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Wonderful, simple introduction to the Quantum world
I never progressed beyond basic high school physics, but I've been interested in learning about Quantum physics for years. My dad, who's been studying QP for years, recommended this book to me as the most simple starting place, noting that he thought other books dealt with Bell's theorum a bit better. I loved this book. It was simple and as straight-forward as possilbe considering the strangeness of the quantum world. The only think I had a bit of trouble wrapping my brain around was the EPR description. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in quantum and the nature of the world in which we live - or THINK we live. I can't wait to read more books on the subject.Reality is not what it used to be
As Nick Herbert points out early on in the book, the best kept secret of modern physicists is that they have "lost their grip on reality." Although written in the 1980s this book remains, in my opinion, the best overview of quantum physics on the market. One has to wonder why the Newtonian model of existence is still pushed so remorselessly in our schools. Evidently we are only comfortable with the blatant external appearances of life and are terrified of looking beyond that. What you cannot see...you must ignore. Nick Herbert does an excellent job of exposing that paradigm as a ridiculous self-deception.Really Real
The key values of this book are 1) its holistic approach to explaining quantum mechanics and 2) its "realist" (philosophically materialist) perspective on quantum mechanics. Its an extremely lucid account of quantum phenomena and quantum theory for the lay reader with excellent analogies and examples.Excellent!
I have read numerous popular science books regarding quantum physics over time, and by far, Nick Herbert's "Quantum Reality" is by far the very best. His writing style is elegant. His exposition of quantum theory and its implications for reality is systematic and in-depth while at the same time being clear, fast paced, and easy for the layman to follow. A most enjoyable and enlightening read! As the work is now over 20 years old, although I do not think much has changed in quantum physics or its implications for deep reality (beyond Everett's Many World's Interpretation overtaking the Bohr/Heisenberg Copenhagen Interpretation in terms of the raw number of professional physicists adhering thereto), except for much broader acceptance of Bell's Theorem and of the validity of observed instances of non-locality, an updated 2nd edition would be quite valuable.Explore the possible underlying realities
This isn't easy reading for a first quantum physics book imo, because it quickly gets to the reality interpretations of quantum physics before it discusses the physics. This can make it confusing reading, especially the first time through. If you are already knowledgeable about the quantum facts, then jump right in and explore the possible underlying realities with this book. Any discourse on the reality underlying quantum actions should be somewhat confusing - no one understands it and there are many theories.Keyword : quantum+physic
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