It is a long time since last time I read pop-science books about physics. At some point it was my bread and butter, so I wasn’t sure how much I could gain from reading this book. But due to personal recommendation and few hints at what inside I was eager to read it.
It starts with the story of Heisenberg who had his first intuitions about quantum mechanics at the titular rocky island — Helgoland. That story evoked another I just heard recently, during my trip to South India, to Kanyakumari. Story of mystic and Hinduism reformer Swami Vivekananda who get to meditate on rocky, battered islet in Kanyakumari, at the southernmost tip of Indian subcontinent. In both cases, those men returned with insight to the nature of reality. Due to my own proclivities and beliefs, I’m eager to put more significance to Heisenberg’s discoveries than religious enlightenment of Vivekananda. Quantum mechanics is one of the biggest scientific achievements of last few centuries and it encompasses all our understanding of the world today.
First part of the book is historical account of development of the quantum mechanics, starting from Heisenberg. It briefly touches on prior developments that led to quantum mechanics, but starting from Heisenberg it focuses on point where it became clear that physicists excavated something truly novel. With Heisenberg we got new framework to think about reality, before him it seemed like ad-hoc solutions to problems, prequels to proper new theory. In this part Carlo Rovelli brings anecdotes and stories of known names, for me and anyone interested in physics. Names such as Heisenberg, Pauli, Schrödinger, Bohr, Dirac, Einstein, but also little less known like Jordan. Rovelli weaves effortlessly ideas of physics with biographical bits here and there. When I read this part I couldn’t help, but wonder that such a historical account could help with understanding of quantum physics in pedagogy. I’m not saying about great focus on history of science or going into biographical minutiae, but rather historicizing science teaching. Not full history, but historicising physics, showing context for certain ideas. How one idea led to another, how particular problems where solved by them.
After giving us context of quantum mechanics and its history, the second part is the heart of the book. The author emphasises how quantum mechanics shattered scientific worldview. It was so unique and hard to digest that a few so-called interpretations of quantum mechanics was established. Newer kid on the block among many, relational interpretation, is the hero of this part. Carlo Rovelli himself is one of the authors and champions of this intepretation. Relational Quantum Mechanics tries to manage interpretational difficulties of the theory by emphasising that all the phenomena exist only entangled in relation to others, that there’s no characteristics of things in itself, only in relation they manifest.
Which brings the author to ancient Indian Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna and his ideas of emptiness and dependent origination. As the author states, Nagarjuna had no way of knowing anything about quantum nature of reality, but through different means he realized similar relational ideas. As an aside, if anyone saw my other recent reviews could see now that this book is not such a departure from my line of recent lectures after all. To my surprise, it feels that Rovelli gives quite accurate account of Nagarjuna’s ideas. It would be probable in such a situation for someone trying to squeeze ancient ideas into modern context, but it really fits.
From my side, relational interpretation feels satisfying in a way that no other felt for me. I always had some nagging feeling that something doesn’t fit when I read about Copenhagen interpretation, Many Worlds and even lesser known. It is somehow very similar to most “canonical” Copenhagen interpretation, the one that is most likely given implicitly, if not explicitly, in physics textbooks and lectures. In contrast to it though, it doesn’t rely on notion of observer.
Carlo Rovelli has light and beautiful writing style, not so common among top scientists. His book is erudite so I feel it could interest a lot of people who otherwise wouldn’t read books about physics. He brings not only colorful account of quantum physics development, full chapter on Nagarjuna, but even disputation inside early Bolsheviks, between Lenin and Bogdanov specifically (and sides with the latter). It doesn’t seems like odd assortment, but it makes sense in his narrative. The only one that seemed somehow irrelevant was when he goes into theory of evolution. Not like it couldn’t be connected to the topic, but I felt it was forced too much.
I really recommend this book to anyone interested in the world, physics and philosophy. It could work as an introduction, but probably would better serve as further book to read on the topics. It is short and easy to read, despite being able to contain somehow all the things mentioned.