The book is self-contained, and no prior knowledge is needed. It his amazing how far we have come in a few decades: general relativity wasn’t well understood even in the 1950ies. That makes it a diverse and interdisciplinary read about the 20th century practice of physics. What Is Real? is sprinkled with interesting anecdotes and stories, about the historical/political context and the scientists involved, but never looses its focus on the big questions it tries to ask. Yet this is not an anti-science book at all, as he ends with pointing out the important differences between being critical of science from within the scientific community, and various anti-science pushers – like creationists, climate change deniers or homeopaths – that operate outside it but do claim its veneer. There is much to learn here: about quantum science, about science as a practice, and about philosophy of science as well.īecker makes a great case for science being a collaborative effort, and his book very much stresses that the pitfalls of human pettiness, political bias and hyper-specialization at times hinder scientific progress. It works both as a solid overview of the science and possible interpretations of quantum theory, and as a sociological history of the workings of the field – both from a European and American perspective. While What is Real? The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum Physics is marketed as a popular science book, it should be mandatory reading for professional physicists, as it is a critical history of their field first and foremost, trying to explain why a problematic theory like the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics has endured for so long. What Is Real? is the gripping story of this battle of ideas and of the courageous scientists who dared to stand up for truth.”
And yet, from the 1920s to today, physicists like John Bell, David Bohm, and Hugh Everett persisted in seeking the true meaning of quantum mechanics. As a result, questioning the status quo long meant professional ruin. A mishmash of solipsism and poor reasoning, Copenhagen endured, as Bohr’s students vigorously protected his legacy, and the physics community favored practical experiments over philosophical arguments. For a century, most physicists have followed Niels Bohr’s Copenhagen interpretation and dismissed questions about the reality underlying quantum physics as meaningless. But ask what it means, and the result will be a brawl. “The untold story of the heretical thinkers who dared to question the nature of our quantum universeĮvery physicist agrees quantum mechanics is among humanity’s finest scientific achievements. Let me start with the blurb to give you some context:
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