How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival

By David Kaiser

Book Overview

For physicists, the 1970s were a time of stagnation. Jobs became scarce, and conformity was encouraged, sometimes stifling exploration of the mysteries of the physical world. Dissatisfied, underemployed, and eternally curious, an eccentric group of physicists in Berkeley, California, banded together to throw off the constraints of the physics mainstream and explore the wilder side of science. Dubbing themselves the "Fundamental Fysiks Group," they pursued an audacious, speculative approach to physics. They studied quantum entanglement and Bell's Theorem through the lens of Eastern mysticism and psychic mind-reading, discussing the latest research while lounging in hot tubs. Some even dabbled with LSD to enhance their creativity. Unlikely as it may seem, these iconoclasts spun modern physics in a new direction, forcing mainstream physicists to pay attention to the strange but exciting underpinnings of quantum theory. A lively, entertaining story that illuminates the relationship between creativity and scientific progress, How the Hippies Saved Physics takes us to a time when only the unlikeliest heroes could break the science world out of its rut.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393076369
• ISBN13: 9780393076363
• Release Date: June 2011
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Introducing the Fundamental Fysiks Group

I have often thought of Gary Zukav as a nut. Even though we are contemporaries, just off by a few years, and even in the war at the same time, same places (I might have met him and not even realized it), I always consider him a fringe scientist with no basis in reality. This book helped me see the error of my ways and to find him a victim of the “New Physics” movement. Even if I do not agree, I can see his perspective. The book itself is designed similarly to “How the Irish Saved Civilization.” That explains exactly what the title implies, and I get a better understanding of the people involved. It sort of makes you think that you may have missed something important in life. Most of the story of the evolution of physics is generic and recognizable. It is nice to have a book that tells you what you know, but looks at it from a different angle. And somehow, I completely missed the Fundamental Fysiks Group. Looks like I have a little catching up to do. The Fysiks Group will show up now and then in the history of physics. They did not add to physics, but they do make a colorful history.