view, we will perceive and experience the world as fragmented. Such a view is false because it is based on our mistaking the content of our thought for a description of the world as it is. Bohm introduces the notion of the implicate order in which any element contains enfolded within itself the totality of the universe--his concept of totality (wholeness) includes both matter and consciousness.
The central underlying theme is the unbroken wholeness of the totality of existence as an undivided flowing movement without barriers. The principal feature of the mechanical order is that the world is regarded as constituted entities which are outside of each other-- the order of the universe is mechanistic. No coherent concept of an independently existent particle is possible, neither one in which the particle ould be n extended body, nor one in which it would be a dimensionless point. The non-local, non-causal nature of the relationships of elements distant from one another violates the requirements of separateness and independence of fundamental constituents that is basic to any mechanistic approach (pp. 175-6).
The hologram maks a photographic record of the interference pattern of light waves that come off an object. The key new feature of this record is that each part contains information about the whole object, so there is no point-to-point correspondence of object and recorded image. The form and structure of the entire object may be said to be enfolded within each region of the photographic record.
A new notion of order is involved here, called the implicate order from a Latin root meaning 'to enfold' or 'fold inward.' Everything is enfolded into everything in the implicate order. The hologram is a static record of this order. In the explicate order, things are unfolded as each thing lies only in is own particular region of space and time, and outside the regions belonging to other things. This enfoldment and unfoldment take place in the movement of the electromagnetic field, and other fields such as the electronic, protonic, sound waves, etc. The totality of the movement of enfoldment and unfoldment is holomovement. In the holomovement, the overall necessity is holonomy, but its laws are no longer mechanical.
The implicate order has its ground in the holomovement which is vast, rich, and in a state of unending flux of enfoldment and unfoldment. The implicate order extends into a multidimensional reality. Movement is comprehended in terms of a series of inter-penetrating and intermingling elements in different degrees of enfoldment; all present together.
The central underlying theme is the unbroken wholeness of the totality of existence as an undivided flowing movement without barriers. The principal feature of the mechanical order is that the world is regarded as constituted entities which are outside of each other-- the order of the universe is mechanistic. No coherent concept of an independently existent particle is possible, neither one in which the particle ould be n extended body, nor one in which it would be a dimensionless point. The non-local, non-causal nature of the relationships of elements distant from one another violates the requirements of separateness and independence of fundamental constituents that is basic to any mechanistic approach (pp. 175-6).
The hologram maks a photographic record of the interference pattern of light waves that come off an object. The key new feature of this record is that each part contains information about the whole object, so there is no point-to-point correspondence of object and recorded image. The form and structure of the entire object may be said to be enfolded within each region of the photographic record.
A new notion of order is involved here, called the implicate order from a Latin root meaning 'to enfold' or 'fold inward.' Everything is enfolded into everything in the implicate order. The hologram is a static record of this order. In the explicate order, things are unfolded as each thing lies only in is own particular region of space and time, and outside the regions belonging to other things. This enfoldment and unfoldment take place in the movement of the electromagnetic field, and other fields such as the electronic, protonic, sound waves, etc. The totality of the movement of enfoldment and unfoldment is holomovement. In the holomovement, the overall necessity is holonomy, but its laws are no longer mechanical.
The implicate order has its ground in the holomovement which is vast, rich, and in a state of unending flux of enfoldment and unfoldment. The implicate order extends into a multidimensional reality. Movement is comprehended in terms of a series of inter-penetrating and intermingling elements in different degrees of enfoldment; all present together.
October 19, 2011
Undivided wholeness and flowing movement, Bohm's core concept that encompasses the whole content of this amazing work. Bohm starts from examining the historial development of "fragmentation" which emphasized a certain aspect of measurement of reality, and equated our representation as perfect correspondence with what we treat as independent of reality.
However, what Bohm suggested as a remedy to fragmentation seems quite unclear. He mentioned that "integration" is impossible due to the finity of our mind, but he said we should examining as many aspects of reality as possible to see something as a whole. What's the difference? What I understood as integration definitely starts from bootstrapping a simple idea to build up a great idea, incorporating various aspects to resolve the discrepancies and contradictions among partial observations. In other words, we need "fragmentation" to perceive the whole.
What I mentioned is only a little portion of Bohm's idea. He also suggested "rheomode" of language to save ourselves from static perspective of this universe and I concur to the point. This book is so rich of his ideas to remedy the "finiteness" and "fragmentedness" of human mind, which might be our inevitable nature we have to accept as our subject-reality as well.
However, what Bohm suggested as a remedy to fragmentation seems quite unclear. He mentioned that "integration" is impossible due to the finity of our mind, but he said we should examining as many aspects of reality as possible to see something as a whole. What's the difference? What I understood as integration definitely starts from bootstrapping a simple idea to build up a great idea, incorporating various aspects to resolve the discrepancies and contradictions among partial observations. In other words, we need "fragmentation" to perceive the whole.
What I mentioned is only a little portion of Bohm's idea. He also suggested "rheomode" of language to save ourselves from static perspective of this universe and I concur to the point. This book is so rich of his ideas to remedy the "finiteness" and "fragmentedness" of human mind, which might be our inevitable nature we have to accept as our subject-reality as well.
December 4, 2009
the monumental achievements of modern physics have been based upon (or, "have led to"?) a certain worldview - that the universe is made of entities that can be broken up into elementary constituent parts, and Everything That Happens is made up of interactions between these entities. unfortunately, as with a great many ideas, as time passes and the application of this viewpoint to various avenues of investigation meets with success after success, people come to believe that the reason for this success must be that the concept is a True representation of Reality, and not simply an efficient and practical set of techniques for operating in a certain limited domain.
bohm mastered quantum mechanics and relativity in the 1950s, spent a bunch of time hanging out with einstein and feynman and those sorts of people, and then stepped back and tried to figure out why the two revolutionary advances in 20th century physics have proved so difficult to reconcile. is nature telling us that we are missing something?
this book makes a case for wholeness, and against fragmentation. quantum entanglement hints that entities which appear to be isolated from each other are still connected. relativity tells us that there can be no such thing as an extended rigid body, which led particle physicists to posit that the elementary particles are extensionless points, but this then leads to infinite fields and other infinities in calculations. so they muddle along, sweeping mathematical absurdities under a carpet called renormalization.
but seeing physics in a holistic way is totally alien to modern science, and smacks of new-age non-scientific drivel. it led to bohm being ostracised from the physics world, although he has always maintained a small band of ardent supporters. there is no doubt that physics has been in crisis for at least a generation, until finally today one sees a veritable explosion of "crazy" ideas actually seeing the light of day in "respectable" fora, although sadly bohm didn't live to see it.
there is a certain tone in the way david bohm communicates that is difficult for me to describe, but i love it. it is genius, and gentleness, and kindness, and carefulness. how can one write about quantum mechanics with gentleness and kindness? i don't know, but david bohm did.
bohm mastered quantum mechanics and relativity in the 1950s, spent a bunch of time hanging out with einstein and feynman and those sorts of people, and then stepped back and tried to figure out why the two revolutionary advances in 20th century physics have proved so difficult to reconcile. is nature telling us that we are missing something?
this book makes a case for wholeness, and against fragmentation. quantum entanglement hints that entities which appear to be isolated from each other are still connected. relativity tells us that there can be no such thing as an extended rigid body, which led particle physicists to posit that the elementary particles are extensionless points, but this then leads to infinite fields and other infinities in calculations. so they muddle along, sweeping mathematical absurdities under a carpet called renormalization.
but seeing physics in a holistic way is totally alien to modern science, and smacks of new-age non-scientific drivel. it led to bohm being ostracised from the physics world, although he has always maintained a small band of ardent supporters. there is no doubt that physics has been in crisis for at least a generation, until finally today one sees a veritable explosion of "crazy" ideas actually seeing the light of day in "respectable" fora, although sadly bohm didn't live to see it.
there is a certain tone in the way david bohm communicates that is difficult for me to describe, but i love it. it is genius, and gentleness, and kindness, and carefulness. how can one write about quantum mechanics with gentleness and kindness? i don't know, but david bohm did.
