Entanglement: Uncertainty Principle, the month of February and Nagarjuna’s Middle Way
In February 1927, the young Werner Heisenberg developed a key piece of quantum theory, the uncertainty principle, with profound implications.
Okay, what does Uncertainty Principle has to do with Nagarjuna, the Buddhist philosopher from the second century CE?
First thing first — What is Uncertainty Principle?
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics. It states that there is a limit to how precisely we can measure certain pairs of physical properties of a particle, such as position and momentum. The Uncertainty Principle was first formulated by the German physicist Werner Heisenberg in 1927. He observed that when we try to measure the position of a particle with high precision, the act of measurement disturbs the momentum of the particle. Conversely, when we try to measure the momentum of a particle with high precision, the act of measurement disturbs the position of the particle. The Uncertainty Principle places a fundamental limit on our ability to measure these pairs of physical properties with arbitrary precision. It is not a limitation of our measurement instruments but rather a fundamental property of the universe itself.
The Uncertainty Principle has important implications for the foundations of quantum mechanics and our understanding of the nature of reality. At the atomic and subatomic levels, the act of measurement can change the state of the particle being measured. This has led to the development of alternative interpretations of quantum mechanics, such as the Copenhagen interpretation, which holds that the behavior of particles at the quantum level is inherently probabilistic and cannot be predicted with complete certainty. The Uncertainty Principle has also had practical applications in fields such as quantum cryptography, where it is used to ensure the security of communication channels. It has also led to the development of new technologies, such as scanning tunneling microscopes, which can image individual atoms and molecules.
A brief bio of Heisenberg —
Werner Heisenberg (1901–1976) was a German physicist and one of the founders of the field of quantum mechanics. He is best known for his formulation of the Uncertainty Principle.
Heisenberg was born in Würzburg, Germany, in 1901. His father was a professor of medieval and modern history, and his mother was the daughter of a prominent art historian. Heisenberg showed an early aptitude for mathematics and science and went on to study physics at the University of Munich, where he received his PhD in 1923. In 1925, Heisenberg published his landmark paper on matrix mechanics, which was a key development in formulating quantum mechanics. This work and the complementary work of other physicists like Erwin Schrödinger and Max Born laid the foundation for a new understanding of the nature of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic levels.
During the 1930s, Heisenberg became increasingly involved in the politics of Nazi Germany. He was a member of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party and was seen as a prominent supporter of the regime. However, his views on Nazism are the subject of much debate and controversy. Some have argued that he was a committed Nazi, while others have suggested that he was trying to protect his own and colleagues' interests. Heisenberg was involved in the German nuclear energy program during World War II. He led a team of physicists working on developing a nuclear reactor, but the project was ultimately unsuccessful. After the war, Heisenberg was briefly held as a prisoner of war by the Allies but was released in 1946.
Heisenberg went on to have a distinguished career in physics and received numerous awards and honors for his work. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1932 for his contributions to developing quantum mechanics. He later served as the director of the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics in Munich. Heisenberg died in 1976 at the age of 74. He is remembered as one of the most important and influential physicists of the 20th century, and his work continues to be the subject of much study and debate in the field of quantum mechanics.
While reading Carlo Rovelli’s Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution, I realized how much Heisenberg was influenced by eastern philosophies, especially those of Nagarjuna’s Middle Way.
So what is this Middle Way?
Nagarjuna was a Buddhist monk who lived in India in the second century CE. He is known for his teachings on the “Middle Way” or Madhyamaka, which is expounded in his magnum opus, the Mulamadhyamakakarika, or “Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way.”
As taught by Nagarjuna, the Middle Way is a path that avoids the extremes of eternalism (the view that things have permanent, unchanging essences) and nihilism (the view that things do not exist at all). Nagarjuna argues that all phenomena are “empty” (shunyata), meaning they lack inherent existence or essence. This does not mean they do not exist at all, but rather that their existence depends on causes and conditions.
