The Infamous Boundary: Seven Decades of Heresy in Quantum Physics

by David Wick, W. Faris (Contributor)

"Provides (an)...accurate portrait of the essence of the disputes, both epistemological and technical, that characterize contemporary inquiry. This book will profit any reader-physicist, mathematician, philosopher, or civilian-who wants a comprehensive and intelligible survey of this pesky episode in fundamental physical theory."-CHOICE
"I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone interested in the history, philosophy or sociology of science, and it is worth adding to the library shelf on quantum theory."-PHYSICS WORLD

Genres: Science

332 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1994

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Physics since Einstein - a history with explanations. Einstein makes trouble for Bohr, Bohr makes trouble for Einstein, Heisenberg confuses everybody, physicists take sides, all manner of weird shit turns out to be true, some guy named Bohm might have the key to the universe but he's a commie and can't get work so he makes for Brazil. Somewhere along the way the narrative peels off into the spooky mindfuck zones of modern physics, after which even the most hidebound physicalist/materialist will find the space around him imbued with a mystical ludicrousness that may as well be magic, priming him for the joining of esoteric religious orders or possibly a psychotic break, which is pretty much the same thing.

Infamous Boundary reads not like some half-ass, physics-for-the-masses jive turkey bidness - it's serious about presenting the science (though mercifully light on the actual math). David Wick can write his ass off, makes all those dashes and dots of the quantum world dance and fly around and seem pretty fucking cool, even if you have no hope of ever really understanding. Be consoled in the knowledge that physicists - even those supergenius ones - who commit their life to advancing and understanding the science are just as clueless as anyone.

[Boaz]

Good popular, entertaining and in-depth discussion of the quantum/classical boundary.