Quantum Bullsh*t: How to Ruin Your Life with Advice from Quantum Physics

The problems with Canadian quantum physicist Chris Ferrie’s new book, Quantum Bullsh*t, begin at the title. An intent to confront misinformation should be stated directly, without the wink of an asterisk.

The underlying concept is solid: the language of quantum physics – entanglement, superposition, Schrödinger’s cat – has been hijacked by peddlers of New Age hogwash desperate to harness some reflected credibility. The author says this must be stopped and he is right. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have witnessed the spiralling destruction of a scientific vocabulary that has been co-opted for profit and political gain. To illustrate the scale of this problem, the author claims that if you search “Quantum” followed by anything but “physics”, we get “bullshit”. Examples given are “Quantum healing, quantum mysticism, quantum love, quantum crystals”.

Each chapter begins with a detailed explanation of a quantum physics concept.

The author has written more than 60 books, most of them for children, and is able to convey esoterica for those not pointy headed. This moves to the far more original and interesting central premise: how that concept has been misappropriated. Yet examination of “bullshit” is relegated to the final paragraphs. Instead, space is squandered on Ferrie’s attempts at humour.

Humour here entails non sequiturs, rants and digressions that fan out into a delta of unnecessary diversions. For every zinger that lands there is a long, pointless tract that should have fallen to the editor’s marker. It’s a shame, as the book includes some good stuff. In one section, Ferrie cites major publications, such as Time, Science and Scientific American, that have got quantum entanglement wrong. This is more imprecision than “quantum bullshit” but it’s significant because excerpts from such reputable sources are quoted as authoritative, embedding the error. It is also an excellent opportunity for the author to break down this error and explain both the concept and the mistake. Instead we are left with cringeworthy jokes like: “Oi, mate! Ya got a kangaroo loose in the top paddock? Facken ell! (That’s Australian for fucking hell, by the way.)”

Only in the second-last chapter does it become clear what is really happening: “Yeah, I know, I’m really conscious of the word count. But you can only say fuck so many times.” • Now that’s funny – but only because it’s true.

Newsouth, 272pp, $29.99