In recent years, there has been an emerging field of research and study in the social sciences known as ‘Quantum Social Science.’ Without even realizing or knowing that such a field of research and study even existed in the social sciences, the first ever article I wrote and published for my blog in June 2019 is titled “The Quantumization of U.S. Foreign Policy: A Proposal.” Thus, there is a ‘classic’ study of the social sciences on one hand, and then there is a ‘quantum’ study of social sciences on the other hand. Much of my book, which I published in January 2018, dealt with ‘classic’ international relations theory, even though I did touch on some of the ideas and issues which related to the “Quantum Theory” of the physical sciences which are the philosophical underpinnings of a “quantum” study of the social sciences.
Arguably, the blog has been a bridge between the ‘classic’ approach I took when writing the book and the ‘quantum’ approach which I have recently become familiar with. And as I have mentioned in my first blog post, once a ‘quantum’ approach is adopted, there is no going back to the ‘classic’ approach.
The idea behind “Quantum Social Science” is that some of the concepts or ideas behind the “Quantum Mechanics” or “Quantum Theory” of the physical sciences can be applied to the social sciences. This idea is entirely new to the social sciences, and it will take time to develop. Moreover, there are only about a handful of “quantum” social scientists who are sparsely scattered around the globe. Perhaps in order to develop this novel and innovative field of study even further, the intellectuals and scholars who have led this field of study thus far should engage with other researchers and with students in order to bring them on board with the idea. Stakeholders in the social sciences should also perhaps bring these “quantum” social scientists together and support them so that they can collaborate and develop the field even further.
Arguably, one of the major differences between the ‘classic’ approach of the social sciences and the ‘quantum’ approach is that while the former gravitates towards race and culture or even money as the main determining factors of social reality, the latter approach contends that frequency and waves make up the main determining factor of social reality. In essence, the “quantum system” of the physical world is a corollary of the “quantum system” of the social world. The idea that the “quantum system” of the physical world is actually a corollary of the “quantum system” which exists in the social world is an idea I put forth in my first blog post.
Although familiarity with the basic concepts and ideas of the “Quantum Theory” of the physical sciences is very much important for the development of the “quantum” approach of the social sciences and for enabling one to effectively engage with “quantum” social science, arguably, much of these concepts and ideas are now intuitively known by people because of advancements and evolutions in globalization and technology. And what ends up touching off the “quantum” approach as the standard approach in the social sciences in the months and years to come is something that all observers and stakeholders should perhaps look out for, given the advancements and evolutions which are occurring in the social world virtually on a daily basis because of globalization and technology.
Adam A. Azim 