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Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness by Bruce Rosenblum & Fred Kuttner
01/04/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Duckworth. 211 page enlarged paperback. Price: £ 9.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-7156-3654-1. Buy Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness in the USA - or Buy Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness in the UK  check out website: www.ducknet.co.uk
Am I here or am I over there? Which door do you open to find out? At least I'm not like that poor hypothetical cat that Erwin Schrġdinger places in a box with a hypothetical bottle of cyanide and asks whether it is capable of gassing itself and whether it is alive or not when you open the box. Believe it or not, this is the kind of problems encountered when dealing with Quantum Mechanics.
Authors Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner don't throw you in the deep end. If anything, this book is rather a good way to get some basic grounding in conventional physics and its history before moving into the realms of atomic particle or wave formation and the real question of what is really there. At atomic level, depending on how the observer looks at thing, an atom or at least its electrons can be either particle and wave-like in nature.
It is the nature of the observation that gives the result. As such, these authors have to look at how the observer affects just what is actually there and moves into the area of quasi-consciousness. I think, therefore I am but what am I exactly? Neither author can put any claim into that but it provides some useful pointers to consider when it comes tinkering with alternative realities and ESP. Thought that might raise a few eyebrows. If you're going to play with this in your stories, then reading up on what is known so far is a distinct advantage.
I'm still playing around with my thoughts on the subject. Understanding Quantum Mechanics causes enough headaches for literal physicists, mostly because of the effects of the observer on the rules of the house. Having a book such as this to give some guidance and insight and basic knowledge can't be a bad thing. I tended to go into this book with at least some understanding of what is going on.
Any novice, providing they take some time to think about the subject as they read should be able to get through the book. Examples are laid out and explained well without getting too bogged down in the subject. If nothing else, you should have a greater understanding of the universe than when you started reading this book so is worth having a read.
GF Willmetts
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