Quantum Mind and Social Science: Unifying Physical and Social Ontology

by Alexander Wendt

There is an underlying assumption in the social sciences that consciousness and social life are ultimately classical physical/material phenomena. In this ground-breaking book, Alexander Wendt challenges this assumption by proposing that consciousness is, in fact, a macroscopic quantum mechanical phenomenon. In the first half of the book, Wendt justifies the insertion of quantum theory into social scientific debates, introduces social scientists to quantum theory and the philosophical controversy about its interpretation, and then defends the quantum consciousness hypothesis against the orthodox, classical approach to the mind-body problem. In the second half, he develops the implications of this metaphysical perspective for the nature of language and the agent-structure problem in social ontology. Wendt's argument is a revolutionary development which raises fundamental questions about the nature of social life and the work of those who study it.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Nonfiction, Social Science, Political Science, Sociology, Politics

366 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Alexander Wendt is Mershon Professor of International Security and Professor of Political Science at The Ohio State University. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1989. Wendt taught previously at Yale University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Chicago, before coming to OSU in 2004.

Wendt is interested in philosophical aspects of social science, with special reference to international relations. He is most well-known for his work on constructivism in world politics, including Social Theory of International Politics (Cambridge, 1999), which received the International Studies Association’s “Best Book of the Decade” award in 2006.

In 2017 Wendt was named the most influential scholar in International Relations over the past 20 years in a TRIP survey of 1400 IR faculty.

And in 2023, for their contributions to constructivism Wendt and Martha Finnemore were awarded the prestigious Skytte Prize in Political Science.

In his more recent work, Quantum Mind and Social Science (Cambridge, 2015) and beyond, Wendt explores some implications for social science of the finding that the Kahneman-Tversky anomalies in rational decision-making can all be resolved if quantum theory is used as a baseline rather than an expected-utility model based on classical probability theory. If the human mind is actually a quantum phenomenon, that could revolutionize today’s classical social sciences in the same way that quantum theory did physics in the 1920s.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander Wendt is incredibly smart. As an IR enthusiast, it's a pleasure to see such a brilliant mind devote himself to this field as opposed to physics, economics, or the like. At times, IR can feel a little dry and surface-oriented, which I don't believe is doing any favors for legitimizing its study. The field needs more thinkers like Wendt who are willing to push the envelope. He (with the help of Martha Finnemore and a few others) birthed pushed social constructivism into IR. For those unfamiliar, constructivists essentially view international society as a sort of "matrix" created by the thoughts and actions of those who comprise it. Beyond that, he has pulled various abstract topics like UFOs and beehives into the fold. All in all, he's a deep thinker who is not shy in his attempts to both legitimize IR and make it more interesting.

Fast forward to "Quantum Mind and Social Science," his greatest attempt to advance social scientific thinking yet. This is a must read for not only IR enthusiasts, but anyone with serious interest in the social sciences.

Now, I do want to get a few caveats out of the way. For those that haven't read Wendt, his writing is heavy. He tends to have a particular fascination with the "isms" of the philosophic and social scientific academic worlds, and will often condense his thinking using those terms. At times, this can be frustrating, particularly when he goes into details of why the positivists might not agree with the interpretivists, despite the fact that it really has no impact on his overall argument. For those deep into the academic world, this might be of interest. For me, and possibly others, it isn't. Add to this Wendt's quirky writing style (a tendency to (sic) his own words, for example), and I argue that it will be good to go into the book knowing that it is by no means a beach read.

The other bit is that quantum mechanics is a central topic of the book. I don't believe it is necessary to even know what that is to read it, particularly since Wendt provides an admirable review of the field. But I would recommend having at least spent some time with the concept; it's quite weird, to say the least, and takes a minute to wrap your head around things like non-locality and superpositions.

With those thoughts out of the way, I want to thrust forward my high opinion of this work. Wendt, a social scientist by training, makes an "anthropological" (his words) effort to apply quantum mechanics to social science, despite the fact that he is a neophyte in the former. He really is the perfect person to scribe this: intelligent enough to absorb and relay the topic sufficiently, but in a way that doesn't lose his audience.

To sum the book: social science, as it stands, operates under an assumption that classical physics is the law of the land. Wendt makes a grand effort to take a deep look into what social science might look like under a quantum assumption. He slowly pieces together various concepts in both fields before painting his final picture: a conscious society, made up of conscious beings further comprised of conscious cells, where language is just as physical as, if not more than, a punch, our actions can ripple backwards in time, and social structures aren't just illusion. Science hasn't come anywhere near far enough where this can start to be tested or pulled out of the abstract, but Wendt sets the stage for a new world in his efforts.

