The “Quantum Out” is a tendency in EvolutionarySpirituality circles, especially NewAge? community parts, to abuse quantum mechanics, and to mis-appropriate the words of quantum physicists, towards their own ends.
Lesser (but significant) delusions include the idea that meaningful Free Will is philosophically guaranteed (or at least made “very likely”) by quantum randomness.
Quantum Mechanics (just like everything in the world, natural or otherwise) does provide ripe grounds for metaphores, and this is “fair game.” But those metaphors cannot be mistaken for reality, or presented as reality.
Further, there is often a need, spiritually and philosophically, to refer to something like “the most basic, fundamental, elementary nature of reality.” This is perfectly legitimate: If anything (such as ourselves) exists, then surely, it must also exist at the most basic, fundamental, elementary nature of reality.
In the modern concept of the world, “Quantum Mechanics” is understood to be that “most basic, fundamental, elementary nature of reality.” There can be no doubts that, if the universe is made of a quantum reality, well, then, golly gee, we must be fundamentally made of a quantum reality as well. So some amount of appeal to the quantum realm must be permissible, otherwise, we can’t legitimately talk about what we are, which is exactly the terrain of much of spirituality and philosophy.
Some examples of what should be OK, even though they cause some twitching in physics circles:
These sorts of expressions are quite all right and scientifically legitimate. (There could still be an argument, of course.)
Let there be no doubt, that we are speaking of delusion here.
It is not just “some” scientists who are “skeptical”; It is every single physicist who is “skeptical” of these Quantum claims.
Go to any university, visit their physics department, and talk to any of the physics professors about how Quantum Mechanics supports New Age claims. Prepare to get an earful.
Gary Zukav (“Dancing Wu-Li Masters”) in particular is not a physicist, and should never be read as one.
In terms of the effort of EvolutionarySpirituality, the QuantumOut is an error and a distraction.
There is real work to be done in determining the proper questions to be asked, but it may be something on the order of: “How can we think about esoteric and natural truths?”
I am confident that we are on the verge (granted, a 5-50 year verge, but a verge nonetheless) of an exciting and original answer that can not only answer the question, but transform our daily experience with it– a transformation on the order of the establishment of the Enlightenment.
The answer will not be announced in newspapers, it will be revealed through a slow change in culture, largely in the background, and later the subject of philosophical historians. But I am basically confident that the answer will be found.
I am confident because I have made the trek from esoteric to natural to esoteric to natural to esoteric (and so on) with my mind intact and in integrity several times. It’s presently a path through a rough jungle, the road isn’t paved, and I frequently need to ask helpful people, “How does this part go again?” , … … but I’ve basically followed / made a path a few times, so I know it is possible to get from one to the other and back. (see: TheScientificFairy)
What remains is to solidify that path into a dirt path, and then pave it into a full-on well know easily traversed road.
And I can tell you, it doesn’t pass by Quantum Mechanics anywhere, except briefly in the “deep reality” sense listed in the caveats above.