Quantum physics and the knowledge of God by Hossam Badrawi

Hossam Badrawi

Tuesday 12 Nov 2024

The strange world of quantum mechanics is opening up new horizons of knowledge and urging humanity towards humility rather than arrogance, writes Hossam Badrawi

Quantum mechanics explores the world of ultra-small and ultra-fast phenomena. It is a set of physical theories that explain phenomena at the atomic and subatomic levels. It combines the properties of particles and waves, leading to the concept of “particle-wave duality.”

Quantum physics has shattered many long-standing principles in classical physics, dismissing concepts such as the principle of causality, which states that every event has a cause. It has also abandoned the principle of non-contradiction in logic and has overturned many other established rules.

The intellectual context of what occurs at the level of sub-atomic particles like electrons, protons, and quarks challenges conventions and raises concerns in the minds of scientists. It has been proven that every particle inside the atom behaves as both a particle and a wave, known as the “duality of existence.” There is also quantum entanglement, which allows particles to communicate despite the distances between them, calling Einstein’s theory that no speed exceeds the speed of light into question.

Moreover, quantum theory suggests the possibility of changing the past through events that happen in the future and opens the door to scientific experiments regarding the possibility of probabilistic existence. This means that all possibilities can occur at the same time and place for particles with a dual existence as both particles and waves.

Given our current understanding that the fundamental building blocks of matter are quarks, or tiny particles that are constantly oscillating, this implies that the entire universe, with all its components, is made up of pure energy. This gives rise to almost certain possibilities of the existence of parallel universes based on the likelihood of changing events.

Since all the components of the universe, including humans, are one, we are also part of a greater whole. The integration of individual existence with the rest of creation is a reality, even if we do not fully comprehend it.

Such ideas are similar to the idea of merging with God and connecting with the Creator found in religion. They are similar to the idea of all beings sharing the same origin and the human being, though having a small body, lying within a larger world.

I see this as being similar to the mystical Islamic philosophy of Sufism, which holds that if a person elevates themselves spiritually, they can merge with the Creator.

Humans are a book that encompasses all of creation and that contains the body and soul, matter and energy, life and death, and eternity and time simultaneously. Humans embody all these contradictions and are the greatest cosmic miracle.

While quantum theories still fall short of explaining human consciousness, the soul, and the self, they suggest that science is moving towards opening up new horizons of knowledge and urging humanity towards humility rather than arrogance.