April 21, 2015
This is a key piece of the "quantum rendering" puzzle.
It provides the motive and a method to "think differently" ... to see a wholeness in constant transformation, rather than a bunch of particles moving independently and obliviously, according to some mechanical program.
It provides the motive and a method to "think differently" ... to see a wholeness in constant transformation, rather than a bunch of particles moving independently and obliviously, according to some mechanical program.
June 15, 2013
The unifying topic of this book's chapters, which vary widely in both content and style, is Bohm's theory of the nature of reality as an undivided, interpenetrating whole - strongly reminiscent of the Hindu-Buddhist metaphor of Indra's net. In presenting this idea, Bohm's approach comprises philosophical speculation, sociological critique, physical analogy, and the specialized mathematical expressions of quantum theory (NB: as a non-expert, I found it possible to follow these latter technical aspects of his discussion in general terms, though ultimately not to evaluate the validity of his conclusions).
Like any theory which proposes to address the fundamental ground of existence, it is difficult to assess what the effective implications of Bohm's formulation may be, though he suggests that future investigations of sufficiently high-energy, short space-time domains of physics - beyond current technological capabilities - could allow it to be empirically tested. The rigor of Bohm's arguments diminishes somewhat when he strays from his own field of expertise, theoretical physics, into speculations regarding social structures and phenomenological consciousness, but overall he is successful in what appears to be his primary enterprise, to draw attention to the possibility of new modes of thought and perception.
Like any theory which proposes to address the fundamental ground of existence, it is difficult to assess what the effective implications of Bohm's formulation may be, though he suggests that future investigations of sufficiently high-energy, short space-time domains of physics - beyond current technological capabilities - could allow it to be empirically tested. The rigor of Bohm's arguments diminishes somewhat when he strays from his own field of expertise, theoretical physics, into speculations regarding social structures and phenomenological consciousness, but overall he is successful in what appears to be his primary enterprise, to draw attention to the possibility of new modes of thought and perception.
January 17, 2018
This book cannot be judged either as a work of science or as a literary work. As a work of science, it's incomplete, speaks only in general terms, and should be judged by peer review science. As a literary work, it doesn't do much, even for its genre, besides express possibilities and often with a too technical mathematical bent. We should however judge this book as an entrance-way into the author's mind. 215 pages to spend with one of the more unique thinkers in the modern era who's ideas form a spiritual and transcendent base to thinking about physics. Wholeness and the implicate order is brilliant, if underdeveloped, and would form a fantastic way to think about, and relate to, the universe if, one day, the ideas within proves to be true.
March 19, 2018
Wholeness and the Implicate Order
Verbs > Nouns
Physics meets philosophy / mindfulness: Welcome to "universal flux…one whole reality, which is indivisible and unanalyzable."
I will first admit this, I didn't finish the book. I'll explain my limitations, then dive into what makes Bohn's theories so awesome. This is some heavy material, partly outside of my grasp of understanding. You have to know physics pretty well to get most of what he's saying. My understanding of physics is based on reading great authors: Sagan, Einstein, Feinberg, Bryson, Hawking (he's ok, not great). I know theory more than the mathematics that underpin them.
Here's what I like about Bohn and this book. We're paying attention to the wrong thing. We tend to think of the world in terms of nouns, objects, particles. This view is understandable, it's intuitive, but much like thinking the Earth is flat (the intuitive, first level of observation conclusion), it's wrong. Instead, the universe is better understood as a process. All is flux. Think of the becoming, not the being.
The result of this incorrect premise (the universe is made of objects, and therefore there is me and there is everything else) is mental fragmentation. Confusion. Disorder. We run around, trying to drape things in numbers and theories, but we are not at peace. We like to think that observer and observed are separate, but this is an illusion. All is oneness. And this oneness is "indivisible and unanalyzable."
His idea that theories are a way of looking at things, instead of facts that are set in stone, is also a counterintuitive and important shift. It means that we don't have to be stunned when our theories crumble. Newtonian physics is still used, even though relativity and quantum are much better in certain situations. None of them is the absolute truth. In this sense, Nietzsche perhaps was right when he said, "there is no truth, but there are many truths." There is no theory of everything, but there are many theories that will help guide the way. At the end of the rainbow, there is something that cannot be quantified. Bohn has the humility to admit this, which is wonderful and refreshing.
Quotes
My main concern has been with understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular as a coherent whole, which is never static or complete, but which is in an unending process of movement and unfoldment. I
My suggestion is that at each stage the proper order of operations of the mind requires an overall grasp of what is generally known, not only in formal, logical, mathematical terms, but also intuitively, in images, feelings, poetic usage of language, etc. Perhaps we could say that this is what is involved in harmony between the left brain and the right brain. This kind of overall way of thinking is not only a fertile source of new theoretical ideas: it is needed for the human mind to function in a generally harmonious way, which could in turn help to make possible an orderly and stable society. As indicated in earlier chapters, however, this requires a continual flow and development of our general notions of reality. Xiv
When this mode of thought [fragmentation] is applied to man's notion of himself and the whole world in which he lives (i.e. to his self-world view), then man ceases to regard the resulting divisions as merely useful or convenient and begins to see and experience himself and his world as actually constituted of separately existent fragments. Individually there has developed a wide spread feeling of hopelessness and despair, in the face of what seems to be an overwhelming mass of disparate social forces going beyond the control and even the comprehension of the human beings who are caught up in it. 2
Man has always been seeking wholeness - mental, physical, social, individual. It is instructive to consider that the word 'health' in English is based on an Anglo-Saxon word 'hale' meaning 'whole'" that is, to be healthy is to be whole, which is, I think, roughly the equivalent of the Hebrew word 'shalem.' Likewise, the English 'holy' is based on the same root as 'whole.' All this indicates that man has sensed always that wholeness or integrity is an absolute necessity to make life worth living. Yet, over the ages, he has generally lived in fragmentation. 3
Theory is primarily a form of insight, a way of the looking at the world, and not a form of knowledge of how the world is...man is continually developing new forms of insight...this means that our theories are to be regarded primarily as ways of looking at the world as a whole (world views) rather than as absolutely true knowledge of how things are (or as a steady approach towards the latter). 4
It is useful to emphasize that experience and knowledge are one process, rather than to think that our knowledge is about some sort of separate experience…if we are not aware that our theories are ever-changing forms of insight, giving shape and form to experience in general, our vision will be limited. One could put it like this: experience with nature is very much like experience with human beings. If one approaches another man with a fixed 'theory' about him as an 'enemy' against whom one much defend oneself, he will respond similarly, and thus one's 'theory' will apparently be confirmed by experience. Similarly, nature will respond in accordance with the theory with which it is approached. 6
One can no longer maintain the division between the observer and observed (which is implicit in the atomistic view that regards each of these as separate aggregates of atoms). Rather, both observer and observed are merging and interpenetrating aspect of one whole reality, which is indivisible and unanalyzable. 9
The proposal for a new general form of insight is that all matter is of this nature: That is, there is a universal flux that cannot be defined explicitly but which can be known only implicitly, as indicated by the explicitly definable forms and shapes, some stable and some unstable, that can be abstracted from the universal flux. Rather, they are different aspects of one whole and unbroken movement. 11
Design is a special case of final cause. For example, men often aim towards certain ends in their thoughts but what actually emerges from their actions is generally something different from what was in their design, something that was, however, implicit in what they were doing, though not consciously perceived by those who took part. 13
True unity in the individual and between man and nature, as well as between man and man, can arise only in a form of action that does not attempt to fragment the whole of reality. 16
In the East, the notion of measure has not played nearly so fundamental a role. Rather, in the prevailing philosophy in the Orient, the immeasurable (that which cannot be named, described, or understood through any form of reason) is regarded as the primary reality. Thus, in Sanskrit (which has an origin common to the Indo-European language group) there is a word 'matra' meaning 'measure' in the musical sense, which is evidently close to the Greet 'metron.' But then there is another word 'maya' obtained from the same root, which means 'illusion.' This is an extraordinarily significant point. Whereas to Western society, as it derives from the Greeks, measure, with all that this word implies, is the very essence of reality, or at least the key to this essence, in the East measure has now come to be regarded commonly as being in some way false or deceitful. In this view the entire structure and order of forms, propositions, and rations that present themselves to ordinary perception and reason are regarded as a sort of veil, covering the true reality, which cannot be perceived by the senses and of which nothing can be said or thought. Thus, in the West, society has mainly emphasized the development of science and technology (dependent on measurement) while in the East, the main emphasis has gone to religion and philosophy (which are ultimately directed towards the immeasurable). 23
We will look at the whole situation, and be attentive and alert to learn about it, and thus to discover what really is an appropriate sort of action, relevant to this whole, for bringing the turbulent structure of vortices to an end. 19
All is flux, every part of knowledge must have its being as an abstracted form in the process of becoming, so that there can be no absolutely invariant elements of knowledge. 50
Verbs > Nouns
Physics meets philosophy / mindfulness: Welcome to "universal flux…one whole reality, which is indivisible and unanalyzable."
