Quantum physics and belief in God. Quantum physics confirms divine existence

There is a common phrase that the history of science is the history of errors. New discoveries, on the one hand, are always based on previous knowledge. But on the other hand, they very often cross out this previous knowledge. The 20th century became an absolute record holder in this regard. It turned out that the world around us, so familiar and generally understandable as it seemed by the end of the 19th century, turned out to be not at all the same as we see and feel it.

Let's start with the fact that the material world arose from Nothing, comprises Nothing and, in essence, represents nothing, since its total energy (and therefore mass) is zero. The building material of this world is emptiness. But how magnificently organized and tailored this emptiness is!

We ourselves, everything that surrounds us, everything that we can touch and look at - all these are just the unevenness of emptiness. Moreover, these irregularities - waves, particles, fields - are in all their probable states at the same time (for example, the electrons of the atoms of your body are located in their places, as well as in all other points of the Universe, and they will not be anywhere else, and all this in one and the same moment in time, but still most of them, according to the theory of probability, will be “in place”, which is why you, dear reader, are still quite visible). And this emptiness acquires some certainty (a chair becomes a chair, a table becomes a table, friends become friends, the moon becomes a moon, the Universe becomes the Universe) only through interaction with our consciousness. Then, when we have this table, friends, the moon, the Universe and everything, everything, everything around us, including our own body, we observe. This picture of the world was discovered by quantum mechanics, which was born at the beginning of the last century. But in fact, by the turn of the current century, quantum chromodynamics and quantum cosmology added their rich colors to this picture. And no matter how hard the founding fathers of quantum mechanics, and then subsequent generations of scientists, tried to fight such a paradoxical picture, nothing works. It only becomes brighter and more distinct. To date, these, to put it mildly, “oddities” of the theory have been definitely confirmed experimentally. In a word, apparently, reality is created at the moment of observation; objective reality does not exist!

We all understand and physically feel that we live in Time and Space. But what are Time and Space? They arose along with this world and will disappear with it. These are also the unevenness of emptiness. Most likely, both time and space are some kind of abstraction that arises only in our consciousness. This is the way we perceive this world. They are relative and depend on the position of the same specific observer. Ultimately they are ephemeral. Space-time, according to modern scientific concepts, is not fundamental, it is only a temporary state of vacuum.

This world appeared as a result of the Big Bang. What “exploded”? “Exploded,” as physicists call it, a material point that did not occupy any space, that is, in fact, there was no space. There was nothing in our—human—idea. Time and space arose simultaneously with matter at the moment of the Big Bang. But at this point infinite (think about it - infinite!) density and energy were concentrated. But that's not the point. And the fact is that if our Universe was born from such a point, then, despite its current, as it seems to us, unimaginably gigantic dimensions, we must approach it as a quantum object, like some kind of quark or electron... And this, in in turn, means that this world could not appear and manifest itself as reality without the presence of an observer. As a very famous scientist, Stanford University professor Andrei Linde, noted about this:

Evolution occurs only in relation to the observer. There is no evolution of the entire Universe. There is an evolution of the observable part of the Universe.

Andrey Linde. Our former compatriot, now a professor at Stanford University (USA), one of the authors of the inflationary model of the Universe. Recognized by numerous scientific awards.

This is not the private point of view of one of the major scientists. Modern physics, and cosmology in particular, is forced to put up with such a picture of the world, even if someone really doesn’t like this picture. Moreover, we can talk here not only about the present, but also about the past: the reality of the past arises only when we today try to reconstruct this past using some signs and artifacts. This also applies to the reconstruction of the evolution of life on our home planet.

At the very beginning, our world must have been unusually ordered. And he's practically incredible. The probability of the emergence of such a world, which we observe, according to the calculations of the famous mathematician and cosmologist Roger Penrose, is expressed by an unimaginably small number - 1/10 10 123. This number cannot be written in the decimal system: even if the zeros of this number are written on every quark and electron, there is not enough matter in the visible part of our Universe to accommodate this number.

Roger Penrose. Famous English mathematician, physicist, cosmologist. For outstanding services in the development of science, the Queen of Great Britain awarded him a knighthood (this is in addition to numerous scientific awards).

The emergence in this world of life in the form that is known to us, as well as the emergence of the human mind, are also practically incredible events: their probability is expressed, according to the calculations of the same Roger Penrose, also by an extremely small number - about 1/10 10 60. And yet the world exists, and we exist in it.

All this can be rationally explained only in two cases: either this world was created by the Supreme Mind, or Nature tends to create a countless (possibly infinite) number of various universes, one of which, quite by chance, turned out to be suitable for the appearance of living beings like you and me. .

However, in the latter case, one still cannot escape the question: how does nature “know” that it must create countless worlds (the famous English physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking formulates this question like this: “why does the Universe go to the trouble of existence?”), and also How and where did information about these worlds and, in particular, about our world originate? Where do the laws of nature come from? And what came first: the laws by which matter exists, or matter itself? Why can the world be described mathematically? Where did mathematics come from, and did it exist before the first creature that could count?

The answers to these questions should most likely be sought in the same place as the answer to the question of what information is and where it comes from. Our world is informational. Information is at its very core. One of the pillars, one might say, the legend of modern physics John Archibald Wheeler, was convinced that “everything is information.” Or in its other formulation: “Existence is given by bit” (“It From Bit”).

John Archibald Wheeler (1911 – 2008). He also worked with Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein. One of the “co-authors” of the atomic bomb, the author of the term “black hole”, scientific director of a whole galaxy of the most authoritative modern theoretical physicists.

Every particle of matter and quantum of energy carries information about the laws and history of our Universe. The laws of nature are an integral part of the fundamental information about our world. As one of the famous cosmologists Alexander Vilenkin notes, the quantum birth of the Universe “is governed by the same fundamental laws that describe the subsequent evolution of the Universe. Therefore, the laws must be “in place” even before the Universe itself comes into existence. Does this mean that laws are not just descriptions of reality, but have an independent existence in themselves? In the absence of space, time and matter, on what tablets can they be written? Laws are expressed in the form of mathematical equations. If the vehicle of mathematics is the mind, does this mean that the mind must precede the universe?(Alex Vilenkin. The World of Many Worlds: Physicists in Search of Parallel Universes (“Many Worlds In One. The Search for Other Universes”).

Alex Vilenkin, professor and director of the Cosmology Institute at Tufts University (Boston, Massachusetts). You guessed his origin absolutely correctly - he is a graduate of Kharkov University in 1971.

And regardless of “which tablets” the information about the fundamental laws is written on, it is quite obvious that the Big Bang was not only, or rather, not so much the creator of space, time, matter and energy. First of all, it was the Big Information Bang, when information about our world materialized. More precisely, that part of the information that relates to matter itself has materialized. I myself, like many other people, am sure that the material is only an insignificant layer of reality. The spiritual world is incomparably vaster and richer, and its laws are no less regulated than what we call the laws of nature. The only trouble is that we know much less about spiritual laws.

And astonishing as it may be, today’s scientific understanding of the universe has come closer than ever to the Christian one. If any of the wisest scientists at the very beginning of the 20th century had been able to predict the real scientific discoveries of the next century concerning the structure of our world, and the ideological conclusions that could be drawn from these discoveries, his colleagues, at best, would have declared such a person to be a special guide sophisticated “priestly propaganda.”

So what are these intersections? Let's try to briefly list them.

1. The world has a beginning, it was created from nothing.

« I beg you, my child, look at heaven and earth and, seeing everything that is on them, know that God created everything from nothing and that this is how the human race came into being.“- says a mother to her son, persuading him to courageously accept death from the persecutors of the Jews in one of the books of the Old Testament (2 Mac. 7:28)

2. Time also has a beginning, and arose along with the material world.

« By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that from what is invisible was made what is visible.”, writes the Apostle Paul (Heb. 11: 3). In more modern language, centuries, time, were created by the word of God, and at the same moment, along with time, the visible, that is, material world, arose from the invisible (spiritual).

In many Orthodox prayers you will find the following appeal to God: “ Light to the Giver and Creator of Ages, O Lord..." Christians turn to God as the Creator of light and time. It has a time and an end - along with this world.

In the Apocalypse (also translated from Greek as “Revelation”) of John the Theologian, it is said about the end of times: “ And the angel, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth, raised his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything that is in it, the earth and everything that is in it, and the sea and everything that is in it. in it that there will be no more time..." (Rev. 10: 5,6). Eternity, from a Christian point of view, is not endless time, but the absence of time.

