Of Particles and Humans: the Question of ‘Human Being’ in Alexander Wendt’s Quantum Mind and Social Science

Abstract

General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Science suggests a thought-provoking reorientation of the social sciences. Addressing some of the key assumptions in Wendt's account, this article argues that despite a quite elaborate and eloquent development of a monist ontological position, conceptual discussions remain solely focussed on the nature of beings and neglect wider implications for the nature of being, particularly human being, that arise out of its abandonment of a substance ontology. To develop such a critique, I will first address some preliminary considerations about the broader assumptions underlying Wendt's argument. Secondly, the article zooms in on the central concern arising out of Wendt's approach regarding the conceptualisation of human being before raising a set of critical remarks which need further deliberation if a quantum approach to the social sciences is to be successful.Keywords: ontology, consciousness, reflexivity, ontological difference Big leaps in the conceptualisation and understanding of IR are rare. We can list seminal contributions (mostly only recognised retrospectively as such) at critical junctures within the discipline but overall these 'revolutionary', rather than 'evolutionary', contributions are few and far between. Additionally, even those often seen as 'revolutionary' in their contribution to the study of international relations are not unanimously recognised as such, not least due to the growing and accelerating diversification of (meta-)theoretical positions within IR. 1 In many ways, Wendt's contribution arrives at a time when meta-theoretical debates are back on the agenda within the discipline of IR. 2 Of course, matters concerning fundamental 1 Peter Marcus Kristensen, 'Discipline admonished: On International Relations fragmentations and the disciplinary politics of stock taking

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“…While there has been a nagging doubt over whether quantum phenomena at the microscopic level can be scaled up to the macroscopic or classical level such as the human world, 76 there is a consensus that the Newtonian classical physics is a limiting case of quantum mechanics which is applicable to all scales. 77 such as Leonard Suskind suggest that the entire universe is a hologram.…”

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“…Wendt’s (2015: 3) strong “realist” approach is controversial. For some critics, an analogical approach would have been safer and more appropriate (Arfi, 2018; Donald, 2018; Kessler, 2018; Michel, 2018). Such criticisms have merits, especially given that physicists have not agreed on an authoritative or “realist” way to interpret quantum theory (Wendt, 2015: 70).…”

Human Beings in Quantum Anthropology: A Paradox of the Discontinuous Experience of Quantum Spacetime

“…The realist claim assuming human beings to be walking wave functions raises several issues (Allan, 2018;Arfi, 2018;Burgess, 2018;Kessler, 2018). For example, can a physicalist congruence between humans and particles be expected (Michel, 2018)? Humans are definitely much more complex systems than quantum microparticles, so the different degree of complexity is an obstacle, to say the least, for accepting the absolute congruence between humans and particles.…”

“…Wendt's (2015) application of wave function collapse in understanding human beings has been recently criticized by Michel (2018). The problem is how to accept the discontinuity that may be an implication of Wendt's (2015) application of wave function collapse to the interpretation of human beings' existence.…”