Name: The “Hippy Days” of Quantum Physics
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In seeing quantum entanglement as central to physics, The Fundamental Fysiks Group were decades ahead of their time.

How a group of free-thinking physicists in the 1970s helped shape quantum physics.

The “Hippy Days” of Quantum Physics

“Hippy Days” of Quantum Physics

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In seeing quantum entanglement as central to physics, The Fundamental Fysiks Group were decades ahead of their time.

How a group of free-thinking physicists in the 1970s helped shape quantum physics.

Physics & Math

The “Hippy Days” of Quantum PhysicsPublished: August 27, 2024Speaker 1: They call themselves the Fundamental Fysics Group, they spelled Fysics with an F. Some members would experiment with psychedelic drugs. I mean, they were in the flow of the hippie scene, and that group was just mesmerized by the question of entanglement.Speaker 2: The idea was just to discuss fringe subjects with an open mind, and I thought of, "Sure, that's kind of what I do." They were doing their best to link eastern mysticism with quantum entanglement. They sold a lot of popular textbooks. There were a lot of followers.Narrator: Their books became bestsellers like The Tao of Physics, which highlighted that Eastern philosophy and quantum entanglement both described the deep connectedness of things in the universe.Speaker 2: It was the great cosmic oneness.Narrator: The group held meetings at the iconic Esalen Institute.Speaker 2: It was a marvelous, beautiful place where they would discuss all of these ideas. It was right on the Pacific coast with the overflow from the hot tubs cascading down the cliffs into the Pacific Ocean. To my knowledge, no useful connections to Eastern mysticism were ever discovered by the group, but it was fun.Narrator: The Fundamental Fysics group may not have uncovered the secrets of cosmic oneness, but in seeing entanglement as central to physics, they were decades ahead of their time.

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The “Hippy Days” of Quantum Physics

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Support Provided By

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Einstein's Quantum Riddle

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