Time is an attribute of the material world. God is outside of time, He is in eternity. With the end of the material world, the “Kingdom of Heaven” begins, man also passes into eternity, and time ends. This is why this world is called the “temporary world” in Christian texts. The scientific community as a whole is forced to agree: our world is doomed, sooner or later it will cease to exist. The space-time of our world, in our understanding of it, will also disappear.

3. Time, according to the Bible as well as in modern scientific understanding, is relative.

« For in Your sight a thousand years are like yesterday when it is past...“- says the prayer of Moses included in the Psalter (Ps. 89: 5). For God, a millennium, no matter whether it is past or upcoming, is equivalent to one, already past, “yesterday” day. God, as we said, is timeless.

«… With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day."- Apostle Peter echoes Moses (2 Peter 3:8).

4. In the beginning was the Word.

« In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" This is the first line of the Old Testament book of Genesis.

« In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was in the beginning with God. Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being." These are the first lines of the Gospel of John. That is, God the Father created the world through His Word, which was also God. This is God the Son. The Divinity of Christ. Another name for Christ is God the Word. What is a “word” in human understanding? This is a formulated (designed, formalized, as you like) thought. And in modern language, this is information.

A little higher we noted that the Big Bang was, could not but be, not so much the event that gave birth to matter, space and time. First of all, it was the Big Information Explosion. Information about this world, about its laws was originally laid down in this world. There is no other way to explain the existence of natural laws. It is impossible to explain the orderliness of this world, its progressive, from the point of view of modern evolutionists, development. At the moment of the Big Bang, information about our world materialized. And in this thought, like all previous ones, priority belongs to religious knowledge: in the beginning was the Word...

5. Universes without an observer inside have no physical meaning(in the human understanding of the word). Let us repeat once again: modern physics is not able to describe either the birth of our Universe or its evolution without using the concept of an observer. According to quantum mechanics, without interaction with an observer, the world cannot come out of a superposition - all its probable states in which it must simultaneously coexist. The theory of relativity requires us to designate the position of the observer in relation to which we can talk about time and space. There is no absolute time and space. Without determining the observer's location in space-time, we are unable to determine either one or the other.

Christianity states: God created this world for man - “the viewer of this world”. « And God said: Let us make man in Our image and after Our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the wild animals, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth."(Genesis 1:26). Without man, according to Christianity, this world is meaningless.

Moreover, there is a clear indication in the Bible that our world is based on the laws of quantum mechanics, which I hope to talk about separately.

6. Anthropic cosmological principle(the assertion that this world has precisely those physical parameters that seem to be specially created so that a person can exist in this world) in this context loses the halo of some scientific “curiosity” and becomes completely natural, and not just in a strong, but in its strictest formulation. Information about life in general and about the emergence of man had to be, could not but be, contained in the Big Bang.

7. The probabilistic structure of our world, based on quantum mechanical principles, allows us to explain how the freedom of action of God and the free will of man can be combined in it. I hope we can talk about this in detail in the future.

8. According to Christian ideas, we live in a damn world. The curse of this world is entropy (this is the very thing due to which everything in the material world wears out, ages and sooner or later collapses, and you and I die because of it. And, most likely, it is entropy that sets the direction of the flow of time) . The law of non-decrease (in fact, constant increase) of entropy, i.e. the constant growth of chaos, dooms our world to destruction. But this same law says that somewhere out there, at the very beginning of the Universe, the world was amazingly ordered, its entropy was zero or close to zero.

The Bible says almost the same thing. " And God saw everything that He had created, and behold, it was very good"(Genesis 1:31). That is, the original world was perfect. There was no place for death and decay (entropy) in it. But after the fall of Adam and Eve, God curses the material world, saying to Adam: “...cursed is the ground for your sake, you will eat from it in sorrow...until you return to the ground from which you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return.”(Gen. 3:17-19). And since then, according to the Apostle Paul, “The whole creation groans and suffers together to this day” in the hope that together with the person “will be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God[those. redeemed, saved, freed from corruption people - D.O.] » . (Rom. 8:21-22). In other words, a person, having gone through his path, must return to his original, “non-sinful” state, and with him the whole world will be freed from corruption and death.

9. Living nature differs from inanimate nature in that life itself contains the possibility and necessity of self-organization and creativity. The Bible states the same thing - in its characteristic laconic form.

If you carefully read the first chapter of the book of Genesis, you will notice that God creates inanimate nature with his Word. But all living things (with the exception of man, whose creation is fundamentally different from everything else) are created by earth and water. " And God said: Let the earth produce greenery, grass yielding seed... and fruitful trees... And it was so. And the earth brought forth greenery, grass... and trees..."(Genesis 1: 11-12). " And God said: Let the water bring forth living things; and let the birds fly over the earth... And God created great fish and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth..."(Genesis 1:20-21). " And God said: Let the earth produce living creatures... cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth..."(Genesis 1:24). In other words, God endows the earth and water with creative potential, as if inviting matter to co-creation, what is now commonly called “self-organization” in scientific parlance.

10. Life is a mechanism for resisting entropy. But the living cannot overcome death, which occurs regardless of the individual ability of organisms to fight it. Death, like entropy (God’s curse on the earth), according to the Bible, entered the world at the moment of the Fall of man (According to the Apostle Paul, “...by man sin entered into the world, and death by sin..."(Rom. 5:12)).

The mechanisms of “natural” death sometimes differ greatly among different groups of living beings. For many of them (including humans, most of whose cells are capable of dividing 52 times, and that’s where it all ends, although most often, as we well know, he dies well before his limit, estimated at about 120 years), the death of the body is laid down at the genetic level . At the same time, there are a number of potentially immortal biological species. But no one has ever found a truly immortal being. Death, alas, still rules in this world.

Of course, these points are not limited to the intersection of scientific and religious ideas about the world order. Just as the paradoxes of modern scientific theories are not limited to the above. The author of these lines would like to talk in more detail about the most, from his point of view, interesting of what scientific thought has come to today in the context of our topic. And at the same time, about some basic components of the Christian teaching about the world order, which, unfortunately, even those who consider themselves Christians are not always aware of. At the same time, I would not like to impose my ideological positions on anyone, but simply to give another reason for thinking about life and its meaning. And because:

Quantum logic in theology

Quotations from the Bible and other primary sources are in italics.
This is a newspaper version of an article

Quantum logic in theology

The first teachers of the Christian Church approached theology creatively, in the spirit of their time, using contemporary philosophical concepts, in the absence of scientific ones, since science as such did not yet exist. Thus, Saint Alexander of Alexandria at the beginning of the 4th century, denouncing Arius, in the words of Socrates Scholasticus, “theologized philosophically.” However, at this stage of human development, in the conditions of the crisis of modern philosophy with the fantastic development of science, theology must use the modern scientific potential for its own purposes. For example, theology and quantum mechanics consider such concepts and objects that are beyond the limits of our sensory perception, have no visibility and are cognizable only by the intellect, that is, intelligible by their manifestations. In the first case it is God and the soul of man, in the second it is the physics of elementary particles, and if the goals are different, then the tools of knowledge are similar. This is a fundamental theory, mathematical apparatus and practical experiment on the one hand, and the word of God, mental prayer and ascetic practice on the other. We can say that in both cases the process of cognition in its entirety: spirit and soul and body in its entirety, which means that there must be a common logic of thinking, different from the so-called common sense. Obviously, this is the logic that the Apostle Paul has in mind when he says: Be foolish in order to be wise, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. Therefore, one can take advantage of the advanced scientific method and use quantum mechanics to explore certain theological concepts.

The principle of integrity from quantum theory speaks of certain relationships and interactions between a subject and an object in the process of research. In theological interpretation, it should be understood in such a way that when studying the Bible as an object, the possibility of understanding its text depends entirely on the state of the reader as a subject. It follows from this that in order to correctly understand the text of the Bible, you must first cleanse your soul from passions, and your conscience from sins, and then the pure in heart will see God. However, due to the loss of ascetic practice and mental prayer, there are now very few people who could not only know, but understand the Bible. It is necessary to realize that a primitive, only literal understanding of the texts of Holy Scripture is unacceptable, therefore the Apostle Paul teaches, that the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

Saint Cassian the Roman gives an example of such a literal understanding of the words of the Gospel “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.” Some very strict monks, having the zeal of God, but not according to reason, understanding this simply, made wooden crosses for themselves and, constantly wearing them on their shoulders, brought not edification, but laughter to everyone who saw them... He further points out four levels of understanding the meaning of the words of the Bible, when one and the same Jerusalem can be understood in a fourfold sense - in the historical sense it is the city of the Jews; in the allegorical - there is the Church of Christ; in anagogical terms - there is the city of heavenly God, which is the mother of us all; in tropological terms, there is the soul of a person, which the Lord often blames or praises under this name.

