Quantum woo
Woo-woo is a dismissive term used to refer to unfounded spiritual beliefs, pseudoscientific wellness practices, or theories of everything that have no real scientific basis.
"It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." -Carl Sagan
A universe without woo is still a beautiful and comprehensible universe full of wonder, that can make you quite happy to be alive if you have the right perspective.
Quantum Woo and Fractal Woo
Conspirituality uses a great phrase in their podcast, "Quantum Woo." It refers to the tendency for modern spiritual grifters to use quantum mechanics as a catch-all "scientific" explanation for whatever pseudoscientific belief they are trying to promote.
The Quantum Mind theory is the source of much quantum woo, having been proposed by respected scientists like Roger Penrose and David Bohm. Quantum Mysticism is the technical term for Quantum Woo if you want to search for it.
There is a similar Fractal Woo that tends to show up in the Sacred Geometry spaces and among psychedelic advocates. There's not a lot of money to be made, so it tends to come more from earnest but less than grounded psychonauts than spiritual grifters. Though some are definitely crypto-bros. The quintessential example of fractal woo is called "Holofractal" and it is discussed on the fractal page.
The observable effects of quantum mechanics are irrefutable. The myriad conclusions that people draw from it, from the multiverse to consciousness and free will to Simulation Theory, are quantum woo and should not be considered when attempting to determine what the nature of reality is, or at least the part that matters to your life choices.
The quintessential example of quantum woo in popular culture is the 2004 movie "What the Bleep Do We Know," the producers of which went on to be major players in the NVIXM cult. While we long for some way for science to explain consciousness and prove that we are connected to the universe, misinterpreting quantum entanglement is not necessary to demonstrate this. As with most pseudoscientific spirituality, it mixes some valid criticisms about modern society, traditional spirituality, and reductive scientific thinking, then inserts nonsensical explanations using the language of quantum mechanics to offer a pseudoscientific explanation for the parts of reality that we don't fully understand.
Thinking about the universe in terms of probabilities instead of absolutes is generally good, but it doesn't mean that quantum effects are even driving this. Quantum effects cancel each other out by the time they reach the atomic level, and Brownian motion is more than sufficient to explain the probabilistic behavior or neurons.
It's OK to say we don't really know exactly how some things work, as long as we can see the big picture and deduce a pattern that fits with all the things we do know, while prioritizing self-correction over all other assumptions.
A Hint of Woo
While metaculture really seems like the kind of "science meets spirituality" philosophy that is typically chock full of quantum and fractal woo, you will find no such thing here. But, if some rituals and spiritual practices show evidence of efficacy they should not be dismissed, even if they are simply eliciting the placebo effect.
For example, this article makes this point well with regard to meditation, visualization, and reiki, before veering into classic quantum woo when discussing psi. Critical thinking is essential when approaching these subjects with an open mind as science and pseudoscience are often comingled.
Using inspirational language, holistic metanarrative, and a reverence for the placebo effect, it is possible to recreate the sense of wonder, emotional release and healing that religion and spirituality evoke without relying on the supernatural or pseudoscientific.
Spiritual Stream of Consciousness
May authors and lecturers on spiritual topics tend to enter into a kind of "spiritual stream of consciousness" where they talk about these subjects, making it very hard to process what they are saying rationally. Sometimes that is the intention--to evoke an emotional response by using poetic language. However, many times they think they are making a well-reasoned point, but to anyone who isn't steeped in the same spiritual jargon as them, it comes across as nonsense.
Spiritual stream of consciousness is often very repetitive, going over the same ideas again and again using different metaphors but without providing any new information.
Commitment to using the language of science and materialism can counter this effect by ensuring that commonly recognized terminology is used, and well-reasoned arguments are incentivized by the audience.
This conversation between New Age philosophers Ken Wilber and Tim Freke provides a good example of this. The conversation is ostensibly about answering the question "what is life?" but one does not feel much closer to an answer at the end of it. While both have very interesting things to say about emergent spirituality in their books, their tendency towards spiritual stream of consciousness prevents them from reaching a wider secular audience. While there are much worse examples that could be provided, this wiki often uses examples from close ideological brethren in order to highlight distinctions.
A Rock History of Woo
Some of rock's greatest woos starting off with the original.
Hardest rockin' woo.
Jack White is a big fan of the woo. Lots to choose from in his catalogue.
This one starts out with a great woo
Most sampled woo of all time from producer James Brown on this track.
A song about quantum mechanics for you too.