Quantum Physics Made Me Do It

A Simple Guide to the Fundamental Nature of Everything from Consciousness and Free Will to Parallel Universes and Eternal Life

By: Jérémie Harris

Narrated by: Jérémie Harris

What the most successful scientific theory in history teaches us about being human.

From Silicon Valley entrepreneur, quantum physicist, AI risk expert, and Hollywood "alternative reality" consultant Jérémie Harris, comes an entertaining and accessible look at the world of quantum physics.

The discovery of quantum mechanics has paved the way to just about every important innovation in the last half century: it has led us to the technology that powers microwaves, iPhones, and self-driving cars and is about to trigger a computing revolution that will either spell the end of the human species or propel us to heights we've never imagined.

But there's another reason that quantum mechanics is so important: it is really the only way we can understand ourselves and each other. For the last hundred years or so, physicists have been feverishly debating what quantum theory has to say about you: what you're made of, whether you have free will, what will happen to you when you die, and much more.

Quantum Physics Made Me Do It is an amusing, irreverent exploration of the most successful scientific theory in human history, and a smart, entertaining adventure through the complex and beautiful world mapped out by modern physics.

©2023 Jérémie Harris (P)2023 Penguin Random House Canada Limited

A very good way into quantum weirdness

I’m in literal shock at the current Audible rating for this title. The dude deserves way more credit for his work. He even narrated it himself and did a remarkable job at it. He may lean into comic relief a bit too often, perhaps, but given the subject at hand, it actually serves a purpose, so some extra Monopoly money for him too!
Regarding the contents of the book itself, it is definitely not a textbook to learn the fundamentals of the field, or to deeply understand why this quantum weirdness came to be discovered in the first place. But I don’t think that was ever his intention, nor his target audience. Instead, he chooses a philosophical approach, trying to make sense of the highlights we’ve had over the last century, and I think that is where this book shines, even though I do not share many of his angles (giving more airtime to one theory instead of another is already an angle, I’d say). But the overall idea of identifying and challenging scientific orthodoxy, and our own, is a commendable endeavor that we all surely should undertake.
I’m buying the physical Spanish edition of the book for my brother.

Amusing but short on facts

In his book Quantum Physics Made Me Do It, Jérémie Harris implies there are two types of people qualified to talk about quantum physics – the physicists (or “sciency” people) who know very little, and Jérémie Harris who understands it all. He is a self-proclaimed PhD dropout from physics, who gets quite a following on social media talking about AI, data science and ethics. Now, in his new book on quantum physics he discusses quantum particles that are in many places at the same time, zombie cats that are neither dead or alive, stealing chicken across parallel universes, quantum immortality, conscious vegetables, and his view of scientific discovery based entirely on aesthetics of theoretical formulations, shouting matches between professors and politics of scientific establishments. The book does not say much about the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, or its standard model, which provides the best explanation of scientific observations and gives the most accurate predictions of experiments conducted in particle colliders. Instead, you will find pages filled with philosophical debates of consciousness, free will and various interpretations of quantum mechanics. Harris vigorously denies the validity of scientific orthodoxy, such as the Copenhagen interpretation, in preference to the many-worlds interpretation of Hugh Everett III, David Bohm’s pilot-wave interpretation, and pseudo scientific theories of Amit Goswami linking quantum effects with universal consciousness. None of those theories are introduced at any level of detail to convince a critical reader. However, the book is written with lots of juvenile humour, which seems to entertain some of the book reviewers and the readers who “do not want to go to school for it or do the math” (from one of the goodreads reviews). So, if you want to be amused read the book. However, if you want to learn something about quantum physics or its several, sadly not yet testable, interpretations then find another book to read.