Blessed Augustine also writes about four levels of perception of the words of Holy Scripture: Some interpreters of the Scriptures recommend four ways of explaining the Law, the names of which can be given in Greek, and defined and explained in Latin, namely, historical, allegorical, analogical and etiological - historical, when any divine or human action is recalled, allegorical , when sayings are understood allegorically, analogical, when the agreement of the Old and New Testaments is indicated, etiological, when the reasons for words and actions are given.

The words of the holy fathers about the possibility of four options for understanding the same words of the Bible are confirmed in the Bible itself. Thus, the Apostle Paul writes that truth for the saints has four dimensions: latitude and longitude and depth and height. In his letter to Timothy, he teaches that All Scripture is inspired by God- and also names four options - for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.

These four levels of understanding the text of the Bible in accordance with quantum theory can be identified with a wave packet, when after the interaction “researcher + Bible” the wave packet is reduced and one of the options is realized in the process of cognition. In our time, as a rule, the literal, the most primitive, or as the holy fathers call it historical.

It is known that Christ made a lot, if not everything, dependent on faith, which, according to the Apostle Paul, directly depends on the state of conscience. Then, in accordance with the principle of integrity, it can be argued that our personal perception of the Bible, which means knowledge of spiritual truth, depends not only on the intellect - conscience is involved in the process of knowledge. It follows from this that a person who has not cleared his conscience cannot have correct faith and, accordingly, deeply and fully understand the Holy Scriptures.

This is why the preaching of the New Testament began with a call to repent: repentance cleanses the conscience. The apostles write about this: The blood of Christ cleanses our conscience from sins... If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, then He will forgive us our sins and clear our conscience... Repentance and promising God a good conscience saves us. This means that if our repentance is sincere and complete, then our sins are forgiven and our conscience is cleared. Then a Christian with a clear conscience comes to the state of “being able to understand” the text of the Bible, after which comes the turn of the state of “being able to understand,” which already depends on the intellect. Having a clear conscience is a necessary but not sufficient condition for understanding the texts of the Bible. Therefore, to know spiritual truth, in contrast to doing science, a combination of a clear conscience and high intelligence is necessary.

In conclusion, in connection with the presence of four levels of understanding the text of the Bible, it must be added that the logic of the text of the Bible differs from classical or formal logic in that it can be discrete, that is, the absence of a close context in the text. In this regard, individual statements, sentences or paragraphs should be considered separately, out of close context, only in the general context of the Gospel.

The Bible says about the Universe that it consists of the visible and invisible world. Science also knows two basic states about the matter of the Universe, matter and field, while in physics there is no fundamental division of matter into living and nonliving. Hence, when discussing human and divine natures, without introducing new entities, within the framework of the existing scientific paradigm, human nature should be identified with matter, and the divine nature with field. It is known that matter has corpuscular properties, and the field has wave properties.

The concept of a field, in relation to the divine nature, fully corresponds to the description of the properties of the divine nature by the holy fathers. Thus, John of Damascus writes, that the divine nature penetrates through everything, without mixing with it, and through it itself is nothing... You must know that although we say that the natures of the Lord penetrate one into another, however, we know that this penetration came from the divine nature. For this passes through everything as it wishes and penetrates, but through it nothingness; and this imparts to the flesh its own properties. Science so far knows four types of physical fields, however, in addition to this, the concepts of ethnic fields with passionary energy have been introduced; morphogenetic fields, which are non-energy and can be called information fields; there is a region of superweak interactions. Hence, taking into account that modern science has data on matter, which in total constitutes no more than 5% of the total mass-energy of the Universe, we can assume that some fields are material, while others are immaterial. Then, as a hypothesis for the divine nature, one can introduce the concept of spiritual fields, which are non-energy and non-entropic, immaterial and not measurable. Recently, the famous physicist-astronomer A. Cherepashchuk said: “For physicists, a scalar field can be considered as God, which is not open, but whose presence follows from the theory.”

About Christ, Saint John of Damascus writes: there was not, and is not, and never will be another Christ, consisting of both divinity and humanity, abiding in divinity and humanity, who is one and the same - perfect God and perfect man. According to the Chalcedonian formula, the two natures in Christ, divine and human, are united unmerged and unchangeable, inseparable and inseparable. Paradoxical, logically contradictory state unmerged and indivisible it is impossible to understand - you need to believe in it. In accordance with it, the holy fathers taught that the person of Christ in the Gospel must always be considered dually: in some states as God raising the dead - in others as a person who is thirsty or suffering by nature. This means that the personality of Christ is a quantum concept, since it exactly corresponds to the concept of wave-particle dualism, which implies the possibility of describing the same object as a particle and as a wave. We can say that for the first time the procedure of quantization, that is, the separate consideration of two natures in a Christological context, was done by the Holy Fathers in the 5th century at the IV Ecumenical Council.

Based on the above, it follows that the Son of God, who is in the bosom of the Father, is in heaven, in a physical vacuum somewhere in space, has a divine nature with wave properties and before the appearance of the man Jesus on planet Earth did not have corpuscular properties, because like God he does not have flesh. The personality of Jesus Christ becomes a quantum object in the state after the union of the two natures of the Son of God and the Son of Man. This is how our Creed says it: Who was born of the Father before all ages... and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.

Thus, in the Orthodox Creed we have the following three states of two natures:

1. From the Father born before all ages- this is the state of the Son of God, who has always existed, possessing only one divine nature.

2. Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary- this is the state of the Son of Man, the man Jesus, born of Mary, possessing only one human nature.

3. And made human- this is the quantum state of two natures, divine and human, after the union, in terms of the quantum theory of coupling, of the divine nature of the Son of God with the human nature of the Son of Man in the person of Christ, so The Word became flesh.

The Word of God united with the flesh with the help of the mind... the mind became the place of the deity hypostatically united with it(John of Damascus). In accordance with dogma, the personality of Jesus Christ has two natures and two wills. Free will is a property of the mind. The union of two natures, divine and human, with two wills in the mind of the person of Christ can be explained through the phenomenon of quantum coupling. Accordingly, Jesus Christ could highlight with his attention this or that will (nature), subordinate the human will to the will of God, switch to one state or another.

Recent theoretical developments and experimental results in the fields of quantum information physics, quantum cryptography and quantum computers have established the presence of quantum entanglement and nonlocality at a fundamental level. Then we can say that spiritual reality is quantum and this can be confirmed in the Bible. Thus, the Apostle Paul teaches about the church as the body of Christ, where individual Christians are different members of one body. According to quantum theory, these words can be understood as a state of quantum entanglement. Further, the words of Jesus Christ about the guardian angels of the human soul, who always see the face of the Heavenly Father, can be understood through the state of quantum nonlocality, since the guardian angel cannot, if necessary, waste time traveling to a person at a speed no higher than the speed of light, which means these phenomena are instantaneous.

Quantum entanglement and nonlocality have no classical counterpart and cannot be explained within the framework of classical physics. This is a kind of telepathic connection between objects at any distance, conscious or unconscious. Such supernatural contact of distant objects is not explained by classical physics. Unlike ordinary interactions, limited to the same speed of light, in an entangled state, nonlocal correlations act instantly, that is, a change in one part of the system at the same moment affects another part, regardless of the distance between them. For example, an actor smears makeup or simply makes faces in front of a mirror, which instantly reacts to changes, then in a state of quantum nonlocality with the same effect, the actor and his reflection can be in different ends of the Universe.

Next, let's look at the consequences of a slight deviation from Christian dogmas in the teachings of the church, which has turned into a closed system. According to one of the interpretations of statistical mechanics there is a law according to which partial ignorance will quickly increase and soon... turn into total ignorance. As Max Born noted, it is enough that we do not know the coordinate or the momentum of one single molecule: under this assumption, our ignorance will soon spread to the entire system, even if the exact coordinates and momenta of all other molecules were initially known. “Irreversibility,” he writes, “is thus the consequence of the explicit introduction of ignorance into our fundamental laws.” The increase in ignorance does indeed show similarities with Boltzmann's increase in disorder. However, these are quite different phenomena. The main distinguishing feature is that ignorance always increases.

It is known that the holy fathers called spiritual ignorance the greatest of evils. Probably the reason for this attitude is that the teaching ignorance always increases Therefore, one incorrect particular definition subsequently distorts the general concept of God. Thus it is clear- writes Basil the Great, - that an error in one of the objects of faith is a denial of the entire Divinity. His words correspond to the apostolic understanding of faith: Whoever keeps the whole law and sins in one point becomes guilty of all. Spiritual evolution on Earth through the Christian church develops according to a thermodynamic model in isolated systems with an increase in entropy, which works as the principle of natural selection. How can you save your soul in such conditions? Don't be defeated by evil, but conquer evil with good Therefore, the holy fathers called reasoning the greatest of virtues. The Apostle Paul teaches: There must also be differences of opinion among you, so that skillful understandings may be revealed among you.- skilled in reasoning. The apostle calls for open discussion, because only free reasoning overcomes ignorance. This is why Christians at all times need free, open theological discussions in matters of doctrine.