All in all, a must read. Early in the book, Wendt previews a sort of "sequel" which will dive deeper into the quantum aspects of IR itself. I couldn't be more excited.

EDIT: Coming back to this review years later, I still have a high opinion of this work although the reasons differ a bit. This is one of a few works that has led me to the personal conclusion that the universe is one being.

That aside it's clear to me now that Wendt embarked on an academically ambitious effort here, perhaps to a degree that may be (and has been) deemed irresponsible by some. Some of his original concepts here could be viewed as a caricature or even butchering of quantum theory. I can see the argument there. But sometimes I think academia needs a swift kick to jump start things. Wendt's efforts were appropriate here, at least in my opinion. I am also certain that they were genuine based on a few interactions I've had with him (subjective I know). I can see why others, particularly quantum specialists, might not feel the same.

[Sasha Mircov · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of Quantum Mind and Social Science was published in the Journal of Regional Security (Belgrade, Serbia). Read the review here. https://aseestant.ceon.rs/index.php/j...

[Geoffreyjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was skeptical coming into this book’s premise, even though I have a long interest in the potential applications of quantum theory beyond the traditional limited world of micro-physics, and although I remain at the end of the read resistant to some of the ideas presented, overall I found the argument sufficiently compelling to question some of my own assumptions and rethink my position on these matters. It is really a kind of “argument about circumstantial evidence” rather than any kind of definitive proof, but the number and quality of the arguments raised requires a thoughtful response. Also, I have always had a penchant for books that “shake the foundations of the world”, and I think this book aspires to, and perhaps achieves such a status. I will be thinking for a long time about its overall argument, and will follow the debate about quantum consciousness theory with attentiveness as a result. I found the first part of the book relatively difficult to follow, even though I have a grounding in quantum physics - it is not so much the explanations of quantum phenomena that are difficult but rather the logical ‘pruning’ of competing interpretations and philosophical approaches that I found difficult to follow. However, following these arguments was important for understanding the remainder of the book, so I don’t regret the time spent doing so. Recommended, but only for those who have the wherewithal to wade through the rather complex arguments involved in what is, fundamentally, both a passionate study and one with potentially profound consequences.

[Peter D'Autry · Rating 1 out of 5]

The emperor has no clothes.

Wolfgang Pauli, a Quantum Physicist, was renowned for his scathing put-downs. “I do not mind if you think slowly, but I do object when you publish more quickly than you can think,” he once told a colleague. In the case of the Quantum & Social philosophy salad presented by Wendt, Pauli would conclude it is "dreck" (crap).

The book reminds me of the Sokal Hoax, yet it is not a spoof.

Alan Sokal, an NYU Physics Professor, wrote in 1996 a bogus article called "Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity.", Sokal wanted to see if a reputable publication would feature an article salted with nonsense if it sounded good and would flatter the editor's ideological preconceptions. The article was published and ran in the spring 1996 edition of Social Text, a journal published by Duke University, and caused a scandal when Sokal came out of the closet.

The spoof appeared like an academic article. It was overbearing, verbose, and with more footnotes than actual text. Sokal, in his own words, "troubled by an apparent decline in the standards of intellectual rigor in certain precincts of the American academic humanities," aimed at the "constructivists" deconstructing the natural sciences..

Unlike Sokal, "Professor" Alexander Wendt, a "constructivist" in the Theory of International Relations scene, did not intend to write nonsense yet ended up doing exactly that. Like quantum mechanics, his "ontology" does challenge our intuitive understanding of the world. Unlike quantum mechanics, it lacks logical consistency, intellectual honesty, and rigor.

Here Wendt tackles quantum physics and its relevance for "social theory". This book on "quantum constructivism" is the culmination of an earlier work on "social theory of international politics," a trash heap of Byzantine speculative metaphysics (I am kind here) in International Relations Theory, after he briefly made a Segway into UAPs and UFOs (google it). Wendt disappeared from that scene in the blink of an eye.

One might wonder why.

Beware those outside of physics who use "quantum" to prop up gobbledygook theories in unrelated fields like sociology (Quantum man), psychology (the brain is a Quantum computer), medicine (Quantum healing), and spirituality (Quantum creationism). They likely are at the end of their intellectual tether or pursue blatant self-promotion.

