Quantum Mechanics and the Nature of Matter

Quantum mechanics has shown that at the smallest scales, the material world does not behave in the concrete, deterministic ways we expect from everyday experience. Particles can be both waves and particles (wave-particle duality). Their properties can be indeterminate until measured (Heisenberg uncertainty principle). And their behaviours are strongly influenced by observation (the observer effect). Matter, at base, is not solid but rather a manifestation of abstract fields, probabilities, and information that only coalesce into observable reality under certain conditions.

Swedenborg’s Perspective

Swedenborg and New Christian thought long predate quantum theory, but similarly hold that the material world is not self-existent or inherently solid. Instead, it is “appearances” governed by deeper spiritual realities that we cannot see. Swedenborg says that the real substance is spiritual and that what we see as matter is the ultimate effect of spiritual causes—the material is a changeable form, dependent on influx from spiritual reality (Heaven and Hell 432; Arcana Coelestia 1632).

Convergences

• Reality underlying appearances: Both perspectives suggest the world we perceive is not the whole story. The “bedrock” of reality is hidden from plain view: in quantum mechanics, by the limits of measurement and observation; in New Christian theology, by the veil between the natural and spiritual worlds.
• The role of consciousness/observation: In quantum theory, observation appears to “collapse” a wave function into a definite state. While not identical, Swedenborg teaches that spiritual reality and comprehension–human or divine–shape how appearances become “real” to us (Heaven and Hell 464).
• Lack of inherent solidity: For both, solidity and material existence are not ultimate attributes, but states that arise from more fundamental factors—fields and probabilities in physics; spiritual substance and influx from the Lord in New Christian doctrine (Heaven and Hell 463; Arcana Coelestia 3726, 4570).

Important Distinction

While there are these resonances, Swedenborg grounds the source of all appearances in Divine order and purpose, and holds that the nature of reality is ultimately about the communication of love, wisdom, and freedom from the Lord to creation—something deeper than what physical science alone can reach (Arcana Coelestia 2999).

Quantum mechanics and the New Christian teachings both challenge the assumption that the physical world is the sum total of reality. Both point toward a reality that is more mysterious, interconnected, and dependent on unseen principles than common sense suggests. While they work from different starting points, both invite us to look beyond appearances and consider the origin, order, and meaning that lies beneath the surface of material things (Heaven and Hell 460; Arcana Coelestia 2999).