The research approach used in the natural sciences is that scientists look at every phenomenon from a naturalistic point of view, without taking into account supernatural factors. In other words, in these cases, research is conducted as if God does not exist. The natural sciences were able to truly develop only when they abandoned the consideration of questions to which they could not find an answer.

I would just like to think about whether the Christian faith is actually in conflict with science. In the Middle Ages, no one thought about atheism, no one thought to question the very existence of God. Suffice it to remember that the great physicist Isaac Newton said back in the 17th century: “atheism is such an absurd worldview that, in principle, no one accepts it.” And so it really was. But today, atheism is one of the most significant religions in the world with a large number of followers.

At the end of the 19th century, thanks to the development of optics (for example, the improvement of telescopes), scientists became convinced that the Sun is a star, and that there are billions of such stars in the universe. Our Sun is part of a huge cluster of stars called the Milky Way or Galaxy, which contains - as we now know - approximately 300 billion stars. We see that the Sun and the entire Solar System, together with the Earth, are just a small element of this cluster. To comprehend the size of our disk-shaped Galaxy, it is enough to imagine that if we could reduce the Earth-Sun distance (approximately 150 million km) to one millimeter, then the diameter of the Galaxy would proportionally decrease to 6 thousand km. They knew about this already by the end of the 19th century, and it was believed that this cluster of stars “hangs” in empty, endless space. Then it was assumed that time also lasts without beginning and without end, and therefore the stars are constantly changing: some arise, others decay, and the universe itself is eternal.

It was the rapid progress of the natural sciences and the closely related development of technology that led to the development of a certain approach to the study of natural phenomena. Scientists realized that they could only study those quantities that could be measured and described mathematically. And therefore, an unspoken rule was adopted that we are only interested in material nature. This rule is sometimes called "methodological naturalism." Naturalism means that we are interested exclusively in nature, and nothing except nature exists. In other words, the sciences function as if God does not exist. This is their methodological premise.

Scientific and technological progress of the 19th century was accompanied by euphoria, under the influence of which this methodological conditionality was transferred to everything that exists. Scientists began to behave as if we were not talking about some conventional methodology that led to dizzying success, but about reality, and began to create the illusion that nature exists on its own, and nothing exists except nature. This is how “metaphysical naturalism” arose, in which it is generally accepted that there is nothing other than nature. But such a statement is no longer science, but a very specific ideology. And it was this ideology that became the foundation of godlessness, atheism, i.e. denial of any reality other than nature.

The rapid development of science and technology in the twentieth century led to the spread of the belief in many circles, especially scientific ones, that nature actually explains itself, and therefore there is no need to refer to a transcendent reality outside nature. This ideology reigned in the minds of educated people of various directions and was strengthened by Darwinism, which believed that man arose as a result of the biological process of evolution, which constitutes an element of the evolution of the entire universe. From the point of view of naturalistic ideology, such a conclusion is simply inevitable, because if we accept that nothing exists outside of nature, then man must be a product of nature, and human consciousness must be a product of organized matter (then our thinking is reduced only to the work of the brain). It is from here that the philosophical movement directly arose, which is called scientific materialism or directly scientific atheism.

But in the twentieth century this situation began to change. The fact is that, while exploring space, scientists discovered several amazing facts: for example, it turned out that the universe is constantly expanding. It follows that in the past the galaxies were much closer to each other. And we can assume that approximately 14 billion years ago the entire universe occupied much less space. It follows from this that we are not able to perceive light whose source is located further than 14 billion light years. It turns out that we cannot observe infinitely distant distances in the universe and cannot penetrate deeper and deeper into it, as was imagined by scientists of the 9th century. To better understand this, let's return to the scale of our Galaxy: if we reduce its diameter to one millimeter, then the entire universe accessible to our view will have a radius of approximately 140 m. It turns out that we are, as it were, in the middle of a ball, and cannot observe anything what is outside of it. The first problem arises: the possibility of observation and related scientific research is seriously limited. And these restrictions apply to both space and time. Therefore, if we go back 14 billion years ago, we will find ourselves at a point when the universe was very hot, heated to a temperature of more than 3 thousand degrees. And even if the universe had some kind of past before this, it is completely impossible to explore it.

Further, from the fact of the constant expansion of the universe, it follows that in the future matter will dissipate (in the cosmic dimension of time this will happen very quickly), and in the future life will become impossible at all points of the universe. Thus, humanity cannot exist indefinitely; its end will inevitably come. Even space travel will not change the situation, because the entire universe will become uninhabitable. In 1917, A. Einstein, on the basis of the general theory of relativity, came to the conclusion that, in principle, it makes no sense to describe the universe otherwise than in the form of a closed system, the volume of which is limited.

From this it can be seen that the materialistic enthusiasm of the 19th century has cracked as a result of the latest research into the macrocosm. But microcosm research also led to confusion among physicists who did not expect what result would be obtained. The study of matter leads to the observation that it is made up of very small particles: atoms and subatomic particles. It turned out that the laws of physics that govern these small particles (this branch of science is called quantum physics) are very different from the laws of physics that govern large objects. First of all, scientists have discovered that it is impossible to predict what phenomena will appear in the environment of these particles. You can only calculate the probability that a given phenomenon will occur or not, but there will never be complete certainty. That is, in quantum physics there is no such possibility as in macrocosm, where you can calculate the movement of planets thousands and millions of years forward or backward. Here we can only determine the probability that a given phenomenon will occur if we observe it. In other words, quantum physics does not describe the movement of objects in space and time; it describes the movement of probability. The laws of quantum physics are about chances, not objects. Until we observe an object like an atom or subatomic particle, it is just a set of chances and no physical parameters can be assigned to it. Physical parameters relate only to the measurement process. And this is surprising because it calls into question the very reality of the existence of matter.

Thus, it turned out that every physical object can be equated to a finite set of information. Those. the object may not exist at all, and instead only information exists. The question arises: how can this be explained, what metaphysics should we adopt to describe all these amazing phenomena of quantum physics? Scientific materialism, which is so proud of its achievements and considers itself the only real science, is powerless in quantum physics. Powerless because matter can be reduced to information, and when it is not observed, then nothing at all can be attributed to it. That is why some new metaphysics is needed that would explain reality beyond the laws of quantum physics.

Every scientist who studies nature inevitably discovers the obvious truth that the reality under study is rational, it can be understood and described, be it an atom or a massive object, or a living organism. Even an unbelieving scientist believes that in our minds we have partial, transitory knowledge, but thanks to the development of science we will be able to understand reality more and more deeply. But in reality, the process of cognition cannot last indefinitely, because there are insurmountable limitations. The difference between a believer and an unbeliever scientist is precisely that the believer scientist believes in the existence of such a common Reason and understanding that embraces all existing reality. Believes in the existence of Someone who understands and knows everything. We can identify such a comprehensive act of knowledge with God. It is God who knows everything. It can be said that the volume of God's knowledge is so great that it is impossible to invent greater knowledge. Sometimes we say that this is “omniscience.” It is generally believed that the characteristic feature of God is that He knows everything. The tradition of monotheism considers precisely such omniscience to be the fundamental attribute of God.

Further, logic convinces us that every idea that embraces itself is unknowable for rational thinking; we are not able to know this. This means that God, who is omniscient, is a mystery that we can never know through rational reasoning. God can reveal Himself to us, but without His help we cannot understand Him through analysis and logical thinking.

Moreover, if God is love (1 John 4:16), then our existence testifies that He created us out of love. We are just a part of omniscience, a part that God has endowed with two important properties: each of us is individual and each of us has free will. God created us so that we could build a relationship of love with Love. It is the Triune God who is Love.

If we abandon the opinion that God is one in three persons, the very existence of man becomes meaningless, and it is impossible to explain why he needs free will. But if God created us out of love, we need the opportunity to choose - i.e. There must be an area of ​​human activity within which he can choose love or resist love. And it is precisely this area of ​​our activity that we perceive as our body located in the universe.

I want to emphasize the fact that the universe can consist solely of omniscience, because by definition nothing exists outside of omniscience. Thus, our world, which we perceive as a very complex reality, can be explained in a certain sense as a flow of information that God generates in the form of corresponding portions (quanta) of knowledge.

