Wholeness and the Implicate Order

The theories of Physicist Dr. David Bohm

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University of London physicist David Bohm (1917-94) developed the theory that our universe consists of physical and metaphysical (= spiritual/divine/God/etheric/astral etc - whichever term you prefer) dimensions which are interwoven. This is hard enough to accept when we are accustomed to regarding our sensory physical experience of the world as being "it" i.e. being a complete and objective experience of reality.

However, Bohm went even further. He proposed that each small unit of the weave of the universe contains all the information possessed by the entire universe. This would be really hard to swallow except for what we know about holograms. If a hologram of a flower is cut in half and then illuminated by a laser, each half still contains the entire image of the flower. If the cut halves are cut are cut up into smaller pieces, each tiny piece of the holographic film will always contain a smaller, but complete, version of the original whole flower image.

Bohm's theory was actually a resurrection, albeit mathematically proven, of an ancient shamanic view of the universe that mystics, prophets, psychics and sages have experientially spoken of throughout the ages - even going back as far as cave drawings of 30,000 years ago.

Another line of proof for Bohm's theories has come from the research of Dr. Rupert Sheldrake whose evidence also supports this type of physical-metaphysical-interwoven view of reality in which psychic phenomena become entirely plausible.

Bohm saw the universe as a wholeness enfolded into an infinite background source that unfolds to form the visible, physical and temporal ordinary everday world. He believed that only something beyond the ordinary 5 senses (i.e. intuition, insight, pure non-linear non-logical intelligence) can experience the enfolded (implicate or hidden) aspect of the universe.

Reviews of Bohm's book "Wholeness and the Implicate Order"

As easy as wrestling a hologram! (Review by fyfey from Lavender Bay, Sydney, Australia)

At its heart, David Bohm awe-inspiring book explores a deceptively simple and I think very old idea: everything in the universe that we can observe, measure, describe, and come to understand is connected, even if we cannot observe, measure, describe and come to understand that connection (Bohm's "implicate order").

It's not a book for the faint hearted. You'll be confronted with a devastatingly beautiful philosophical insight that completely undermines our post-"enlightenment" western tendency to divide, conquer, fragment and isolate everything we attempt to understand. You may need to skip the mathematical chunks and do some background reading into Quantum physics to survive the rigours of the argument. You'll probably get frustrated at Bohm's winsome ability to be mathematician and physicist one minute and philosopher and mystic the next. But if you hang in there, you'll find yourself returning again and again to contemplate this profound contribution to occidental thinking, as I have.

 
Physics for the 21st Century (Review by Paul J. Turner from UK)

This is a superbly written exposition of intriguing ideas on the nature of reality. I have not studied Physics but was able to understand the key concepts used to convey Bohm's theory. Bohm's key idea is that reality is a totality in movement and can not be completely grasped by fragmented and static thought. Rather we must allow our own understanding to move and change with what we observe to stay closer to reality. Deep, enlightening and insightful stuff!

 

Wholeness and the Implicate Order

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