
An artistic representation of “quantum life” (by Sean Rodwell), depicting the recent hypothesis that birds navigate in the earth’s magnetic field using quantum mechanical principles, for American physicist Michael Brooks 2011 New Scientist article “Quantum Life: the Weirdness inside Us”. [8]

An artistic representation of “quantum life” (by Sean Rodwell), depicting the recent hypothesis that birds navigate in the earth’s magnetic field using quantum mechanical principles, for American physicist Michael Brooks 2011 New Scientist article “Quantum Life: the Weirdness inside Us”. [8]

In hmolscience, human quantum mechanics, or "human quantum physics", is the study of quantum mechanics applied to humans, systems of humans, or subjects in the humanities.

History
Into the 1920s, amid and following rise of quantum mechanics (1900-1932), thinkers began to ruminate on the implications of this new theory with regard to humanity.

In 1924, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger, during the famous BKS theory debate, on the subject of the old quantum mechanics verses the new quantum mechanics, made an appeal to analogy in regards to the recent rampant German hyperinflation: [1]

“A certain stability in the world order sub specie aeternitaltis can only exist through the interrelationship of each individual system with the rest of the world. The disconnected individual system would be, from the viewpoint of unity, chaos. The interrelationship is necessary as a continuous regulative factor, without which, with respect to energy considerations, the system would aimlessly wander about—is it idle speculation if one is reminded of this by a similarity in social, ethical, and cultural phenomena?”

In 1933, Italian theoretical physicist Ettore Majorana, in his article “The Value of Statistical Laws in Physics and Social Sciences”, suggested the application of quantum statistical physics to social sciences. [2]

In 1971, Eugene Wigner, in his Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, expressed his opinion that quantum mechanics is not applicable to humans, owing to their consciousness: [11]

“The state of a ‘friend’ is a linear combination of several states, indicating different contents of his mind, seems very unnatural. This leads me to the opinion that quantum mechanics, in its present form, is not applicable to living systems, whose consciousness is a decisive characteristic.”

In 2007, American electrochemical engineer Libb Thims incorporated a version of human quantum chemistry into the development of human molecular orbital theory. [3]

In 2009, during the Moriarty-Thims debate, Irish physicist Philip Moriarty objected to the premise of quantum mechanics applied to human interactions:

“[Thims has] taken the abuse of the term entropy to an entirely new level, by suggesting that it—and, unbelievably, quantum mechanics—can be applied to 'interactions' in romantic human relationships.”

Russian mathematical physicist Victor Maslov’s 2012 article “Wiener Quantization of Economics as an Analogy of the Quantization of Thermodynamics”, co-authored with Tanya Maslova, has the keyword topics: Godel’s theorem, Bohr’s complementarity principle, critical point of a gas, quantization of economics), human thermodynamics, Friedman’s rule, Irving Fisher’s law (see: Irving Fisher), debt crisis. [9]

Quantum biology | Animate systems
In his 2011 talk “On Quantum Life”, American quantum theorist Seth Lloyd discusses how in a field he calls "quantum biology", revolving around recent symposiums he has organized at Harvard, that recent studies have shown that quantum mechanics, e.g. quantum entanglement and quantum coherence, plays a role in areas such as making light absorption in photosynthesis efficient, in bacteria (somehow), in how birds navigate in the earth’s magnetic field, and hypothetically in how the smell sense operates. [7]


American new age philosopher Fred Wolf's 1984 Star Wave, supposedly, uses quantum mechanics to argue that electrical sparks breed life to photon-electron interactions, which explains the human mind, or something along these lines. [10]

American new age philosopher Fred Wolf's 1984 Star Wave, supposedly, uses quantum mechanics to argue that electrical sparks breed life to photon-electron interactions, which explains the human mind, or something along these lines. [10]

New age | Fringe
At some point along the line, in circa the last several decades, the use of quantum mechanics crossed into the writings of the new age crowd. An oft-cited candidate for this movement might well be American physicist Fred Wolf's 1981 book Taking the Quantum Leap, a pre-cursor to the 2004 documentary film What the BLEEP Do We Know? (2004). This logic is summarized well by American physicist Victor Stenger in his 2009 book Quantum Gods, who states: [4]

“The public understanding of modern physics is seriously out of whack, thanks largely to pop junk like The Secret (2006) and What the BLEEP Do We Know? (2004), [which] promote a bogus version of quantum mechanics – the belief that 'you create your own reality' by controlling the laws of physics with your mind.”