This may seem like a common fabrication to some. But pay attention to the fact that this metaphysics (ontology), strange at first glance, this strange structure of the surrounding reality exactly corresponds to what quantum physics says. Why? Because if in fact the universe is a certain amount of information, then unless I ask what phenomenon happened, then it remains just a set of possibilities. Only when I ask what happened do I receive an answer from God. Of course, this answer has long been known to God, because He is omniscient, and He always knew, always knows, what answer would be given to me. Moreover: if I have free will, then I must be able to act - i.e. I have the opportunity to choose one of several options. But quantum physics says I can only determine the probability of something happening. Indeed, until God makes a decision, every question remains unanswered, and there are several possibilities. It is this state of affairs that corresponds to the mathematical formalism underlying quantum physics.

Let's see what conclusions follow from such metaphysics. If there was no man, then there was no universe. But on the other hand, we observe that the universe existed for 14 billion years. But here, too, the law of quantum physics applies, which says that if no observations are made of an object, then it remains just a set of chances, and no properties can be attributed to it. In other words, the universe began to exist when the first man began to exist - from a whole set of possibilities, one was singled out in which the kind of person God decided to create him could exist. And in cosmological studies it was possible to establish that the universe is built so precisely that even the smallest changes in its structure would make human life impossible. And when we delve into the past of the universe, it is only a projection of our imagination, based on the laws of physics, such as those that currently operate in the universe.

From this point of view, a completely different perspective opens up for the theory of evolution. Of course, when we study fossils, we get the impression that we are learning about the distant past, but in fact, the existence of the universe can only be the same as the existence of man. From here follows the obvious conclusion that Darwin’s ideology and concept is fundamentally wrong: man is not a product of the development of the universe, a genetically modified animal in which self-awareness arose as a result of work. From the point of view of quantum physics, everything is just the opposite: a naturalistic approach is unlikely here. Today's knowledge about the world shows that metaphysics based on the Triune Personal Omniscience is much closer to reality and explains much more observed phenomena. And, besides, it exactly corresponds to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Therefore, it is absurd to accuse Christians of having beliefs that contradict science and are based on superstition. Christophobia, which consists of crowding out Christianity from public and scientific life, from the point of view of modern knowledge relating to the micro- and macrocosm, looks in this context as unfair and unjustified discrimination.

Zbigniew Jacyna-Onyszkiewicz

Professor of Quantum Physics at the University of Poznan

source http://www.liubite.org/nr/nauka_i_vera/kvantovaja_fizika_i_vera.html

"God works in mysterious ways"
1. Introduction
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it seemed that science had found answers to all fundamental questions concerning the fundamental foundations of the universe. By that time, all the “three pillars” on which the scientific worldview was based, namely: mechanics, electrodynamics and thermodynamics, were not only brought to mathematical perfection, but were also fruitfully used in the creation of new technical devices, such as cars, airplanes and radios . Any of the observed phenomena could, it was thought then, be explained by mechanical collisions of atoms, their mutual attraction or repulsion, as well as their interactions with the electromagnetic field.

Science was basically complete - all that remained was to improve methods for solving complex physical equations and search for solutions that could be used in technology. An illustrative example is the advice that the future founder of quantum mechanics, Max Planck, received from his teacher Philippe Jolly when he expressed a desire to study theoretical physics. “Young man,” said the professor, “theoretical physics is already basically finished... Is it worth taking on such a hopeless task?!”

And yet the clear horizon of the scientific picture of the world was not so cloudless. In the minds of philosophers, and many physicists, an insoluble question obsessively arose about the fatal predetermination of all events occurring in the universe. After all, if everything in nature is subject to the strict laws of mechanics and electrodynamics, then each atom moves along a trajectory determined by the equations of motion. Collisions between atoms are also described by mathematical equations, and therefore their outcome is strictly predetermined.

Basically, there is a giant system of equations that describes every single atom in the universe and all the interactions between them. Of course, we could never even write down such a system of equations, let alone try to solve it. And yet, such equations exist and have solutions that determine the trajectory along which each atom moves, including the atoms that make up people. In other words, the future configuration of atoms in the universe is mathematically strictly predetermined, and everything that happens to the objects around us, and most importantly to ourselves, is also fatally predetermined.

Such mechanistic determinism comes into clear contradiction with people’s ideas that they themselves, and not some mystical equations, decide what to do in this or that case. By agreeing with determinism, we would have to abdicate responsibility for any of our actions. Then morality would cease to be a moral category.

The next logical step on the path of determinism would be the denial of Christianity. And in fact: it was not people who were to blame for Original Sin, and they did not crucify Christ of their own free will - it was just the configuration of atoms that developed. And as for keeping the commandments - so again: as the atoms are distributed, so it will be.

There is no need to analyze the absurdity of this kind of logical construction. And yet, we must admit that it is impossible to simply brush them aside. Without the involvement of “otherworldly” metaphysical forces, this paradox is unsolvable within the framework of classical physics. From this, in turn, it follows that in the initial premises that led to such a contradiction, at least something is incorrect.

The discovery of quantum laws in the early twentieth century revealed the source of the deterministic paradox. As it turned out, specifying the spatial configuration of atoms at some initial point in time does not unambiguously determine their configuration in the future. At any subsequent moment, different configurations with different probabilities are possible. The evolution of these probabilities is subject to strict laws and follows unambiguously from mathematical equations, but which of the possible configurations is realized is a matter of chance. Therefore, at every moment the universe can take countless possible paths and at every moment makes a choice, like an epic knight at a crossroads.

A person far from physics may get the impression that quantum laws mean complete chaos and unpredictability. This is not at all true - after all, we know in practice that a stone skillfully thrown at a certain angle and with a certain force will fall where the thrower intended, and the moon never randomly deviates from its orbit. The thing is that the probabilities of movement along different trajectories are noticeably different from zero only for very small (microscopic) physical bodies, such as an electron or a neutron. The greater the mass of the body, the more this probability is concentrated around one single trajectory, which coincides with the one that follows from classical Newtonian mechanics. An insignificant speck of dust is already so heavy (it is a macroscopic body) that its random deviations from the classical trajectory cannot be noticed by any instruments. What can we say about stone or celestial bodies.

Thus, quantum laws that allow for randomness operate at the microscopic level. When moving to the macroscopic level, these laws smoothly transform into the deterministic laws of classical mechanics. Man, of course, is macroscopic, but the processes occurring in his brain are determined by the interactions of microscopic particles of subatomic size. This alone is enough to conclude that his behavior cannot be fatally predetermined. However, one should not go to the other extreme, i.e. jumping to the conclusion that a person's behavior is completely random. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. This is what we will try to figure out.

2. Quantum uncertainty
To begin with, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the nature of quantum uncertainty. Quantum mechanics is a rigorous mathematical theory that is derived from several axioms through logical constructions. One of the results of such constructions is the so-called Heisenberg uncertainty relation, expressed by the simple formula
Dx*Dp >= h/2 ,
where Dx and Dp are uncertainties in the values ​​of the particle’s coordinate and momentum, and h=1.05E-34 J*s Planck’s constant. In simple terms, this inequality means that the product of the uncertainties Dx and Dp cannot be less than Planck's constant. In other words, position and momentum cannot have clearly defined values ​​at the same time. If, for example, the electron's position is known with high precision (i.e. Dx is very small), then the magnitude of its momentum is uncertain (i.e. lies somewhere within a very wide interval of Dp). And vice versa: if the momentum is known, then the coordinate cannot have a certain value.

It is not difficult to understand the physical reason for the occurrence of the uncertainty relation if you try to come up with a way to measure the coordinate or momentum of such a microscopic object as an electron. Of course, we cannot see him. To find out where an electron is, we must allow it to collide with some other object and thereby manifest itself somehow. For example, electrons striking the scintillating surface of a television tube cause flashes of light. But what happens to the speed (and therefore the momentum) of the electron after such an impact? The electron changes both direction and speed in an unpredictable way. Thus, having measured the coordinate, we distort the impulse by the very act of measurement.

A collision with the tube screen is, of course, a very radical intervention in the “life” of the electron. By such an intervention we can find out where it is at the moment of impact relatively accurately (i.e., narrow the interval to a small value), but at the same time the electron's momentum changes catastrophically (i.e., the interval Dp is huge). You can try to influence the electron somehow more gently (for example, using a magnetic or electric field). Then its impulse will not be distorted so much, but the coordinate will also be measured with significant uncertainty. In any case, the relationship between the uncertainties Dx and Dp will satisfy the above Heisenberg inequality.