I will first admit this, I didn't finish the book. I'll explain my limitations, then dive into what makes Bohn's theories so awesome. This is some heavy material, partly outside of my grasp of understanding. You have to know physics pretty well to get most of what he's saying. My understanding of physics is based on reading great authors: Sagan, Einstein, Feinberg, Bryson, Hawking (he's ok, not great). I know theory more than the mathematics that underpin them.
Here's what I like about Bohn and this book. We're paying attention to the wrong thing. We tend to think of the world in terms of nouns, objects, particles. This view is understandable, it's intuitive, but much like thinking the Earth is flat (the intuitive, first level of observation conclusion), it's wrong. Instead, the universe is better understood as a process. All is flux. Think of the becoming, not the being.
The result of this incorrect premise (the universe is made of objects, and therefore there is me and there is everything else) is mental fragmentation. Confusion. Disorder. We run around, trying to drape things in numbers and theories, but we are not at peace. We like to think that observer and observed are separate, but this is an illusion. All is oneness. And this oneness is "indivisible and unanalyzable."
His idea that theories are a way of looking at things, instead of facts that are set in stone, is also a counterintuitive and important shift. It means that we don't have to be stunned when our theories crumble. Newtonian physics is still used, even though relativity and quantum are much better in certain situations. None of them is the absolute truth. In this sense, Nietzsche perhaps was right when he said, "there is no truth, but there are many truths." There is no theory of everything, but there are many theories that will help guide the way. At the end of the rainbow, there is something that cannot be quantified. Bohn has the humility to admit this, which is wonderful and refreshing.
Quotes
My main concern has been with understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular as a coherent whole, which is never static or complete, but which is in an unending process of movement and unfoldment. I
My suggestion is that at each stage the proper order of operations of the mind requires an overall grasp of what is generally known, not only in formal, logical, mathematical terms, but also intuitively, in images, feelings, poetic usage of language, etc. Perhaps we could say that this is what is involved in harmony between the left brain and the right brain. This kind of overall way of thinking is not only a fertile source of new theoretical ideas: it is needed for the human mind to function in a generally harmonious way, which could in turn help to make possible an orderly and stable society. As indicated in earlier chapters, however, this requires a continual flow and development of our general notions of reality. Xiv
When this mode of thought [fragmentation] is applied to man's notion of himself and the whole world in which he lives (i.e. to his self-world view), then man ceases to regard the resulting divisions as merely useful or convenient and begins to see and experience himself and his world as actually constituted of separately existent fragments. Individually there has developed a wide spread feeling of hopelessness and despair, in the face of what seems to be an overwhelming mass of disparate social forces going beyond the control and even the comprehension of the human beings who are caught up in it. 2
Man has always been seeking wholeness - mental, physical, social, individual. It is instructive to consider that the word 'health' in English is based on an Anglo-Saxon word 'hale' meaning 'whole'" that is, to be healthy is to be whole, which is, I think, roughly the equivalent of the Hebrew word 'shalem.' Likewise, the English 'holy' is based on the same root as 'whole.' All this indicates that man has sensed always that wholeness or integrity is an absolute necessity to make life worth living. Yet, over the ages, he has generally lived in fragmentation. 3
Theory is primarily a form of insight, a way of the looking at the world, and not a form of knowledge of how the world is...man is continually developing new forms of insight...this means that our theories are to be regarded primarily as ways of looking at the world as a whole (world views) rather than as absolutely true knowledge of how things are (or as a steady approach towards the latter). 4
It is useful to emphasize that experience and knowledge are one process, rather than to think that our knowledge is about some sort of separate experience…if we are not aware that our theories are ever-changing forms of insight, giving shape and form to experience in general, our vision will be limited. One could put it like this: experience with nature is very much like experience with human beings. If one approaches another man with a fixed 'theory' about him as an 'enemy' against whom one much defend oneself, he will respond similarly, and thus one's 'theory' will apparently be confirmed by experience. Similarly, nature will respond in accordance with the theory with which it is approached. 6
One can no longer maintain the division between the observer and observed (which is implicit in the atomistic view that regards each of these as separate aggregates of atoms). Rather, both observer and observed are merging and interpenetrating aspect of one whole reality, which is indivisible and unanalyzable. 9
The proposal for a new general form of insight is that all matter is of this nature: That is, there is a universal flux that cannot be defined explicitly but which can be known only implicitly, as indicated by the explicitly definable forms and shapes, some stable and some unstable, that can be abstracted from the universal flux. Rather, they are different aspects of one whole and unbroken movement. 11
Design is a special case of final cause. For example, men often aim towards certain ends in their thoughts but what actually emerges from their actions is generally something different from what was in their design, something that was, however, implicit in what they were doing, though not consciously perceived by those who took part. 13
True unity in the individual and between man and nature, as well as between man and man, can arise only in a form of action that does not attempt to fragment the whole of reality. 16
In the East, the notion of measure has not played nearly so fundamental a role. Rather, in the prevailing philosophy in the Orient, the immeasurable (that which cannot be named, described, or understood through any form of reason) is regarded as the primary reality. Thus, in Sanskrit (which has an origin common to the Indo-European language group) there is a word 'matra' meaning 'measure' in the musical sense, which is evidently close to the Greet 'metron.' But then there is another word 'maya' obtained from the same root, which means 'illusion.' This is an extraordinarily significant point. Whereas to Western society, as it derives from the Greeks, measure, with all that this word implies, is the very essence of reality, or at least the key to this essence, in the East measure has now come to be regarded commonly as being in some way false or deceitful. In this view the entire structure and order of forms, propositions, and rations that present themselves to ordinary perception and reason are regarded as a sort of veil, covering the true reality, which cannot be perceived by the senses and of which nothing can be said or thought. Thus, in the West, society has mainly emphasized the development of science and technology (dependent on measurement) while in the East, the main emphasis has gone to religion and philosophy (which are ultimately directed towards the immeasurable). 23
We will look at the whole situation, and be attentive and alert to learn about it, and thus to discover what really is an appropriate sort of action, relevant to this whole, for bringing the turbulent structure of vortices to an end. 19
All is flux, every part of knowledge must have its being as an abstracted form in the process of becoming, so that there can be no absolutely invariant elements of knowledge. 50
February 20, 2014
Wholeness in Vedanta and the philosophy of David Bohm
