Quantum Quackery and Religion

In this long centenary of Quantum Mechanics (QM), the panel will debate its impact on religion and theology. For all its great successes, QM leads to famously strange claims about the nature of reality, claims which have sparked scientific and philosophical controversies since its early years. Far from being a deterrent, quantum strangeness has exerted a powerful pull on the religious imagination, especially in the form of 'quantum mysticism', which draws from many religious traditions to promote mind and holism. Such is its appeal that quantum mysticism has percolated into diverse non-religious contexts, even health and business. And yet the scientific backlash has been uncompromising, accusing such non-scientific appropriations of misrepresenting the science and beguiling vulnerable people with 'quantum quackery'. The panel will address the questions: What precisely is at stake here? Should the science be safeguarded, or does the area tap into serious religious and theological concerns?