3. Micro-randomness and macro-determinism
What is the trajectory of the physical body? Everyone knows that a trajectory is an imaginary line along which a body moves in space. To obtain a trajectory, we must know (absolutely accurately) both the coordinates and momentum of the body at each moment of time. In fact, if at the moment the body is at a point known to us, then in order to find out where it will be at the next moment, we must have information about the direction and speed of its movement (know the momentum).

The conclusion from these arguments is that an electron cannot move along a certain trajectory since its coordinate and momentum cannot have precisely defined values ​​at the same time. Here it can be argued that our inability to carry out accurate measurements without interfering with the “life” of the electron is our problem, and it has nothing to do with the electron itself. In other words, it has both a coordinate and an impulse, and therefore a trajectory - we are just so awkward and clumsy (like a bull in a china shop) that we are unable to measure all this.

Such an objection can be rejected by a simple remark that we cannot measure both coordinate and impulse at the same time not because of our technical backwardness. They cannot be measured simultaneously in principle, because the electron is too small and light, and therefore its state of motion is “easily vulnerable”.

This “vulnerability” is a hallmark of quantum objects. In contrast, macroscopic objects are “resistant” to external disturbances. How, for example, do we observe the trajectory of a soccer ball? Countless “hordes” of light particles (photons) strike its surface and, bouncing off it, land on the retina of our eye. In this case, the impacts of photons on the ball are completely insensitive, because their momentum is negligible compared to the momentum of the ball itself. The more massive the object, the less “vulnerable” it is. This means that as mass increases, the transition from quantum mechanics to classical mechanics is gradual. These simple “hands-on” arguments can be confirmed by rigorous mathematical analysis.

4. Hidden options
The objection rejected above is nevertheless of a fundamental nature and cannot be so easily dismissed. The fact is that all mathematical constructions of quantum mechanics are based on a system of axioms that do not follow from anywhere. They are chosen in such a way that the theory built on them is consistent and explains the observed phenomena. There is a different view of the structure of the world, which also does not contradict any experimental facts.

According to this alternative view, quantum randomness is not random at all. An electron, or any other quantum object, moves along one trajectory or another depending on the values ​​of certain “hidden parameters” that are unknown to us, and therefore it seems to us that the electron “chooses” the trajectory randomly. Thus, quantum mechanics is not rejected, but is considered as a phenomenological theory that is not fundamental. It correctly predicts the probabilities of different trajectories, but cannot explain why one or another of them is realized.

It is assumed that hidden parameters evolve in accordance with some equations unknown to us and, thus, uniquely determine the behavior of quantum objects. But, if this is really so, then we again return to the problem of fatal determinism.

It is not possible to irrefutably prove or disprove the existence of hidden parameters, and therefore all that remains is to believe in their existence or not. Here physics enters the realm of metaphysics, where there are no beaten paths and clear guidelines. When talking about what lies beyond the cognizable, we are inclined to give free rein to our imagination. The field of possibilities for such fantasies is endless.

5. Determinism and randomness versus free will
It is obvious that from an infinite number of hypotheses it is impossible to choose the correct one if you do not rely on some fundamental, unshakable principles. Metaphysics is that area of ​​our worldview where our religious beliefs play a dominant role. At the same time, atheism is also a type of faith, because it is equally impossible to prove the absence or presence of the divine principle.

All the most widespread world religions endow a person with free will, allowing him, and not the configuration of atoms, to determine his actions. To one degree or another, in any religious teaching there is punishment for bad behavior and reward for good behavior. This means that a believer cannot take a position of determinism.

In contrast, the atheist is left alone with the universe, which is indifferent and indifferent to his actions. An atheist can only expect reward or punishment from other people. There is nothing to keep him from accepting either the ideas of determinism or the opposing ideas of free will. Thus, returning to quantum physics, only atheists can believe in the existence of “hidden parameters,” while for a believer such theories are inherently erroneous.

One of the most famous proponents of the “hidden parameter” theory was Albert Einstein. Denying the randomness of quantum processes, he said that God does not play dice. However, not all atheists share these ideas of Einstein. On the other hand, taking the position of “free will”, an atheist is faced with an insoluble paradox. If the behavior of quantum objects is completely random, then the decisions made by humans are also random. And from this it follows that there is no free will - it’s all a matter of chance. In other words, starting with the principle of “free will,” the atheist comes to deny it. Thus, there is no free will for an atheist in any case - whether he accepts absolute determinism or the absolute randomness of quantum processes.

The missing link, the absence of which leads to this paradox, is the presence of a comprehensive external force, unknowable, but guaranteeing strict observance of all physical laws, i.e. making the world rational. It is not difficult for a person who stands on the position of Christianity to understand the source of this force and without a doubt accept its existence.

6. Hidden parameters or the Holy Spirit?
Millions of cars move every hour on the roads of the planet, and most of them do so in accordance with the rules of the road. Someone came up with these rules, and someone (the police) enforces them. Similarly, countless sets of elementary particles that make up our world continuously move, collide, form connected complexes, exchange energy, etc. ... At the same time, they strictly follow physical laws, which, unlike traffic rules, are universal and never are not violated by anyone.

In order to find out (even approximately) what will happen to a physical system in a second or two, we need to solve complex mathematical equations. If the physical system is very complex, it can be difficult to solve these equations and therefore the accuracy of our prediction is low, or we may not be able to solve the problem at all. At the same time, all physical particles always “know” absolutely accurate solutions to all conceivable and inconceivable problems. Someone had to “invent” physical laws, create the universe and monitor the execution of these laws (i.e., “tell” the particles how to “act” in this or that case).

Why are physical laws the way they are? Is this the only possibility, or could these laws be different? Why, for example, is the electron charge e=1.60217733E-19 K? What would happen if the fifth decimal place was not 7, but, for example, 8? The answer to all these questions is the same: if even one digit in the value of the charge of an electron or the speed of light had been different, then you and I would not exist. There is plenty of evidence for this claim. For example, carbon (as well as all other heavier elements), from which all organic substances basically consist, could not be formed in sufficient quantities. Carbon nuclei were synthesized early in the universe by the simultaneous collision of three alpha particles (helium nuclei), due to their three-particle resonance state, which would not exist if the speed of light or the charge of the electron were not what they are. A less significant but still important argument is that the properties of water would be different. For example, ice would be heavier than water and in winter rivers and lakes would freeze to the bottom, which would not allow the existence of river fish that serve as food for us. Such a list of properties of matter that are incompatible with human existence can be very long.

The only reasonable explanation for the “choice” of existing physical laws and fundamental constants is provided by the so-called anthropic principle. In its simplest form, it can be formulated as follows: the laws of nature and physical constants are such that they ensure the existence of man. For people who believe that man is created in the image and likeness of God, the essence of this principle is obvious. Moreover, it is also clear to them that the laws of nature are not deterministic, but provide man with freedom to make decisions.

To be truly free, a person must live in a world that is rational, i.e. predictable, such that certain physical laws are strictly observed in it. A person may not know these laws, but he is sure that water put on fire will boil. For a person, the external physical world (not including himself and other living beings) must be strictly deterministic. However, he himself, like all other living beings, cannot be robots.

In contrast, modern computers are very complex, but still machines. Processes in their microscopic parts (microchips), just like all other microprocesses, occur in accordance with quantum laws. However, the “decisions” made by computers are strictly deterministic. Quantum uncertainty does not affect these “decisions”.

What distinguishes a living being from a non-living one? This is a soul that can intervene in quantum processes and direct them. It is difficult, if not impossible, to find another explanation. At the same time, however, we will have to admit that every living creature, not just humans, has a soul (albeit at different levels). Even a tree can “intelligently” change the behavior of its cells. And if you look into the eyes of a dog that rejoices at the return of its beloved owner after a long absence, there will be no doubt about it.

But there are also intermediate objects - viruses, which are neither alive nor dead. What to do with them? It remains to be concluded that the soul, or independent spirit, is present to varying degrees in everything that surrounds us. In a living person this spirit is as complex as possible. There is no independent spirit in the stone at all.

And in this case, is there something in the stone besides atoms? There must be something that forces these atoms to follow the strict laws of physics. This something is a spirit emanating from the very Creator of the universe. But living beings also consist of atoms, the behavior of which also requires “vigilant control.” Therefore, in a living person there is present both the penetrating spirit of the Creator (the Holy Spirit of Christian teaching) and the independent spirit given to him (what is called the soul in Christianity), which is allowed to intervene in quantum processes and thereby change the behavior of the organism.

Thus, a completely logical and consistent picture is obtained if we accept that the Holy Spirit permeates the entire space of the universe and “forces” all physical objects to follow the prescribed laws. At the microscopic (quantum) level, it is He, and not the “hidden parameters,” who chooses which trajectory the electron will fly in each specific case. At the same time, He makes his choice in such a way that the probabilistic laws of quantum mechanics are observed. In other words, if you repeat measurements many times, for example, the coordinates of one electron from a large system of electrons in identical states, then the results of such measurements will be distributed in strict accordance with the quantum probability distribution.

