Quantum
Physics and Spiritism I:
An Alert !
Department of Chemistry, Rutgers, The
State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854-8087, USA
Instituto de Física da Universidade de São Paulo,
São Paulo, S.P.
Despite
the fact that the phenomena at the level of Quantum Physics show that
reality is very different from what we are used to see, we lack more
research in order to say that Quantum Physics is confirming the
spiritist principles.
This paper was first published in Portuguese in the 485th –
August/September 2003 - issue of Jornal Alavanca, in Campinas,
SP, Brazil. This version is the author’s translation of the original
paper.
Some
spiritist and religious groups have considered Quantum Physics as the
theory that will prove the existence of God or the spirits. In this
paper, we present a more careful point of view. In fact, the phenomena
at the level of Quantum Mechanics have made the scientists feel
perplexed because they show that the reality that our five senses show
us is an illusion. However, it does not mean that Quantum Physics or,
more appropriated, Quantum Mechanics is accepting the existence of an
“exterior cause” or “something beyond matter”, in a spiritualistic
meaning, as it has been proposed by several people of different
spiritualist doctrines (including Spiritism). The Spiritist Movement,
in our opinion, must take a special care with the connections between
the concepts and ideas from Physics and those from Spiritism.
In
this paper, we shall present a very important alert. Affirmations as “the perispirit causes
the fluctuation of quantum vacuum”, “Quantum Physics proves the
existence of God” and “the negative
space-time represents the spiritual world” have not scientific
and spiritist credibility yet, just because they were not obtained
either using scientific or the spiritist criteria of research. Nobody
knows how these conclusions were obtained; which theoretical or
experimental steps were followed to reach them. In order to produce a
scientific research, it is not enough that the subject is related to a
common scientific area and also it is not enough that the author is a
scientist. What is necessary is the presentation of a complete and
detailed explanation based on both the scientific disciplines and
Spiritism (in the case of subjects related to Spiritism).
Despite
the noble purposes of our spiritist brothers who publish these ideas,
they can bring negative consequences for the Spiritist Movement. We
quote Allan Kardec to see the focus of the problem (Issue VII of the
Introduction of The Spirits’ Book[1]): “In the absence of facts the
wise man suspends his judgment”. That is the main reason for what we
must take care with the propagation of spiritist ideas using scientific
knowledge to explain them. As the paradoxes of Quantum Mechanics have
not been solved by the scientists yet it is wise to wait for future
development of this area of research.
It
is not because some experimental results in Quantum Mechanics were not
explained that it is possible to conclude that God and/or the Spirits
are the ones that caused them. That is not a conclusion that can be
called “scientific”. That is not the right way to make or produce
scientific knowledge. The main problem is that such a way of making
statements exposes Spiritism to unnecessary criticisms just by the
people that know very well what is science and how to work on it: the
scientists.
New
discoveries cause great revisions in the existent theoretical models.
That demonstrates the fragility and the ephemeral character of recent
theories in Physics. Recently we had the opportunity to comment on this
fragility in one of these recent theories in Physics due to an
important experimental result in the field of Physics of Particles[2].
We also compared the solidity of the Spiritist Doctrine that passed
unchanged by all modern discoveries of the twentieth-century [2]. This
solidity occurs because Spiritism is a doctrine based on experimental
facts [2]1
.
It
is common to think that the scepticism of scientists is a very negative
quality Nevertheless, it is a wise characteristic as we can see.
Imagine if Science starts accepting all strange theories and doctrines,
from spiritualism, only because they are based on Quantum Mechanics. A
quick search on the internet shows that there are lots of religious and
mystic groups using Quantum Mechanics as a basis for their fundamental
principles. It is important to realize that the scientific community
prefers to reject such ideas instead of accepting any wrong one. Is
this not similar to the orientation that the Spiritist Doctrine gives
us with respect to new and different questions? The spirit of Erasto
orientated us: “it
is better to repel 10 true ideas than to admit even one lie, one false
theory”[4].
This affirmation does not detain anyone from making serious research on
subjects connecting Science and Spiritism. Theoretical proposals will
be always welcome. However, it is necessary that the researcher knows
perfectly both the scientific and the spiritist concepts. Each
theoretical proposal must be consistent with both the material
phenomena and the Spiritist Doctrine. Another important thing is that
every unproved idea or every suggestion must be declared as “not
proved” or as a “suggestion”, respectively, because these ideas cannot
be considered as being scientifically proved. The reader deserves
knowing the exact status of the research in a given area.
In the next paper (part II) we shall explain why some of the phenomena
at the level of Quantum Physics generate the idea that something
invisible or divine is behind them. We shall comment on positive and
negative points about the Prof. Dr. Amit Goswami’s recent
spiritualistic proposal for the solution of the paradoxes of Quantum
Mechanics.
We
would like also to remember Allan Kardec’s skepticism with respect to
the phenomenon of “the dance of tables” before knowing the causes of
that phenomenon. He first thought that it was just a funny social
meeting without any serious reason. As soon as he became aware of the
phenomenon, he tried to understand it in terms of his scientific
knowledge. But when he saw that the phenomenon showed an intelligent
manifestation he started a long and patient work of research and only
after too much observation, study and analysis did Allan Kardec publish
the first book of the codification, The Spirits’ Book. Dear spiritist
brothers, science got much more developed since that time. Nevertheless
the example of Allan Kardec continues being as actual as it was before.
If we are not capable of understanding the scientific method, we can
understand Allan Kardec’s method of study and research. Let us follow
his example! Only after much patience, observation, meditation, study
and analysis we can publish our ideas. It is not necessary to be fast.
Future generations will thank the efforts of today.
Acknowledgement
The
author is pleased to thank Renato Costa for revising this English
translation.
References
[1]
A. Kardec, The Spirits’ Book, Editora FEB, 6a Edition, (1996).
[2]
A. F. da Fonseca, Revista Internacional de Espiritismo, março,
p. 93 (2003).
[3]
F. Capra, O Tao da FísicaI, Editora Cultrix LTDA, 15a.
Edição, (1993).
[4]
A. Kardec, Revista Espírita 8, p.257, (1861).
1
In the paper of reference [2] the reader will also find a comment on
the criticisms about the famous book “The Tao of Physics”[3].