David Bohm is one of the deep thinkers among quantum physicists who went beyond the traditional interpretation of physical reality. Bohm like Einstein proposed very radical theories, and this book is one of his best works written for a general reader. The author proposes that the totality of the whole called the holomovement is the Ultimate reality and the laws governing this totality may never be known, but the forms derived from this totality, the movements of sub-totalities (the physical reality we observe and experience through the laws of quantum and classical physics) are relatively autonomous (fields, particles, etc.) They exist with a stability of basic pattern of order and measure whose characteristics could be investigated without having to know the full set of laws governing the holomovement. Bohm goes further to suggest that sub-atomic motions are due to deeper individual laws governing their behavior. Thus the individual quantum physical measurements are determined by multitudes of a deeper sub-quantum physical laws that are hidden. Most quantum physicists suggest that the statistical laws of quantum physics are incompatible with the operation of deeper sub-quantum level individual laws because of the fluctuations of individual quantum domain. The Heisenberg's uncertainty principle suggests that even if such a sub-quantum law operates at an individual level there is no way one can verify experimentally that these laws exist due to inherent indeterminacy of position and momentum of a particle. Bohm observes that in the domain of very short distances and high energies, i.e., at sub-quantum level, if uncertainty principle breakdown for a very short time, then that could eliminate infinite quantum fluctuations, and still one could measure the operation of sub-quantum laws, but he does not explain how this special situation arise. Bohm explains that the totality (whole) and the sub-totality (individual part) are linked by a series of highly intricate, explicate and implicate orders of space, time, matter and consciousness. The progression from explicate order or unfoldment (the physical reality we observe and experience) to simple three-dimensional implicate order or enfoldment (that we do not observe and experience), and then to a mul¬ti-dimensional implicate order (that we may never observe and experience), then to an extension of this to the immense sea of energy in what is sensed as empty space (that we can not observe and experience). This is the picture of the whole where everything is inherently connected to everything else to make up the universe and the multiverse. This is like a hologram; in each region of space, the order of the whole illuminated structure is enfolded and carried in the movement of light. The wholeness of a hologram is where the form and the structure are enfolded within each region of the photographic record. When light shines from behind the image, it unfolds to give the recognizable picture. The key to this argument is that hologram is only an instrument whose function is to make a static record of this order. The actual order is itself in the complex movement of electromagnetic fields in the form of light waves. Such movement of light is everywhere in the universe and thus enfolds spacetime in each region. Carrying of electromagnetic waves is only one form of enfolding mechanism but that can be performed by beams of electrons, sound and other forms of motion that can carry implicate order and they can be broadly described as holomovement. Holomovement is undivided and unbroken totality which is indefinable and immeasurable. Thus fundamental theories of physics can only describe part of reality but not the whole truth since each theory will abstract a certain aspect that is relevant only in some limited context which is indicated by an appropriate measure. The holomovement or the law of the whole also called holonomy allows certain amount of relative autonomy in the forms seen merely as aspects of holomovement.
The picture that the particles are building blocks of the universe does not fit with particles that can also act as waves and moves in a discontinuous fashion. The author's world view is where consciousness and physical reality would not be fragmented and the wholeness is real. He goes on to demonstrate that the fragmentary approach will be answered by fragmentary thought and perception which results in a reality that is fragmented and incomplete. This interpretation of existence and physical realty is identical to that of Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism. David Bohm, like Erwin Schrodinger, Werner Heisenberg and Nikola Tesla was a strong believer of Vedanta.
The last chapter provides non-technical presentations of implicate order in physics, and then this is extended to the field of consciousness. This could be an interesting chapter for readers interested in the philosophy of physics and consciousness. This book is not easy to read and requires undergraduate level physics, especially Chapter 4 where the author introduces to his theory of hidden variables (non-local).
David Bohm is one of the deep thinkers among quantum physicists who went beyond the traditional interpretation of physical reality. Bohm like Einstein proposed very radical theories, and this book is one of his best works written for a general reader. The author proposes that the totality of the whole called the holomovement is the Ultimate reality and the laws governing this totality may never be known, but the forms derived from this totality, the movements of sub-totalities (the physical reality we observe and experience through the laws of quantum and classical physics) are relatively autonomous (fields, particles, etc.) They exist with a stability of basic pattern of order and measure whose characteristics could be investigated without having to know the full set of laws governing the holomovement. Bohm goes further to suggest that sub-atomic motions are due to deeper individual laws governing their behavior. Thus the individual quantum physical measurements are determined by multitudes of a deeper sub-quantum physical laws that are hidden. Most quantum physicists suggest that the statistical laws of quantum physics are incompatible with the operation of deeper sub-quantum level individual laws because of the fluctuations of individual quantum domain. The Heisenberg's uncertainty principle suggests that even if such a sub-quantum law operates at an individual level there is no way one can verify experimentally that these laws exist due to inherent indeterminacy of position and momentum of a particle. Bohm observes that in the domain of very short distances and high energies, i.e., at sub-quantum level, if uncertainty principle breakdown for a very short time, then that could eliminate infinite quantum fluctuations, and still one could measure the operation of sub-quantum laws, but he does not explain how this special situation arise. Bohm explains that the totality (whole) and the sub-totality (individual part) are linked by a series of highly intricate, explicate and implicate orders of space, time, matter and consciousness. The progression from explicate order or unfoldment (the physical reality we observe and experience) to simple three-dimensional implicate order or enfoldment (that we do not observe and experience), and then to a mul¬ti-dimensional implicate order (that we may never observe and experience), then to an extension of this to the immense sea of energy in what is sensed as empty space (that we can not observe and experience). This is the picture of the whole where everything is inherently connected to everything else to make up the universe and the multiverse. This is like a hologram; in each region of space, the order of the whole illuminated structure is enfolded and carried in the movement of light. The wholeness of a hologram is where the form and the structure are enfolded within each region of the photographic record. When light shines from behind the image, it unfolds to give the recognizable picture. The key to this argument is that hologram is only an instrument whose function is to make a static record of this order. The actual order is itself in the complex movement of electromagnetic fields in the form of light waves. Such movement of light is everywhere in the universe and thus enfolds spacetime in each region. Carrying of electromagnetic waves is only one form of enfolding mechanism but that can be performed by beams of electrons, sound and other forms of motion that can carry implicate order and they can be broadly described as holomovement. Holomovement is undivided and unbroken totality which is indefinable and immeasurable. Thus fundamental theories of physics can only describe part of reality but not the whole truth since each theory will abstract a certain aspect that is relevant only in some limited context which is indicated by an appropriate measure. The holomovement or the law of the whole also called holonomy allows certain amount of relative autonomy in the forms seen merely as aspects of holomovement.
The picture that the particles are building blocks of the universe does not fit with particles that can also act as waves and moves in a discontinuous fashion. The author's world view is where consciousness and physical reality would not be fragmented and the wholeness is real. He goes on to demonstrate that the fragmentary approach will be answered by fragmentary thought and perception which results in a reality that is fragmented and incomplete. This interpretation of existence and physical realty is identical to that of Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism. David Bohm, like Erwin Schrodinger, Werner Heisenberg and Nikola Tesla was a strong believer of Vedanta.