A living being is also imbued with the Holy Spirit, which "controls" the statistical behavior of the microscopic particles that make up the physical body of that being. In addition to this, the living body is permeated by its own free spirit, which, for some quantum processes, can itself choose which of the probable possibilities is realized. Such interference in no way violates the strict laws of quantum mechanics.

Some indication of the reasonableness of such a picture can be found in the behavior of identical twins. Their actions are similar in many cases. If the quantum processes in their brains were not influenced by their own spirit, then their actions would be randomly statistically distributed within the limits of the possible, and therefore would differ more significantly.

7. Miracles
Since the Holy Spirit can voluntarily choose, for example, which of the possible trajectories of an electron is realized, does this not mean a complete lack of order and rationality in our world? Not at all! After all, He himself “monitors” compliance with the laws. Suppose I am a dealer in a casino and in some way unknown to the players I can control the roulette. I wanted to help the unfortunate player and twice in a row I made the “zero” that he bet on fall out. “What a miracle!” - everyone around will say. After that, I will stop the wheel on other numbers until statistically all the numbers are equally likely. As a result, the laws of statistics will not be violated and no one will notice anything unusual.

The spirit that controls the behavior of quantum objects can act like this croupier. This opens up the possibility for miracles to happen without violating the laws of nature. We know that miracles happen, and at the same time we have no doubt that the world is rational, i.e. its laws are unshakable. Quantum uncertainty allows us to reconcile these seemingly irreconcilable facts.

8. Conclusion
Having discovered the quantum laws of the microworld, a person cannot help but freeze in amazement at the “genius” of the Creator. Our world is subject to random changes at the microscopic level, and at the same time it is strictly determined at the level of macroscopic objects. Quantum uncertainty leaves a window for interference in the course of physical processes, both from the Holy Spirit and from the free spirit of living beings. And at the same time, such interventions do not violate the strict laws on which this world is built. It is impossible to come up with any other rational world order that would guarantee the freedom and unpredictability of the behavior of living beings. Thanks to quantum laws, the incompatible is combined: strict physical laws and our freedom.

Reviews

Sergey, you write that “it is equally impossible to prove the absence or presence of the divine principle.”
However, this statement is far from certain.

Firstly, I cannot agree with your categorical statement that “atheism” is a “type of faith.” Atheism is essentially a rational scientific worldview, which has nothing to do with frankly irrational beliefs in the supernatural creation of the world.

Secondly, atheism, as a scientific worldview, is self-sufficient and does not need the hypothesis of a “divine principle” to justify the existence of the world.
Nobel Prize laureate, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.L. Ginzburg, who, as you know, actively opposed ignorance, wrote in his open letter to the Executive Secretary of the Great Russian Encyclopedia S. L. Kravets:
“The task of atheists is not to fight religion, but to educate atheists, in particular, to expose creationism and all other anti-scientific “theories”.”

Because irrational religious beliefs, as you understand, are beyond logical proof of truth. And yet, for some reason, you considered it possible to use the scientific quantum theory to “prove” the “Holy Spirit” as the “omnipotent” God - the Creator who created our World.
Answering your opponent, you write: “The creator must somehow move “his toys.” ..The creator does not need laws. He is so omnipotent that he will not have any difficulty controlling all the particles of (((the Universe))) at the same time.”

As for using quantum physics to justify “free will,” it looks too artificial... You are right that the Heisenberg uncertainty principle relates to the measurement process and does not concern the properties of the microobject itself. The De Broglie wave characterizes the microobject itself, which represents the spatial distribution of the probability of finding the microobject at a given moment. You know that corpuscular-wave dualism has been experimentally confirmed and, depending on the momentum of the object, it can be characterized either as a corpuscular object or as a wave one. In accordance with this, micro-objects with small impulses manifest themselves as waves whose behavior is probabilistic (interference and diffraction), and macro-objects with large impulses manifest themselves as “corpuscles” whose behavior is strictly determined. All fundamental micro-objects have their own qualitative properties, which determine their behavior in the process of their corresponding interactions, and they do not need “vigilant control” on the part of the Creator or the Holy Spirit.

Now, regarding “free will”.
You believe that “If the behavior of quantum objects is completely random, then the decisions made by humans are random. And from this it follows that there is no free will - it’s all a matter of chance. In other words, starting with the principle of “free will,” the atheist comes to deny it. Thus, there is no free will for an atheist in any case - whether he accepts absolute determinism or the absolute randomness of quantum processes."

You do not find that a religious person does not have “free will” either, since, as you just stated, the Creator is “omnipotent, which would not be difficult to control all the particles of (((the Universe))) at the same time.” (*)
Do you feel conflicted? If the Creator is Omnipotent and controls “simultaneously” all the particles in the Universe, then He also controls the consciousness of the believer, thereby predetermining his behavior, making His choice for him! And this is nothing more than “absolute determinism”, excluding the very idea of ​​“free will” and “freedom of choice” of decisions!

However, you believe that “The missing link, the absence of which leads to this paradox, (((“there is no free will for an atheist in any case”))) is the presence of a comprehensive external force, (?!) unknowable, (?!) but guaranteeing strict compliance with all physical laws, i.e. making the world rational (?!). It is not difficult for a person who stands on the position of Christianity to understand the source of this force and without a doubt (?!) accept its existence (?!).” And this “unknowable”, “external force” is the “Holy Spirit”.

It is paradoxical that the absolutely IRRATIONAL “Holy Spirit” “makes the world rational” and gives only believers the right to “free will” and “freedom of choice.” But then you say that “Someone had to “invent” physical laws, create the universe and monitor the implementation of these laws (i.e., “tell” the particles how to “act” in this or that case)” .
Further you write: “For people who believe that man is created in the image and likeness of God, the essence of this principle (((meaning the “anthropic principle”))) is obvious. Moreover, it is also clear to them that the laws of nature are not deterministic, but provide man with freedom to make decisions.” (See above, statement *).

Talking about the “Soul”, which “can intervene in quantum processes and direct them. It is difficult, if not impossible, to find another explanation. At the same time, however, we will have to admit that every living creature has a soul (albeit of different levels). “It remains to be concluded that the soul, or independent spirit, is present in varying degrees in everything that surrounds us. In a living person this spirit is as complex as possible. There is no independent spirit in the stone at all (**).”

However, further you write: “is there anything in the stone besides atoms? There must be something that forces these atoms to follow the strict laws of physics. This something is a spirit emanating from the very Creator of the universe.” (See previous statement**).

You believe that since all “living beings also consist of atoms,” their “behavior” also “needs vigilant control” by the “all-pervading spirit of the Creator.”
And then the conclusion follows: “Thus, a completely logical and consistent picture is obtained if we accept that the Holy Spirit permeates the entire space of the universe and “forces” all physical objects to follow the prescribed laws.”

As they say – HERE IS “FREEDOM OF WILL” AND “FREEDOM OF CHOICE”!

Sergey, you are absolutely right when you claim that in order “To be truly free, a person must live in a world that is rational, i.e. predictable, such that certain physical laws are strictly observed in it.” But this immediately rules out all your creationist attempts to downplay the role of science and defend irrational religious beliefs.

Dear Sergey, I suggest that you analyze the antinomy of EXISTENCE as proof of the existence of God the Creator.

IF GOD EXISTS FOREVER,
THEN HE CANNOT BE A CREATOR,
AND IF GOD IS THE CREATOR, THEN HE
IT CANNOT EXIST FOREVER...

It was truly said: “The ways of the Lord are mysterious...”

With respect to you, Lyubomir.

But with all the variety of methods and approaches of “quantum mechanics”, they all reveal one characteristic “generic” feature that sharply distinguishes “quanta” from all other physical theories. The fact is that quantum theory does not allow us to predict exactly how the quantum system under consideration will behave. The theory gives us a set (or a whole spectrum) of possibilities and allows us to calculate their probabilities (or probability density - for the spectrum).

Quantum theory does not say which of these possibilities is actually realized. “Quantum mechanics” speaks the language of probability theory, and not the language of determinism familiar to 19th-century physicists. And the reason for this is not due to any lack of our knowledge about the system in question. Let us even know with absolute accuracy exactly what state this system is in at the initial moment of time! Let us set these conditions with our own hands. All the same, quantum theory allows us to calculate only the possibilities and probabilities of the outcome, but it will never indicate how exactly this experiment will end. It turns out that even inanimate nature has some kind of strange “freedom of choice.” And this circumstance confronts us with a number of puzzling questions.

