Why We Need a Coherent Quantum Philosophy

In the past few decades,  with the advance of quatum theory and the popularization of quantum physics as New Age ideology,  philosophy has suffered somewhat of an epistemic exile within popular culture.    Something should be done,  but what?

Omnes and Sangalli in their text,  Quantum Philosophy (Princeton University Press,  1999)   speak about "the fracture"  which occurred within the realms of philosophy,  logic, and science,   forever designating Aristotlean thinking as "classical" while quantum philosophy is termed as "formal".  Their fine text  engages in a comprehensive study,  the details of which go beyon the scope of this article.  But I open with a quote from another work by Roland  Omnes:  ". . . the deepest forms of questiong arise. . . from quantum physics".    As Omnes rightly assets,  the line between quantum sicence and philosophy is a blurred one.  When I speak of the need for a cohesive theory,  I am speaking of one that will appeal to the general,  intelligent public, and not specialized academic theories,  which nonetheless are the origins of popular ones.

My interest is in applied philosophy:  That which it has to offer the culture,  in ethics,  counseling, and popular theoretical discourse.  A robust theory which could speak to general interests in an elegantly simple way would be the best beginning.  Much of current "New Age"  theory is so sloppy,  soft,  sentimental,  and plain silly so that the rift between science and philosophy in academia,  and popular culture would seem to be widening irrevocably.  When I first read Anthony Peake in 2007,  it was an accidental encounter.  A random search on the internet showed his essay,  Cheating the Ferryman:  A New Pardigm of Existence? Leaving aside personal bereavement issues and a background in Nietzsche studies which made Peake extremely appealing to me ,  I was taken by his ability to fuse quantum physics with one of the central docrtines of Nietzsche:  the eternal return of the same.

I have often wondered if the popular culture could be made to leave its juxtaposition of old world religious ideas and new fangled new age fantasies.  Peter Novak made an excellent start in The Division of Consciousness.  But matters did not unfold well:  Novak became pre-occupied both with reincarnation and Armageddon.  In Anthony Peake,  I thought I saw a better Novak.  One more subtle and less given to mania.  Of course Peake has had to go it alone in many senses:  He has been labled by turns as a pseudo-scientist, a solipsist,  an author whose key role is to engage in sophistry,  an afterlife theorist,  and a new age icon.  What he has not been taken seriously as is a theorist who has much to offer Nietzschean philosophy ,  and by association ,  the thinking of Heidegger,  Schopenhauer,  Jaspers,  and Kierkegaard.  Is Peake an existential messenger?  I think so.  But rather than expounding on his ideas here,  I welcome New Yorkers,  whether they be academics,  readers,  or journalists,  to come hear hims on August 3 at the Roosevelt Hotel,  in a public lecture hosted by Gnosis Arts Multimedia.  Peake's lecture will begin at 6 p.m.m and there will be a complimentary bar and buffet for attendees, in the Broadway Suite. ( Madison Avenue @ E 45,  NYC 10017).