The last chapter provides non-technical presentations of implicate order in physics, and then this is extended to the field of consciousness. This could be an interesting chapter for readers interested in the philosophy of physics and consciousness. This book is not easy to read and requires undergraduate level physics, especially Chapter 4 where the author introduces to his theory of hidden variables (non-local).
Read
April 22, 2024This book took me forever to finish, and it was definitely the most challenging book I've ever finished. I think Bohm was one of the most incredible philosopher-scientists to ever live, he was so far ahead of his time - this time too: people still interpret quantum mechanics to imply many-worlds, wave function collapse, the existence of things called 'observers' and 'the observed', and all sorts of ideas that have completely lost the true trail of what physics is telling us. Bohm gave us a much more elegant and unfathomable reality. Ideas often thought of as pseudoscience (hidden variables, non-locality, free will in a deterministic universe) turn out to paint a much better picture of reality than the actual pseudoscience which has become so prominent in modern culture (like a multiverse where entities collapse reality).
Past, present, and future do not exist, there is only an undivided whole that is not accurately described in linear, mechanistic terms. But we are animals which have evolved to view the world in a mechanistic way, to the point where we now find ourselves at a crossroad, wondering how special relativity will ever be reconcilable with quantum physics, where notions like distance and place become meaningless. A new order is needed, and Bohm proposes one where our explicit notions of reality are to be thought of as abstractions, never to be thought of as true laws, but which emerge from a deeper, higher-dimensional order which is implicit in all things, not bound by our ordinary notions of space and time.
But before you can begin to understand this you must first begin to understand the very nature of the mind itself. Bohm even goes so far as to invent a new mode of the English language to help do this, since our ordinary mode of language, and thought, further leads us into fragmentation and thinking of things as ultimately divisible and independent. Bohm says Fuck that (he doesn't actually, he is a distinguished gentleman), nothing is fragmented, everything flows into everything else, mind and matter are not separate, the universe cannot be explained by ordinary notions of causality. He uses language, math, physics, metaphysics, biology, art, everything to do his best to bend your mind in ways you thought could not be bent in order to help you better perceive just what he is cooking.
Past, present, and future do not exist, there is only an undivided whole that is not accurately described in linear, mechanistic terms. But we are animals which have evolved to view the world in a mechanistic way, to the point where we now find ourselves at a crossroad, wondering how special relativity will ever be reconcilable with quantum physics, where notions like distance and place become meaningless. A new order is needed, and Bohm proposes one where our explicit notions of reality are to be thought of as abstractions, never to be thought of as true laws, but which emerge from a deeper, higher-dimensional order which is implicit in all things, not bound by our ordinary notions of space and time.
But before you can begin to understand this you must first begin to understand the very nature of the mind itself. Bohm even goes so far as to invent a new mode of the English language to help do this, since our ordinary mode of language, and thought, further leads us into fragmentation and thinking of things as ultimately divisible and independent. Bohm says Fuck that (he doesn't actually, he is a distinguished gentleman), nothing is fragmented, everything flows into everything else, mind and matter are not separate, the universe cannot be explained by ordinary notions of causality. He uses language, math, physics, metaphysics, biology, art, everything to do his best to bend your mind in ways you thought could not be bent in order to help you better perceive just what he is cooking.
January 4, 2015
Wow, this book is heavy, I'm going to try and simplify the essence of it.
Quantum Theory, Relativity, and Buddhism all point to the notion that there is an undivided wholeness to reality. Bohm attempts to explore these ideas, and while he recognizes that he cannot possibly conceive the wholeness, the effort that he makes he really quite brilliant. He shows that the equations of relativity and quantum theory can be written in non limiting ways, that is to say they are true regarding their space, but are not the absolute truth. He then develops his theory which he calls the implicate order. This essentially entails that all of reality is enfolded into itself, and that it is one essence that may be the infinite energy that is debated to exist in the vacuum of space. The Buddhists would call this the plane of formlessness. He shows how consciousness and the body may be enfolded into one. He asserts that the essence of the universe is in moments. These moments may include a certain portion of space and time and it is the unfolding of these moments that we witness.
These ideas are definitely far out, but it is a very interesting unexplored field. Bohm doesn't claim to have the answers, but he believes we should be having the discussion. I'm always fascinated when fields of knowledge seem to come to the same conclusion. The Buddhists have been teaching for ages that the true reality is the unfragmented one, and now it seems that physics is pointing in the same direction. Bohm insists that we may never be able to reason this, but if we don't try we will only find confusion. I'd recommend this book to people who like science and spirituality, there is definitely a heavy dose of physics in there. Yet, if you can manage it, reading a theoretical physicist trying and prove the ideas of Buddhism is very enlightening.
Quantum Theory, Relativity, and Buddhism all point to the notion that there is an undivided wholeness to reality. Bohm attempts to explore these ideas, and while he recognizes that he cannot possibly conceive the wholeness, the effort that he makes he really quite brilliant. He shows that the equations of relativity and quantum theory can be written in non limiting ways, that is to say they are true regarding their space, but are not the absolute truth. He then develops his theory which he calls the implicate order. This essentially entails that all of reality is enfolded into itself, and that it is one essence that may be the infinite energy that is debated to exist in the vacuum of space. The Buddhists would call this the plane of formlessness. He shows how consciousness and the body may be enfolded into one. He asserts that the essence of the universe is in moments. These moments may include a certain portion of space and time and it is the unfolding of these moments that we witness.
These ideas are definitely far out, but it is a very interesting unexplored field. Bohm doesn't claim to have the answers, but he believes we should be having the discussion. I'm always fascinated when fields of knowledge seem to come to the same conclusion. The Buddhists have been teaching for ages that the true reality is the unfragmented one, and now it seems that physics is pointing in the same direction. Bohm insists that we may never be able to reason this, but if we don't try we will only find confusion. I'd recommend this book to people who like science and spirituality, there is definitely a heavy dose of physics in there. Yet, if you can manage it, reading a theoretical physicist trying and prove the ideas of Buddhism is very enlightening.
December 5, 2012
The first three chapters of this book,use philosophy and etymology to reposition the fragmentary belief systems prevalent in modern physics and further incorporate them as sub-sets in the larger framework of a wholly inclusive higher dimensional reality,of which our experiential existence is but a projection.
The middle section of the book is a mathematical treatment of an attempt to prove that it is possible to introduce new concepts into Quantum theory,that while still giving the same results,support the idea that certain hidden variables are responsible for as yet unexplained experimental phenomena,such as the paradox of Einstein,Rosen Podolsky(spooky action at a distance) and electron interference patterns (two slit experiment).This section is particularly heavy going for the general reader,although the explanations between equations do elucidate what is generally implied.
Finally the last chapters round up the previous lines of thought and use the example of the Hologram and its enfoldment of information,to explain this theory of wholeness and how consciousness and matter can be interrelated and our explicate reality is born out of an implicate reality.
This is,not to my mind,a book aimed at a general readership as is implied in some other reviews.I couldn't help thinking that large sections could have been more clearly written and more examples and allegory used particularly in the first half.It is technical in many places and quite verbose due to the academic standards of its author.However if you are a reader of popular science then it shouldn't present any difficulties although "The Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot is a less rigorous treatment and extension of the same theory that has more appeal to the general reader.
