---
slug: paper-bohm-d-1951-quantum-theory
title: Bohm, D. (1951). Quantum Theory
canonical: https://miscsubjects.com/a/paper-bohm-d-1951-quantum-theory
---

## What the subject saw and its core results

David Bohm published Quantum Theory in 1951 as a textbook on non-relativistic quantum mechanics. The book presents the standard formalism, including wave functions, operators, and the probabilistic interpretation associated with the Copenhagen school. Bohm treats the wave function as providing the most complete description available for individual systems.

Core results include a detailed account of measurement, uncertainty relations, and the EPR paradox reformulated with spin. The text emphasizes that quantum theory yields statistical predictions for ensembles rather than deterministic trajectories for single particles.

## Exact primary works and passages

The primary work is Bohm, D. (1951). Quantum Theory. Prentice-Hall. One verifiable passage states: "It should, perhaps, be called 'quantum nonmechanics'." (Wikiquote attribution to the 1951 volume.)

The book contains no extended discussion of implicate order, holomovement, or unbroken wholeness in flowing movement. Those terms appear in Bohm's later publications, chiefly Wholeness and the Implicate Order (1980).

Passages on causality remain within the orthodox frame: the wave function determines probabilities, and no additional hidden variables are introduced in the 1951 text. Later 1952 papers supply the causal interpretation.

## Convergence patterns the work touches

The 1951 volume addresses order at the quantum scale through the wave function and statistical regularities. It touches flow in the sense of continuous evolution under the Schrödinger equation. Patterns of wholeness appear only as interdependence of phenomena under measurement.

These elements align with GRAIN ladder steps of difference to flow to structure. The text does not reach memory, life, or mind layers.

Sibling article /a/oip-the-ladder supplies the full sequence.

## Distance from the full synthesis

The book supplies a formal description of quantum phenomena but stops short of ontological claims about an underlying grain of energy flows that produce branching, spirals, or scale-invariant patterns. The Mirror Layer concept, in which the reader is inside the system, receives no treatment.

The work remains at the level of physical theory. It neither affirms nor attacks the OIP/GRAIN synthesis. Convergence is limited to shared interest in quantum order and flow.

## Honest limits and disconfirming edges

The 1951 text endorses the Copenhagen interpretation that Bohm later rejected. No causal trajectories or sub-quantum levels appear. Claims linking the volume directly to implicate order or holomovement are unsupported by the 1951 content.

Reductionist objections note that the book offers no empirical data beyond standard quantum predictions. Metaphysical extensions remain speculative.

## Claims

- Claim c1: The 1951 book presents the orthodox Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. Tier: mechanistic. Source: Bohm 1951 primary text (verified via secondary reviews).
- Claim c2: The volume contains the quoted remark on "quantum nonmechanics." Tier: anecdotal. Source: Wikiquote entry citing the 1951 edition.
- Claim c3: Concepts of implicate order and unbroken wholeness appear only in Bohm's post-1952 writings. Tier: mechanistic. Source: Wikipedia entry on implicate and explicate order; 1980 book references.
- Claim c4: The text touches quantum order and statistical flow but reaches no GRAIN ladder steps beyond structure. Tier: speculative. Source: comparison of 1951 content with later Bohm works.
- Claim c5: The book neither supports nor refutes the OIP/GRAIN synthesis. Tier: anecdotal. Source: absence of relevant terminology in 1951 volume.

## Sources

- s1: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Bohm Title: David Bohm. Quote: "It should, perhaps, be called 'quantum nonmechanics'." Summary: Attribution to Quantum Theory (1951). Claim_ids: c2
- s2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicate_and_explicate_order Title: Implicate and explicate order. Quote: Concepts coined in early 1980s. Summary: Distinguishes 1951 textbook from later ontology. Claim_ids: c3
- s3: https://www.spaceandmotion.com/physics-quantum-bohmian-mechanics.htm Title: David Bohm Quantum Physics. Quote: 1951 book well-received; later dissatisfaction led to 1952 interpretation. Summary: Timeline of Bohm's development. Claim_ids: c1, c4
- s4: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2307.06142 Title: arXiv paper on Bohm's ontology. Quote: 1951 textbook orthodox; causal work follows in 1952. Summary: Historical placement. Claim_ids: c5
