What is Real?: The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum Physics Paperback – January 1, 2018

I regard Adam Becker’s book, “What is Real?”, to be the best discussion of the mysteries underlying quantum mechanics that I’ve yet read. Does the book solve the mysteries? No, but there has been no entirely satisfactory explanation found among the world’s physicists for the extraordinarily “spooky” and mysterious ways in which certain quantum phenomena occur.I suppose that the Copenhagen Interpretation is still the most widely accepted interpretation (which, in fact, FAILS to EXPLAIN the mysteries) among practicing physicists. For too many physicists, the attitude toward the extremely dubious explanations for certain quantum phenomena is dismissive: “Just shut up and calculate”. But Einstein, among many other scientists of a similar bent, found that approach to be completely unacceptable. Science, thus, needs to explain how and why the calculations work. This is, after all, not the domain of pure mathematics. In mathematics, axioms are found that seem, to the intellect, indubitable, and upon those axioms are built, by rigorous logic, numerous theorems and other results that are rigorously proven to follow from the logical edifice built upon the axioms. In physics, on the other hand, investigations of nature lead to hypotheses, and after constructing hypotheses, rigorous experimental testing is done to determine whether the hypotheses pass muster. If they pass, they become “theories” or “laws” of physics. Note that those theories are still subject to future continued validation, and in some rare cases, as with Newton’s “Law of Gravitation”, are found wanting – in this case, being replaced by the more exact Theory of General Relativity, formulated by Einstein.But even the noted scientist, Albert Einstein, found himself stumped by the quantum indeterminacy and “spooky action at a distance”. The only thing he managed to achieve in this regard was to stubbornly cling to the conviction that quantum physics HAD to be incomplete, and his idealized (worshipped?) strictly deterministic world could be salvaged. As a nonscientist, I enthusiastically conclude that, in this case, Einstein will have permanently been proven WRONG. Strict determinism will never recover from its defeat by quantum events, allowing (regardless of what the vaunted neuroscientists mostly declare) for human free will while ensconced in a physical brain.On a personal note, one reason I am a mathematical hobbyist, and not a physicist hobbyist, is that I relish the infallibility of the logic behind mathematics – pure and clean, yet with infinitely many undiscovered theorems awaiting mathematicians with sufficient mathematical acumen to unravel those theorems.While reading Dr. Becker’s fantastic book, I was pleasantly permitted to reaffirm my conviction that, in the microcosm, indeterminism allows for FREEDOM, and the Almighty Creator can manipulate macroscopic physical events by infinitely clever manipulations of quantum indeterminacy and probabilities – all without “violating” physical “laws”. This is worth celebrating.

This book is very timely. With many Physicists opening the door to Quantum Foundational issues and wanting to know the true underlying reality, not content with merely shutting up and calculating, this book will be a supplement in any library concerning the history of Quantum Physics and the so called dissidents of the Copenhagen Interpretation mainly in David Bohm's Pilot-Wave Theory and Everett's Many-Worlds Interpretation but also though smaller GRW, in addition too as well John S. Bell.Part I: This was a good start concerning the Copenhagen Interpretation and its founders. Also early dissidents like Einstein and Schrödinger. I think this book is very lay friendly and easy to follow along concerning the theory and early issues with it. You also find that there really was no singular Copenhagen Interpretation despite Heisenberg giving them a singular label. Also you start to see how politics and social issues really helped launch Copenhagen. I learned how charismatic Bohr was yet how his very own students said he had issues with comprehension but also how vague he was and how people like Heisenberg despite not being a Nazi supported Nazi Germany (indeed Pascual himself was a Nazi), you see how bad Heisenberg was with experimental physics despite his somewhat confidence in German physics above others. Einstein by contrast to these men took on no students as Bohr, as he wasn't as charismatic and though spoke well, sometimes he was misunderstood such as in the case with Bohr or the when others wrote on his behalf but not in as clear a way as he would have, he also wrote longer statements than say Bell and he helped the U.S. in the Nuclear Race.Part II: This is where the major dissidents who made rival theories to Copenhagen appear but also others like Bell who advanced the conversation and gave scathing critics. These include mainly David Bohm and Hugh Everett. You find just how exiled Bohm was mainly for his communist affiliation but also for going against the status quo in the Copenhagen Interpretation. Also how Everett was with his prankster style yet sort of nonchalant attitude (interestingly you learn that Wheeler would try to help him get it out there and that Everett never cared to be an Academic but was content as a Cold War technocrat). Bohm would later abandon Communism but also his own Interpretation due to these many factors.Part III: Here is where the story continues and the next generations picked up where the former one's left off. You get to see how Bohm picked up his own Theory and revived it again thanks to Basil Hiley and some students. And others who advanced the Many-Worlds Interpretation of Everett as well. Moreover many others who advanced Bell's inequalities via experiment. This chapter was very helpful as many of these figures are hardly as known to a more lay audience such as Dieter Zeh and John Clauser and others. Very informative. Also GRW Theory makes an appearance along with David Albert.You see throughout this book how changes due to Social and Political issues affected many of these men, some not even having a job despite their importance in these Foundational Issues and how many did not give them a chance but in the end they made an impact unto today.I also found Adam Becker's comments on Philosophy to be extremely needed and he rightly went against the notion that Philosophy is dead or of lesser importance but it is precisely these historical and social issues that pushed this wrong idea of Philosophy it seems into Academia to the chagrin of people like Einstein who held it in high esteem. This was a pleasant suprise to me. The issues concerning the "Shut up and Calculate!" approach he also addresses as problematic which I was very pleased with as well.The last part an Appendix was concerning how these different Theories (including GRW) solve the Delayed-Choice experiment which is a very much discussed topic at least to a more lay audience and was very glad to see it included.The only 2 minor problems I had with the book is that a lot of the stuff on Nazi Germany seemed to not be important concerning the history of these realist dissident interpreations. However it was still very fascinating and had very import things in it still, like how this War affected the Physics community and to learn more concerning the personal lives of these men who are often adored. The last issue was the footnotes. Since the book itself doesn't give you an inserted number reference in the text as you are reading it makes it hard to know if you need to check for one. I practically even forgot about them throughout the book however he does give a ton of references to practically everything in there which is extremely helpful.Despite these small gripes, this is a book certainly needed. If you don't have it, make sure to add it to your collection, it is a must have.

Well researched and dynamic narrative weaving the science of quantum physics with the people involved. Good popular science writing style and plenty of analogies and diagrams. Suffers a bit from the authors bias and politics and could have been 50 pages shorter. Overall enjoyable narrative of the Bohr-Einstein disagreements and resultant century of research.