The middle section of the book is a mathematical treatment of an attempt to prove that it is possible to introduce new concepts into Quantum theory,that while still giving the same results,support the idea that certain hidden variables are responsible for as yet unexplained experimental phenomena,such as the paradox of Einstein,Rosen Podolsky(spooky action at a distance) and electron interference patterns (two slit experiment).This section is particularly heavy going for the general reader,although the explanations between equations do elucidate what is generally implied.
Finally the last chapters round up the previous lines of thought and use the example of the Hologram and its enfoldment of information,to explain this theory of wholeness and how consciousness and matter can be interrelated and our explicate reality is born out of an implicate reality.
This is,not to my mind,a book aimed at a general readership as is implied in some other reviews.I couldn't help thinking that large sections could have been more clearly written and more examples and allegory used particularly in the first half.It is technical in many places and quite verbose due to the academic standards of its author.However if you are a reader of popular science then it shouldn't present any difficulties although "The Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot is a less rigorous treatment and extension of the same theory that has more appeal to the general reader.
September 22, 2021
Me pareció muy interesante la forma en que Bohm define la realidad como algo muy basto en un orden implicado en el cual solo se nos manifiesta una parte en el orden explicado que es lo que percibimos por nuestros sentidos e instrumentos. A mi parecer plantea un nuevo enfoque epistemológico de la ciencia pues describe los límites dentro de los cuales es capaz de modelar y describir los fenómenos en el orden explicado. Es muy revelador y por medio de sus planteamientos matemáticos (esta parte me pareció complicada), esboza las soluciones a varias de las paradojas que existen entre la mecanica cuantica, la relatividad y la física dinámica clásica.
A pesar de ser un poco especulativo, y penetrar en campos tan diversos como la sociología, la psicología (Piaget) y el hinduismo, abre y detona una nueva forma de entender la realidad, la materia, la conciencia, la vida que nos lleva a romper los esquemas mecanicistas de la ciencia actual.
Muy recomendable.
A pesar de ser un poco especulativo, y penetrar en campos tan diversos como la sociología, la psicología (Piaget) y el hinduismo, abre y detona una nueva forma de entender la realidad, la materia, la conciencia, la vida que nos lleva a romper los esquemas mecanicistas de la ciencia actual.
Muy recomendable.
June 15, 2018
I read a book about hard physics and consciousness and it turned out they are the same thing! Bohm's writing is pretty dense, but he has a lot to say and does so very carefully. He confirmed what I had hunches of for quite a while and puts another twist on it. Him being a physicist, he is doing a better job at bringing physics and consciousness together than some philosophers of consciousness do.
After getting lost in various complex subjects, the last chapter is a welcome summary and conclusion of the whole (pun intended).
After getting lost in various complex subjects, the last chapter is a welcome summary and conclusion of the whole (pun intended).
September 28, 2017
I'll admit that the chapters involving math were far over my head and experience, and I skipped them completely. However, the conversation Dr. Bohm has with his readers about the changing holography of physics was fascinating, and I found myself nodding several times as I realized he was saying what I've heard other pioneers in the scientific community say. Overall not an easy read for the untrained or uninitiated, but still worthwhile.
October 2, 2018
Excellent theories, but the reading experience was hampered by unclear and highly academic descriptions, along with several chapters I simply don't know enough physics to understand. Perhaps the target audience for this book is other academics already qualified in the field.
October 25, 2007
awesome
February 11, 2018
One of the few eye-opening and stunning books I've ever read...Warm recommendation for everyone!
February 13, 2019
a difficult read and meant, I think, for individuals who are professional researchers and studying energy and are in the scientific mind.
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December 2, 2021In “Wholeness and the Implicate Order”, the author and renowned physicist, Dr David Bohm, presents some scientific and philosophical evidence into the undivided wholeness, totality or interconnected nature of reality or the cosmos. He uses relativity and quantum theories of modern physics to explain the undivided wholeness among the living and inanimate matter and consciousness (thoughts, emotions, intuition, feelings, perceptions, memories etc.). Non-locality or non-causal connection is one of the key phenomena emerging from quantum theory, and it helps in supporting the notion of undivided wholeness.
Dr Bohm uses the term implicate order to describe the implicit nature of the interconnectedness, and it may represent a generic structure of many possible sub totalities and/or explicate orders. The implicate order has enfolding and unfolding features, while explicate orders are present to senses and has the unfolding feature. We say "mind is enfolded in matter (or body), and body is enfolded in mind" to highlight the oneness between mind and body. Hologram, holonomy and holomovement are other concepts used to describe the implicate order.
Moreover, the implicate order represents an ever-evolving flux and cannot be defined in an ultimate sense at any time. Orders and measures are combined to develop structures of matter and consciousness. It is suggested in the book that the explanation of the implicate order may even go beyond the quantum theory. It is a way of a multidimensional representation of the cosmos or universe.
Dr Bohm insightfully presents how the notion of measure with different representations led eastern and western societies on different tapestries. Initially, measures were evaluated as an internal practice of insight as a part of consciousness in the West. Later, through habituation and mechanisation, the evaluation turned to comparison with external standards. In contrast, the primary focus was on the immeasurable in the East, which constituted a wholistic view of matters that cannot be logically explained easily. As the immeasurable was generally away from man’s insight, it led to objectifying it. Meditation gives a measure for thought and was the technique used to directly experience and sense the immeasurable in a true sense without objectifying it. The above two different tapestries of the West and the East led them to have their main foci on science and technology and philosophy and religion, respectively.
Dr Bohm clarifies that both the immeasurable and measures are essential in developing balanced consciousness/minds, but the former needs to be fundamental while the latter is secondary but necessary. Put differently, this is the integration of the functions of the right and left cerebral hemispheres as the former function wholistically or on synthesis while the latter focus on individual details or analysis. Such integration avoids fragmentation of consciousness. In educational environments, we can combine linear, logical thinking exercises with more wholistic art forms such as art, dance, music and creative writing in a unified way to achieve the integration discussed above. As Dr Bohm highlights, when a person develops wholistically in consciousness, it minimises the chances of various forms of othering, such as the in-group and out-group dichotomy, while supporting him/her to embrace humankind, other living beings and nature as a whole as a part of the universe. It minimises the chances of developing narrower thoughts that each element of the cosmos is separate and self-existent.
One of the main messages emerging from the book is the infinite potential of creativity available in consciousness. The reason for the presence of this potential is the ever-evolving nature of the generic implicate order. We need open minds, open hearts, and open wills developed through meditation and awareness-training practices to tap into this potential by embracing not-knowing or child-like minds of openness. These practices allow us to keep away from repeated habitual and mechanical thoughts and procedures that hamper the emergence of creativity in consciousness. Would such a burst in creativity be a possible solution to the artificial intelligence (AI) and automation led threats to the social systems we know of? In learning and development spaces, can we strictly link details and analysis to the whole or big picture to avoid new learning ending up in fragmentation?
Dr Bohm uses the term implicate order to describe the implicit nature of the interconnectedness, and it may represent a generic structure of many possible sub totalities and/or explicate orders. The implicate order has enfolding and unfolding features, while explicate orders are present to senses and has the unfolding feature. We say "mind is enfolded in matter (or body), and body is enfolded in mind" to highlight the oneness between mind and body. Hologram, holonomy and holomovement are other concepts used to describe the implicate order.
Moreover, the implicate order represents an ever-evolving flux and cannot be defined in an ultimate sense at any time. Orders and measures are combined to develop structures of matter and consciousness. It is suggested in the book that the explanation of the implicate order may even go beyond the quantum theory. It is a way of a multidimensional representation of the cosmos or universe.