In this sense, quantum mechanics, serves as a type of ontic opening springboard or platform, similar to chaos theory, or stochastic physics, to argue for historical anthropomorphized ideas, often revolving around spiritual arguments, the mind-body problem, free will, etc. Authors in the category might include: Deepak Chopra, Jeff Love (The Quantum Gods, 2000), Brenda Anderson (Playing the Quantum Field, 2006), Ervin Laszlo (Science and the Akashic Field, 2004), among others.

Among this group, Chopra seems to lead the pack. He has been criticized for his frequent references to the relationship of quantum mechanics to healing processes, a connection that has drawn skepticism from some physicists who say it can be considered as contributing to the general confusion in the popular press regarding quantum measurement, decoherence, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. [5] In 1998, Chopra was awarded the satirical Ig Nobel Prize in physics for "his unique interpretation of quantum physics as it applies to life, liberty, and the pursuit of economic happiness". [6]

See also
● Human chemical thermodynamics
● Human statistical mechanics
● Human statistical thermodynamics
● Human wave function

References
1 (a) Mirowski, Philip. (1989). More Heat than Light: Economics as Social Physics, Physics as Nature’s Economics (pg. 92). Cambridge University Press.
(b) Stuewer, Roger. (1975). The Compton Effect (pg. 299). Science History Publication.
(c) BKS theory – Wikipedia.
2. (a) Majorana, Ettore. (c.1935). “The Value of Statistical Laws in Physics and Social Sciences” (“Il valore delle leggi statistiche nella fisica e nelle scienze sociali”), in: Sciencia (1942), 36:55-58 (published posthumously by his friend Italian physicist Giovanni Gentile Jr.); English translation in: "Ettore Majorana: the Value of Statistical Laws in Physics and Social Sciences", Quantitative Finance, 5:133-40 (2005); English translation by Rosario Mantegna in: Bassani G.F (ed) (2006) Ettore Majorana Scientific Papers (pgs. 250-26). Springer.
(b) Majorana, Ettore. (c.1935). “The Value of Statistical Laws in Physics and Social Sciences” (online reprint, with biography by Carlos Allones Pérez); Spanish version in: C. ALLONES (2004): “El valor de las leyes estadísticas en la Física y en las Ciencias Sociales”, Empiria, núm. 7: 183-209 Madrid.
3. (a) Thims, Libb. (2007). Human Chemistry (Volume One), (ch. 7: Bound State Interactions, pgs. 183-212; ch. 8: Planck’s Quantum, pgs. 213-46; ch. 8: Human Molecular Orbitals, pgs. 247-95) (preview), (Google books). Morrisville, NC: LuLu.
(b) Thims, Libb. (2007). Human Chemistry (Volume Two), (ch. 13: Human Chemical Bonding, pgs. 515-60) (preview), (Google books). Morrisville, NC: LuLu.
4. Stengers, Victor. (2009). Quantum Gods: Creation, Chaos, and the Search for Consciousness. Prometheus.
5. Stenger, Victor J. (January 2007). "Quantum Quackery". Skeptical Inquirer.
6. Anon. (1999). "Winners of the Ig Nobel Prize." (1999) Improbable Research.
7. Lloyd, Seth. (2011). “On Quantum Life”, Perimeter Institute. Feb 3.
8. Brooks, Michael. (2011). “Quantum Life: the Weirdness Inside Us”, New Scientist, Oct. 06.
9. Maslov, V.P. and Maslova, T.V. (2012). “Wiener Quantization of Economics as an Analogy of the Quantization of Thermodynamics” (abs) (keywords: Godel’s theorem, Bohr’s complementarity principle, critical point of a gas, quantization of economics, human thermodynamics, Friedman’s rule, Irving Fisher’s law, debt crisis), Mathematical Notes, 91(1): 81-89.
10. (a) Wolf, Fred A. (1984). Star Wave: Mind, Consciousness, and Quantum Physics (abs). Harper Perennial.
(b) Arnopoulos, Paris. (1993). Sociophysics: Cosmos and Chaos in Nature and Culture (pg. 39). Nova Publishers, 2005.
11. Wigner, Eugene P. (1971). Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (pg. 17). Academic Press.

Further reading
● Stapp, Henry P. (2005). “Quantum Theory of the Human Person”, in: Quo Vadis Quantum Mechanics (pgs. 397-). Springer.
● Khrennikov, A.; Alodjants, A.; Trofimova, A.; Tsarev, D. (2018). “On Interpretational Questions for Quantum-Like Modeling of Social Lasing.” (Ѻ) Entropy, 20, 921.

External links
● Quantum mind-body problem – Wikipedia.
● Quantum economics – Wikipedia.