Barad, Bohr, and quantum mechanics

Abstract

The last decade has seen an increasing number of references to quantum mechanics in the humanities and social sciences. This development has in particular been driven by Karen Barad’s agential realism: a theoretical framework that, based on Niels Bohr’s interpretation of quantum mechanics, aims to inform social theorizing. In dealing with notions such as agency, power, and embodiment as well as the relation between the material and the discursive level, the influence of agential realism in fields such as feminist science studies and posthumanism has been profound. However, no one has hitherto paused to assess agential realism’s proclaimed quantum mechanical origin including its relation to the writings of Niels Bohr. This is the task taken up here. We find that many of the implications that agential realism allegedly derives from a Bohrian interpretation of quantum mechanics dissent from Bohr’s own views and are in conflict with those of other interpretations of quantum mechanics. Agential realism is at best consistent with quantum mechanics and consequently, it does not capture what quantum mechanics in any strict sense implies for social science or any other domain of inquiry. Agential realism may be interesting and thought provoking from the perspective of social theorizing, but it is neither sanctioned by quantum mechanics nor by Bohr’s authority. This conclusion not only holds for agential realism in particular, it also serves as a general warning against the other attempts to use quantum mechanics in social theorizing.

Emergent Realities: Diffracting Barad within a quantum-realist ontology of matter and politics

“…Turning further to physics, Faye and Jaksland (2021) argue that agential realism is based on a substantial misreading of Bohr's philosophy. They also express concern for the fact that many theorists who are picking up on quantum physics but do not work in the field of physics per se -and who, understandably, do not have expertise in physics -are engaging with these ideas through Barad's interpretations, without necessarily understanding that quantum mechanics is an expansive field with its own internal debates.…”

“…While new materialist work traverses wide terrain in social and natural sciences, including biology, chemistry, poststructuralism, and feminism, unquestionably, citations of Barad (2007) have gained particular prominence in the new materialist literature. However, we join a growing group of scholars concerned about the uncritical application of Barad's theories in these fields, in particular in relation to the extrapolation of quantum mechanical indeterminacy at the human scale (see for example Hollin et al, 2017;Faye & Jaksland, 2021;Jaksland, 2021).…”

On Snakes and Ladders

“…Barad's ideas of quantum physics and her scale-jumping from the micro to the macro-scale have been critiqued by others (Faye & Jaksland, 2021;Hollin et al, 2017). And further, Jaksland (2021) and Holzhey (2021) speak of the inherent risks of Barad's authoritative application of quantum physics to the construction of social theorising.…”

Quantum Mechanics: Statistical Balance Prompts Caution in Assessing Conceptual Implications

“…Beyond the physics community, many non-physicists are interested in the conceptual aspects of quantum mechanics [ 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 , 174 , 175 ]. These are of direct relevance to philosophy [ 3 ] (Section 6) [ 176 ] (p. 395) [ 177 , 178 , 179 , 180 , 181 , 182 , 183 , 184 ], although to date their influence on philosophy has been limited [ 185 , 186 ].…”