Dr Bohm insightfully presents how the notion of measure with different representations led eastern and western societies on different tapestries. Initially, measures were evaluated as an internal practice of insight as a part of consciousness in the West. Later, through habituation and mechanisation, the evaluation turned to comparison with external standards. In contrast, the primary focus was on the immeasurable in the East, which constituted a wholistic view of matters that cannot be logically explained easily. As the immeasurable was generally away from man’s insight, it led to objectifying it. Meditation gives a measure for thought and was the technique used to directly experience and sense the immeasurable in a true sense without objectifying it. The above two different tapestries of the West and the East led them to have their main foci on science and technology and philosophy and religion, respectively.
Dr Bohm clarifies that both the immeasurable and measures are essential in developing balanced consciousness/minds, but the former needs to be fundamental while the latter is secondary but necessary. Put differently, this is the integration of the functions of the right and left cerebral hemispheres as the former function wholistically or on synthesis while the latter focus on individual details or analysis. Such integration avoids fragmentation of consciousness. In educational environments, we can combine linear, logical thinking exercises with more wholistic art forms such as art, dance, music and creative writing in a unified way to achieve the integration discussed above. As Dr Bohm highlights, when a person develops wholistically in consciousness, it minimises the chances of various forms of othering, such as the in-group and out-group dichotomy, while supporting him/her to embrace humankind, other living beings and nature as a whole as a part of the universe. It minimises the chances of developing narrower thoughts that each element of the cosmos is separate and self-existent.
One of the main messages emerging from the book is the infinite potential of creativity available in consciousness. The reason for the presence of this potential is the ever-evolving nature of the generic implicate order. We need open minds, open hearts, and open wills developed through meditation and awareness-training practices to tap into this potential by embracing not-knowing or child-like minds of openness. These practices allow us to keep away from repeated habitual and mechanical thoughts and procedures that hamper the emergence of creativity in consciousness. Would such a burst in creativity be a possible solution to the artificial intelligence (AI) and automation led threats to the social systems we know of? In learning and development spaces, can we strictly link details and analysis to the whole or big picture to avoid new learning ending up in fragmentation?
October 15, 2021
I'd had this book on my "to read" list for a very long time, so it was with some anticipation that I started it. Sadly, I was disappointed by the whole experience.
First, it needs to be said that Bohm's prose style is very dense. And the chapter on the hidden variables theory of quantum mechanics uses maths beyond the level of my physics degree. Neither is the theory well-presented - the terms in the equations are not clearly described and the physical meaning is often unclear. This was like attending a bad lecture. Bohm also has an annoying habit of trying to explain words through etymology, which is, of course, entirely invalid.
Second, and rather oddly for someone who is so averse to fragmentation, the book is completely disjointed. There is no clear sense in which its various parts hang together. I kept waiting for him to link hidden variables with the ideas of "implicate order" but it never happened, rather as if it was written by two different authors who forgot to talk to each other.
But the real problem for me is that the concept of implicate order doesn't seem to lead anywhere (to the extent that it's clear what it means at all). Bohm would apparently like it to resolve the mind-body problem by making mind and matter two facets of an underlying reality but at no point is it clear why this might be helpful or what it all really means. It's all incredibly speculative, vague and hand-waving.
Out of the whole book, the chapter on hidden variables does potentially have value. I understand that, as the foundations of quantum mechanics have become more respectable in recent years, there has been some renewed interest in this. What I hadn't understood was that (for all the difficulties of the presentation), it is a mathematical theory, not just an interpretation of the theory and is - at least in principle - open to experimental exploration.
First, it needs to be said that Bohm's prose style is very dense. And the chapter on the hidden variables theory of quantum mechanics uses maths beyond the level of my physics degree. Neither is the theory well-presented - the terms in the equations are not clearly described and the physical meaning is often unclear. This was like attending a bad lecture. Bohm also has an annoying habit of trying to explain words through etymology, which is, of course, entirely invalid.
Second, and rather oddly for someone who is so averse to fragmentation, the book is completely disjointed. There is no clear sense in which its various parts hang together. I kept waiting for him to link hidden variables with the ideas of "implicate order" but it never happened, rather as if it was written by two different authors who forgot to talk to each other.
But the real problem for me is that the concept of implicate order doesn't seem to lead anywhere (to the extent that it's clear what it means at all). Bohm would apparently like it to resolve the mind-body problem by making mind and matter two facets of an underlying reality but at no point is it clear why this might be helpful or what it all really means. It's all incredibly speculative, vague and hand-waving.
Out of the whole book, the chapter on hidden variables does potentially have value. I understand that, as the foundations of quantum mechanics have become more respectable in recent years, there has been some renewed interest in this. What I hadn't understood was that (for all the difficulties of the presentation), it is a mathematical theory, not just an interpretation of the theory and is - at least in principle - open to experimental exploration.
March 6, 2019
A book that is literally about everything, or at least the holographic projection of the roots of reality (revealed in an amazing etymological untangling to be reri, “to think”). Bohm seriously discusses quantum physics, consciousness, grammar, biology, mathematics and philosophy, giving something everyone across diverse fields can scratch their head about and wonder at. While it would be relatively easy to pick apart any argument, since so much of what he writes about goes against conventional knowledge, he works through the fragmented academic particulars to get at something awe-inspiring and spiritual: that all is one, and perceived differences between one thing and another are just enfoldments of the same thing in a different phase.
May 25, 2016
Sometimes banal, often insightful, always idiosyncratic.
There's some nice discussion of philosophy-of-space issues that hints at Volovik's work (see his book The Universe in a Helium Droplet) on emergent quantum field theory; he mentions Pribram's work on "holonomic brain theory", which I'm also quite interested in; the idea that configuration space is more fundamental than spacetime strikes me as very insightful (this is relevant to my interest in 'relative locality'); the stuff about consciousness didn't make much sense to me.
There's some nice discussion of philosophy-of-space issues that hints at Volovik's work (see his book The Universe in a Helium Droplet) on emergent quantum field theory; he mentions Pribram's work on "holonomic brain theory", which I'm also quite interested in; the idea that configuration space is more fundamental than spacetime strikes me as very insightful (this is relevant to my interest in 'relative locality'); the stuff about consciousness didn't make much sense to me.
March 3, 2025
Wholeness and the Implicate Order by David Bohm 🌀
What if quantum uncertainty isn’t the end of the story? What if beneath randomness lies a hidden, enfolded order—a deeper coherence waiting to be discovered?
Introduction
Quantum physics is famous for unsettling our most basic assumptions about reality. Particles behave like waves. Causes seem to slip away into probabilities. And uncertainty isn’t just a temporary gap in knowledge—it’s fundamental, built into the very fabric of existence.
Or so we’ve been told.
But in Wholeness and the Implicate Order, David Bohm, one of the most original physicists of the 20th century, offers a bold alternative. He wasn’t satisfied with the dominant interpretations of quantum mechanics that declared randomness and indeterminacy as ultimate. For Bohm, this abrupt acceptance of disorder was intellectually premature. He believed that beneath the apparent chaos lies a deeper, hidden order, one we have yet to fully comprehend.
This is a book that dares to ask:
👉 Is reality truly fragmented and random—or have we mistaken the surface for the depths?
Summary of Core Ideas
Bohm's central dissatisfaction was with what he saw as the superficiality of randomness in the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which treats the behaviour of particles as governed by chance, with no deeper explanation beyond statistical outcomes.
In contrast, Bohm proposed:
• A hidden variables theory (famously, the "pilot-wave theory") suggesting that particles are guided by an underlying wave, creating an unseen order beneath what appears random.
• The concept of the Implicate Order, where everything in the universe is enfolded into everything else in a constant process of unfolding (explicate order) and enfolding (implicate order).
• That the seeming randomness we observe arises from our limited perception of a vastly more complex, holistic process.