Quantum theory kills I have Laplace (1749-1827). Laplace believed that if some intelligent being could know the position and speed of all the particles in the world, it could predict with complete accuracy all the events of the Universe. He believed that our lack of knowledge about the future is only a consequence of our lack of knowledge about the past (and present).

Quantum theory mercilessly destroyed this beautiful illusion of the Enlightenment. Beautiful - because this illusion logically closed the philosophy of deism. A consistent deist believes that God, after the creation of the world, no longer interferes with the course of events “like some great watchmaker who made a watch and no longer interferes with its movement.” Of course, in the 21st century it seems impossible to be a pure deist. Deism is a child of the Enlightenment, growing old with this era. After the Great French Revolution (1792), he was already groaning and limping on both legs. However, such global tectonic shifts in consciousness occur slowly; It doesn’t reach people right away. Quantum mechanics, whether it wanted it or not, became a requiem for deism. But deism continues to live in the hearts of church liberals.

Modern deists believe that God still influences events, but does not completely control them. In fact, to rule completely is voluntarism, tyranny. What about freedom, what about love? No, a church liberal cannot renounce deism without revising the entire system of his beliefs to the very foundation, without committing repentance in the deepest sense of the word. We are all, to one degree or another, infected with this corrupting spirit, because it is the spirit of the era itself. There are many currents within deism. The scope of deism cannot be precisely defined, since the very spirit of liberalism does not imply rigid canons. But the common, generic feature of all branches of this philosophical hydra is that reason, logic, observation of nature are the only means for knowing God and His will. Deism places a high value on human reason and freedom. Deism seeks to harmonize science and the idea of ​​the existence of God, and not to oppose science and God.

The end of deism today is not difficult to predict: France in the 18th century followed this path from beginning to end. The endgame of deism is atheism, and of course, the ideological evolution of a church liberal would end only with atheism if the liberal lived here on earth forever. However, God is love, and that is why God made us sinners mortal. Liberalism is the sin of a soft, gradual apostasy from the Creator and King of creation, and every sin contains within itself a cure for itself - death, which makes all discussions about freedom and love meaningless, forcing the liberal, willy-nilly, to seek Freedom and Love.

He who truly loves God strives in every matter to act not as our weak and limited human mind tells us, but as God commands. But God does not force a person to act according to His will, He gives us the opportunity to experiment with our freedom. In this case, the result of the experimentation is known in advance: a person will either be convinced through personal bitter experience that he must act according to the will of God, or he will never have time to understand this and will die. Everything is very simple.

But for a liberal, the need to constantly submit oneself to someone else's will - even the will of Jesus Christ - is an unbearably heavy burden. Therefore, it is more pleasant for him to think of God as a watchmaker who intervenes little and rarely in the course of human history. He gave us the most general rules of the game - and then we can handle it ourselves. This illusion flatters a person’s vanity and makes each of us internally inclined towards liberalism. Every sinner is a little bit of a deist.

The unpredictability of nature's behavior destroys the cozy little world of classical physics. The idea that the physical world itself is probabilistic at its most fundamental level was resisted by the greatest physicist since Newton. “God does not play dice,” Einstein said and constantly opposed quantum mechanics.

Of course, by saying this, Einstein was not challenging the correctness of this theory, but only its completeness.

Quantum theory has been confirmed by so many experiments that today it is simply impossible to challenge it. Each chip in the computer that our dear reader uses is material evidence of this theory. But Einstein believed that sooner or later physicists would be able to create a deeper theory, which would still eliminate probability from physics and make it possible to accurately predict the outcome of an experiment. It seemed to Einstein that quantum mechanics in its modern form was simply an insufficiently accurate, incomplete theory.

But Einstein was wrong. Years and decades pass; more than a century has passed since Planck’s constant first appeared in physical equations, the appearance of which meant the beginning of the end of classical determinism. But the further, the more deeply physics is affirmed in the probabilistic approach. There is no alternative and there is no alternative in sight. So what, it turns out that God still plays dice? For an Orthodox conservative, the very combination of the name of God with dice in one sentence sounds blasphemous. And it makes sense to listen to the intuitions of Orthodox conservatives much more carefully than to their reasoning. The reasoning of a conservative is sometimes insane; he does not know the limits because he does not understand himself. A conservative sometimes talks about the imminent end of the world, while his intuition only screams to him about an approaching war.

For those who are killed in war or die from disease and hunger, war essentially means the end of the world. Therefore, the vague prophecies of church conservatives are, in essence, always full of meaning. They lack the light of reason, the light of Truth. They lack true Enlightenment. True Enlightenment reveals Divine Revelation, and does not obscure it with the cloudy terms of false reason. A conservative is like a dog: he feels, but cannot say. Even worse, not only to say it out loud, but even just to realize it with your mind. Isn’t it about this deplorable, wordless state that it is said: “He came close to senseless cattle and became like them.” But still, if you choose the lesser of two evils, I would prefer to remain a conservative. To my taste, a conservative is still a little closer to the Truth than a liberal, who replaced the true spiritual Enlightenment with the false “Enlightenment” of the century of the French Revolution. For the Apostle teaches us: “Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophecy.” And the false enlightenment, if it did not completely abolish the prophecy, then, as far as possible, reduced it to a minimum: “We’ve had enough of the Creed.”

Our task for today is to realize, comprehend the vague prophetic intuitions of conservatives, express them in words and make them part of the Orthodox discourse. Enough of you conservatives wagging your tail sadly, looking sadly into the eyes of His Holiness the Patriarch. Stop pointlessly and furiously barking at passing columns of homosexuals and lesbians. There is no time left for such nonsense. East is a delicate matter. The dog barks, but the caravan moves on. Trust in God, but tie the camel. We must understand the will of God in order to fulfill it. It is not enough to feel correctly, you must think correctly. Because anyone who does not know how to think correctly will certainly fall into numerous errors. Man is a rational being, and even the most correct intuitions are useless if you cannot express them in words. The sandwich always lands butter side down. And a person who does not know how to think necessarily turns out to be the prey of the devil.

Eintschein was right when he said that God does not play dice. An Orthodox Christian should not have the slightest doubt that our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, knows absolutely precisely and without any crafty “probabilities” not only everything that was, but also everything that will be. Including the outcome of any physical experiment. That physicists cannot predict this outcome, but only indicate options and the probabilities of these options, is a personal problem for physicists. There are no more mysteries for our Tsar in the future than there were in the past.

Quantum mechanics cannot predict the future, not because the future itself is undetermined or unknown to God - let no one imagine such blasphemy! - but because this is the limit of human knowledge. At the beginning of the 20th century, science in its development reached one of its natural limits, that’s all. Experience has shown that the deist Laplace was mistaken. It turned out that even if we knew with absolute accuracy the state of all particles in the world, we could not predict the future of the Universe. Because it is in the hand of God. The apparent “freedom” of the quantum system is actually a manifestation of the freedom of God, who not only created the world, but also constantly provides for the fate of this world, Himself determining the outcome of every event. There is no determinism; determinism, together with deism, are buried forever - stillborn children of the era of delusions and temptations, mistakenly called “Enlightenment”.

Quantum mechanics kills deism with determinism and opens our eyes to the incessant Providence of God about the world. It turns out that the fate of each, the most insignificant microparticle in the Universe, say, in the composition of the protein molecule in the lips of Judas the traitor, is determined not by some laws of nature established once and for all by God, but by God Himself. God Himself personally predetermines the outcome of every quantum experiment. God himself personally determines the fate of the famous Schrödinger cat. Therefore, we cannot escape responsibility before God for the fact that we do not pray to Him about every matter in our lives. Previously, a secret deist could be complacent in church liberalism, determining his own destiny and justifying himself by saying that it was inconvenient to bother God on every occasion. Quantum mechanics destroys this complacency. Whether you like it or not, God still provides not only for you and every hair on your head! No, God takes care of every microparticle in your lips - so think seriously before you give Him your liberal kiss.

But let the conservative not think that the great Einstein threw us this liberal bone just so that we had someone to chew on at our leisure. The essence of the matter is not in observing tradition, but in doing the will of the living God, who knows our every step and constantly provides for us. What are our traditions and prejudices before Him? He is always young, always new and constantly expects us to pray and constantly ask him: what should we do, Lord? God wants us to act according to His instructions, and not according to pre-learned patterns. Prayer is creativity, and woe to the one who runs away from communication with God because he is afraid of delusion. Because you need to fear God, not delusion. And the fear of delusion itself is delusion, a banal demonic scam for suckers. The one who does nothing makes no mistakes. And God will not leave without admonition those who sincerely seek admonition.