What The Bleep Are You Talking About!? Quantum Physics & The New Age February 22, 2008

A talk by Dr. Fred Kuttner

Films like What The Bleep Do We Know!? (http://tinyurl.com/ypojht) can be more pernicious to a rational, secular society than the Creation Museum. Longing to see modern science validate New Age beliefs, even intelligent people can be seduced into mystical thinking. Bleep seamlessly blends the undisputed quantum mysteries (what Einstein called spooky, and what leads cosmologists today to the rather wild "many worlds" interpretation) with the "channeling" of an ancient god and "quantum insights" curing mental problems. Unfortunately, embarrassed by this "skeleton in our closet" most physicists tend to avoid an honest presentation of these mysteries to non-scientists. This avoidance abandons the field to the purveyors of pseudo-science. Dr Kuttner will display one aspect of quantum strangeness and tell of his efforts to explore the fantastic things the real quantum weirdness does tell us about reality and connectedness - and what it does not. The most effective way to counter the pseudo-scientific nonsense is to honestly admit and present the mystery physics has encountered.
More can be found on Dr Kuttner's website: www.quantumenigma.com

Dr Fred Kuttner, co-author of Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounter Consciousness (Oxford 2006) received his BS in physics from the MIT and his PhD in physics from UC Santa Cruz. His research focuses on the quantum properties of solids. He also holds an MBA from Santa Clara University. He has had careers in the Silicon Valley industry, including two start-up companies, and in academic administration. Dr Kuttner now devotes most of his time to teaching physics at UC Santa Cruz. For the last several years he has worked on the foundations of quantum mechanics and the implications of the quantum theory.

$10 for general public, free for Friends of the Center.

Official Website: http://centerforinquiry.net/sf