Nagarjuna uses a method of reasoning called “reductio ad absurdum” to demonstrate the emptiness of all phenomena. He shows that if things had inherent existence, they would either be eternal and unchanging or they would arise from nothing. However, neither of these options is tenable, as they lead to logical inconsistencies. Therefore, Nagarjuna concludes that all things are empty of inherent existence. The Middle Way is not just a philosophical view but also a path of practice. Nagarjuna teaches that we should strive to see things as they really are, free from the distortions of our own conceptualization. This involves cultivating wisdom (prajna) through meditation and other spiritual practices. Nagarjuna’s teachings on the Middle Way have profoundly influenced Buddhist philosophy and practice. They have been studied and debated by scholars and practitioners for centuries and continue to be relevant today.
One area in which Nagarjuna’s Middle Way has been influential is in the field of comparative philosophy. The Middle Way has been compared to other philosophical views, such as the Taoist concept of wu-wei (non-action) and the Stoic concept of apatheia (freedom from passion). These comparisons have helped to elucidate the unique features of Nagarjuna’s view, as well as to highlight similarities and differences with other philosophical traditions. Another area in which Nagarjuna’s Middle Way has been influential is in the field of contemporary Buddhist studies. Scholars and practitioners continue to draw on Nagarjuna’s teachings as a source of inspiration and guidance. His teachings on emptiness, in particular, have been the subject of much discussion and debate, as they offer a profound insight into the nature of reality and the path to spiritual liberation. By far, Nagarjuna’s Middle Way is a profound and influential teaching in the Buddhist tradition. It offers a path of practice that avoids the extremes of eternalism and nihilism and teaches us to see things as they really are.
How did this almost two thousand years old philosophy influence the base principle of Quantum Mechanics?
While researching, I found that the Buddhist monk Nagarjuna’s philosophy has influenced many fields of study, including physics. In particular, his teachings on the Middle Way and the concept of emptiness have had an impact on the work of physicist Werner Heisenberg and his formulation of the Uncertainty (or Indeterminacy) Principle.
As stated above, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle states that there is a fundamental limit to how precisely we can measure certain pairs of physical properties of a particle. For example, we cannot measure the position and momentum of a particle simultaneously with arbitrary precision. This principle has important implications for the foundations of quantum mechanics and our understanding of the nature of reality. Heisenberg was heavily influenced by Nagarjuna’s concept of emptiness, which holds that all phenomena lack any inherent existence or essence. In Heisenberg’s view, the Uncertainty Principle reflects that our attempts to measure the physical properties of particles are always limited by how we interact with them. This interaction changes the particle somehow, making it impossible to measure certain properties with complete precision.
In an interview, Heisenberg described his encounter with Nagarjuna’s philosophy as a turning point in his thinking. He said, “In the course of many discussions with the Indian philosophers, especially with the Buddhist ones, I have learned in recent years to appreciate again the fundamental ideas of the Far Eastern ways of thinking. One of the basic features of the Eastern worldview is the idea of the unity of all things and events, the interconnectedness of everything in the world. This also applies to man, to his inner life, which is similarly part of the universal process.”
Heisenberg’s encounter with Nagarjuna’s philosophy profoundly impacted his approach to physics. He saw the Uncertainty Principle not as a limitation on our ability to measure physical properties but as a fundamental feature of the universe that reflected the interconnectedness of all things. He believed that our attempts to understand the nature of reality must take into account this interconnectedness and that a purely objective, detached view of the world was inadequate.
Heisenberg’s encounter with Nagarjuna’s teachings on emptiness and the Middle Way influenced his thinking about the interconnectedness of all things and the fundamental limits of our attempts to measure physical properties. This demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of philosophy and how it can have important implications for our understanding of other fields of study, including physics.
Amazon Links (Disclaimer: I will not earn any commission) to some relevant books:
- Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution
- Physics and Philosophy: The Revolution in Modern Science
- Nagarjuna’s Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika
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