Allan Furic (BA, MPhil, MSc)

Thesis title: Varieties of theories of the whole in Quantum mechanics and Buddhist philosophy: An intuitive convergence of the interconnectedness of reality?

Biography

Background

I was originally trained as a historian in France, specialised in the imperial ideology of the central/late Middle Ages, especially the cultural developments of the two Norman kingdoms in the 12th century (England and Sicily). However, I soon realised that despite the inherent fascination that I nurtured for the medieval period, it lacked some more profound philosophical questionings on the nature of reality, the relation of man's consciousness with the world, the intersection of science and spirituality, coupled with an interdisciplinary perspective between the hard sciences and the human sciences. Hence, I ended up migrating towards the relatively new field of Science and Religion, whereof the representative programme in Edinburgh is certainly the most unique and enthralling to tackle these fundamental questions.

Qualifications

MSc Science and Religion, with Distinction (University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2021)

MPhil History, Civilisations, Heritage, with High Distinction (University of Nantes, France, 2020)

BA History, with Merit (University of Nantes, France, 2018)

Undergraduate teaching

2022/2023:

Buddhism in Global Contexts (tutoring)

Postgraduate teaching

2023/2024:

Philosophy, Science and Religion 2: Life and Mind (tutoring)

2022/2023:

Philosophy, Science and Religion 1: The Physical World (tutoring)

Current research interests

My research focuses on theories of interconnectedness of reality in the dialogue between quantum mechanics and Buddhist philosophy. More precisely, the purpose is to define whether both fields converge on a similar apprehension of reality as a whole, i.e., a universe in which all things are interrelated and interdependent. This has a direct consonant portrayal in quantum mechanics in specific interpretations of quantum-mechanical phenomena such as Bohmian mechanics (David Bohm) and Relational Quantum Mechanics (Carlo Rovelli). They each strongly emphasise the phenomenon known as entanglement as the major physical point of reference for interconnectedness. In Buddhism, interconnectedness is expressed through interdependence (dependent-origination), the idea that all things are dependent upon each other in virtue of their shared emptiness. Traced back all the way to early Buddhism, this idea has since been developed by different schools of Buddhist philosophy, the main ones being Mādyamaka (Nāgārjuna) and Chinese Hua-yen. While caution should be exerted, the apparent resemblance of ideas in each field could yield a potential syncretistic vision of the relationship between quantum mechanics and Buddhism, and more widely between science and religion.

Conference details

2023

31 August-2 September: Science and Religion Forum (SRF)  conference on Humans and Other Animals in Science and Religion (Cambridge, England). Title of paper: "Humanimals of Earth: an ethical perspective on wholeness in the dialogue between quantum mechanics and Buddhist philosophy".

21-23 June: UK Association of Buddhist Studies (UKABS) annual conference on Negotiating Boundaries in Buddhist Studies (St Andrews, Scotland). Title of paper: "In Search of the Whole: Intuiting Reality in Relational Quantum Mechanics and Mādhyamaka Philosophy".

24 February: Edinburgh Buddhist Studies (EBS) 'Work-in-progress' workshop (Edinburgh, Scotland). Title of paper: "In Search of the Whole: Intuiting Reality in Quantum Mechanics and Buddhist Philosophy".

 

2022

04-08 May: 19th European Society for the Study of Science and Theology (ESSSAT)  conference on Global Sustainability/Science and Religion in Dialogue (Ålesund, Norway). Title of paper: "Grounding Sustainability in Wholism: A Perspective from Fritjof Capra's Parallels between Quantum Mechanics and 'Eastern mysticism'".

 

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