The Conscious Universe: Parts and Wholes in Physical Reality

This theorem not only allows for the prospect that there could be a correlation be­ tween the observed properties of the two photons but also indicates that this correlation could occur instantly, or in no time, in spite of the fact that the distance between the observers and their measuring instruments is billions of light years. This book discusses the implications for philosophy of recent experimental results that confirm some counterintuitive aspects of the way matter behaves. The authors show that a generalized principle of complementarity is pervasive not only in physical theories such as cosmological models of the universe, but also in the construction of all human realities. The book discusses in detail Bell's inequalities for quantum mechanical measurements as well as the recent experiments that confirm them, which imply that even remote parts of the universe are "entangled. " The authors suggest that consciousness can no longer be divorced from the problem of the way science operates, and the book concludes by making the case that this entails a new way of understanding the universe that could obviate much of the current conflict between science and religion while providing at the same time a basis for valuation that is better suited for coordinating all human experience. This second edition has been completely rewritten and brought up to date.