In the case of Wendt, I suspect both.

In his career, Wendt has never presented a theory with an ounce of pragmatic utility, a theory that could direct, guide, or inspire politicians, technocrats, or diplomats doing the heavy lifting in international politics. Instead, he produces a speculative piece of metaphysical spaghetti.

No, for this dullest of lightbulbs in Political Science academia, "quantum" provides the opportunity to parade a turd pile of speculation, conjecture, and a bewildering zoo of metaphysical nonsense as a contribution to International Relations Theory.

In the words of one (polite) academic reviewer:

"(…) the claims rest on flawed interpretations of quantum theory, fringe literature, and metaphorical, almost mystical uses of quantum concepts and buzzwords. He (…) defends an almost theological view of the importance of humanity in the universe that is incompatible with a scientific perspective."

Wendt made the strong case that, indeed, IR Theory is hopelessly irrelevant outside an intellectually incestuous cabal of academics tearing their discipline, for the worse or better, down to the ground.

What a shame.

[Ghostholos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that explores science, philosophy, linguistics, and of course social science, among many other things. The primary goal is to get people to open themselves up to considering some new ways of approaching social science (or everything?) that allow room for explanations related to quantum phenomena.

He takes great pains to assert that although he takes what he says at face-value, he really only asks that the skeptical reader treat it as more of a thought exercise and to hear it out. The assumption is that when it comes to making sense of all this quantum physics mumbo-jumbo--and trying to relate it to the human experience (what is social science without humans?)--becomes a lot easier once you know about a lot of slightly complex but seemingly unrelated things (like electrons, history, time travel, behavioral psychology, and light).

[Sue Ramlo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a physicist and social science researcher. I expected to really enjoy this book. Alas, I found myself skimming parts of it. I just couldn't get into it and sometimes I could not make heads nor tails of what was being said.

It is also disappointing that with the positionality of the author, he never discovered Q methodology. Somewhat marginalized although currently growing in popularity, Q is 90 years old and offers a scientific way of studying subjectivity. Additionally, Q's creator, William Stephenson, possessed PhDs in both physics and psychology during a time when the idea of psychophysics was emerging. There are many unique things about Q but one of them is that it draws on quantum physics at its core. Stephenson rejected the ideas of mind-body dualism and consciousness and replaced both with the idea that behavior is based in subjectivity.

[Aaron Shileny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, slow-going read.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great survey of the many emerging dimensions of quantum science and their relevance to the traditional philosophical mind-matter antinomy.

[KimNica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is innovative, written in clear prose, and manages to convey complicated ideas in an accessible manner. It really got me interested in the philosophy of physics. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to write this book and synthesize so much technical literature from outside of International Relations. It is truly an intellectual achievement.

Does that mean I fully buy Wendt’s argument? No. My main gripe is with his central assumption that physical and social ontology SHOULD be unified. I also do not like how he is very dismissive of people who disagree with that premise. Wendt says that people already use Newtonian physics as a basis to understand the social world all the time, and that even those who do not acknowledge that do so implicitly. He also has a tendency to read scholars’ non-discussion of the issue as an implicit agreement with Newtonian physics – but I don’t think those two are quite the same.

Personally, I don’t see the need to ground the social world in a physicalist ontology, whether Newtonian or quantum. Granted, it is what many scholars do, especially those who think the world can be objectively investigated, but also those who take seriously the idea that people cannot but view the world in the way they were taught by society. There is no denying that classical physics has a kind of common-sense quality to it and pervades all kinds of areas of society. Still, I’d maintain that many social constructs and social drivers are products of the human imagination and as such not subject to the constraints of physics. Chief among them is of course the state.

That being said, this is still an amazing book, if only for its ambition to change the very foundation of all of social scientific knowledge. It changes your perspective, which is the most important thing a book can accomplish.

[Erich Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendt busca unificar la división entre la ontología social y natural a partir de una interpretación de la física cuántica. Lo que defiende es un vitalismo panpsiquista cuántico donde los seres humanos somos funciones de onda andantes, donde somos libres, donde podemos conocer otras mentes y donde las estructuras sociales no requieren de una ontología emergentista. Los Estados son hologramas y el lenguaje es como la luz.

Desde su perspectiva, es la ciencia actual la que potencialmente puede dar un fundamento ontológico físico a posturas postestructurales, neo-materialistas y románticas.