Imagine watching the ripples on the surface of a stream without realizing the intricate currents beneath. For Bohm, physics had become content with studying the ripples and declaring the deep currents either non-existent or irrelevant.
Philosophical Reflections
Bohm’s deeper philosophical claim is striking:
Randomness is not the final truth.
This stance invites us to rethink the metaphysical foundations of reality. If the universe is not fundamentally fragmented, accidental, and disconnected, then:
• Causality may be nonlocal, meaning what happens here is intimately tied to what happens everywhere.
• Order may exist beyond what our senses and instruments can currently detect.
• Meaning may be embedded in the structure of reality itself, rather than imposed on a meaningless void.
This contrasts sharply with the existentialist reading of a quantum universe: the idea that we live in an absurd, indifferent cosmos, where indeterminacy is king. Bohm instead offers a vision of reality as deeply interconnected and profoundly meaningful, even if that meaning remains largely hidden.
Related Books and Traditions
Bohm’s dissatisfaction with randomness and his search for underlying order align him with a fascinating lineage of thinkers and texts, including:
• Albert Einstein, who famously rejected quantum randomness with his remark, "God does not play dice." Einstein, like Bohm, believed a deeper order was waiting to be found.
• Rupert Sheldrake’s A New Science of Life, which proposes morphic resonance—fields of memory and form guiding biological development—another speculative attempt to locate unseen patterns beneath empirical phenomena.
• Ilya Prigogine’s work on dissipative structures, which shows that order can emerge from chaos, giving a thermodynamic echo to Bohm's philosophical intuitions.
• Process philosophers like Alfred North Whitehead, who argued that reality is fundamentally made of events and relationships, not static substances—an ongoing flow rather than a fixed machine.
• Even Plato’s concept of the world of forms lingers here: the visible world as a projection of deeper, invisible structures.
Implications
Bohm’s vision isn’t just an alternative physics; it’s a challenge to how we live and think. If fragmentation is an illusion, then:
• The boundaries between mind and matter dissolve—our thoughts participate in reality rather than merely observing it.
• Social and ecological divisions are artificial. To function as if we are separate from nature or each other is to live a lie.
• Science itself might need to evolve, moving beyond merely analysing what is visible into cultivating sensitivity to what is enfolded, implicit, and waiting to emerge.
In this sense, Bohm’s rejection of randomness is ethical as well as theoretical. It's a call to heal the fractures within us, our societies, and our understanding of the cosmos.
⭐ Final Thoughts
Wholeness and the Implicate Order is Bohm’s search for the hidden architecture of reality—a gentle, persistent refusal to believe that nature is as fragmented and arbitrary as it appears. His work suggests that the universe is not governed by chance, but by a deep, enfolded harmony we are only just beginning to glimpse.
Whether or not his specific theories prove correct, Bohm leaves us with a resonant question:
👉 What if reality is more whole, more ordered, and more meaningful than we’ve dared to imagine?
In an era that often celebrates randomness—whether in physics, culture, or personal meaning—Bohm reminds us that seeking deeper patterns is not only possible, but necessary.
What if quantum uncertainty isn’t the end of the story? What if beneath randomness lies a hidden, enfolded order—a deeper coherence waiting to be discovered?
Introduction
Quantum physics is famous for unsettling our most basic assumptions about reality. Particles behave like waves. Causes seem to slip away into probabilities. And uncertainty isn’t just a temporary gap in knowledge—it’s fundamental, built into the very fabric of existence.
Or so we’ve been told.
But in Wholeness and the Implicate Order, David Bohm, one of the most original physicists of the 20th century, offers a bold alternative. He wasn’t satisfied with the dominant interpretations of quantum mechanics that declared randomness and indeterminacy as ultimate. For Bohm, this abrupt acceptance of disorder was intellectually premature. He believed that beneath the apparent chaos lies a deeper, hidden order, one we have yet to fully comprehend.
This is a book that dares to ask:
👉 Is reality truly fragmented and random—or have we mistaken the surface for the depths?
Summary of Core Ideas
Bohm's central dissatisfaction was with what he saw as the superficiality of randomness in the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which treats the behaviour of particles as governed by chance, with no deeper explanation beyond statistical outcomes.
In contrast, Bohm proposed:
• A hidden variables theory (famously, the "pilot-wave theory") suggesting that particles are guided by an underlying wave, creating an unseen order beneath what appears random.
• The concept of the Implicate Order, where everything in the universe is enfolded into everything else in a constant process of unfolding (explicate order) and enfolding (implicate order).
• That the seeming randomness we observe arises from our limited perception of a vastly more complex, holistic process.
Imagine watching the ripples on the surface of a stream without realizing the intricate currents beneath. For Bohm, physics had become content with studying the ripples and declaring the deep currents either non-existent or irrelevant.
Philosophical Reflections
Bohm’s deeper philosophical claim is striking:
Randomness is not the final truth.
This stance invites us to rethink the metaphysical foundations of reality. If the universe is not fundamentally fragmented, accidental, and disconnected, then:
• Causality may be nonlocal, meaning what happens here is intimately tied to what happens everywhere.
• Order may exist beyond what our senses and instruments can currently detect.
• Meaning may be embedded in the structure of reality itself, rather than imposed on a meaningless void.
This contrasts sharply with the existentialist reading of a quantum universe: the idea that we live in an absurd, indifferent cosmos, where indeterminacy is king. Bohm instead offers a vision of reality as deeply interconnected and profoundly meaningful, even if that meaning remains largely hidden.
Related Books and Traditions
Bohm’s dissatisfaction with randomness and his search for underlying order align him with a fascinating lineage of thinkers and texts, including:
• Albert Einstein, who famously rejected quantum randomness with his remark, "God does not play dice." Einstein, like Bohm, believed a deeper order was waiting to be found.
• Rupert Sheldrake’s A New Science of Life, which proposes morphic resonance—fields of memory and form guiding biological development—another speculative attempt to locate unseen patterns beneath empirical phenomena.
• Ilya Prigogine’s work on dissipative structures, which shows that order can emerge from chaos, giving a thermodynamic echo to Bohm's philosophical intuitions.
• Process philosophers like Alfred North Whitehead, who argued that reality is fundamentally made of events and relationships, not static substances—an ongoing flow rather than a fixed machine.
• Even Plato’s concept of the world of forms lingers here: the visible world as a projection of deeper, invisible structures.
Implications
Bohm’s vision isn’t just an alternative physics; it’s a challenge to how we live and think. If fragmentation is an illusion, then:
• The boundaries between mind and matter dissolve—our thoughts participate in reality rather than merely observing it.
• Social and ecological divisions are artificial. To function as if we are separate from nature or each other is to live a lie.
• Science itself might need to evolve, moving beyond merely analysing what is visible into cultivating sensitivity to what is enfolded, implicit, and waiting to emerge.
In this sense, Bohm’s rejection of randomness is ethical as well as theoretical. It's a call to heal the fractures within us, our societies, and our understanding of the cosmos.
⭐ Final Thoughts
Wholeness and the Implicate Order is Bohm’s search for the hidden architecture of reality—a gentle, persistent refusal to believe that nature is as fragmented and arbitrary as it appears. His work suggests that the universe is not governed by chance, but by a deep, enfolded harmony we are only just beginning to glimpse.
Whether or not his specific theories prove correct, Bohm leaves us with a resonant question:
👉 What if reality is more whole, more ordered, and more meaningful than we’ve dared to imagine?
In an era that often celebrates randomness—whether in physics, culture, or personal meaning—Bohm reminds us that seeking deeper patterns is not only possible, but necessary.
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