Angelus News | August 2-9, 2019 | Vol. 4 No. 27

makes clear that when it comes to
resolving the quantum paradox, faith
and science are not only compatible
but need each other.
DeLano was inspired to create “The
End of Quantum Reality” after he
encountered Smith’s writings. “What
inspired me to share this story,” he
told Angelus News, “was the recognition
that I had encountered in Dr.
Wolfgang Smith a profound genius, a
man whose work is of centuries-spanning
significance.”
Impressive as an individual scholar
might be, a film about quantum
physics and its refutation runs the
risk of being much too dense for a
lay audience. Luckily, “The End of
Quantum Reality” does an impressive
job presenting complex principles in
a straightforward and interesting way,
using an array of visuals, interviews,
and anecdotes to turn a scientific
debate into an intriguing story.
Smith explains how his intellectual
journey was also a personal one, and
interviewees share how his work has
changed their careers and lives.
One of them, Brazilian professor
Olavo de Carvalho, teaches an online
philosophy class that incorporates
Smith’s works to about 5,000 students.
Still, the reach of Smith’s work remains
limited. His theory has not broken
through to mainstream science,
academia, and society, which still
seem to cling to the Cartesian mindset
and quantum physics.
Why has this proposed resolution to
one of the most troubling scientific
enigmas in history gone overlooked
since it was first presented two decades
ago?
According to Smith, the problem
is an ideological one. “It is difficult,
almost impossible, in fact, for the
scientific community to recognize
the fact that Cartesian bifurcation is a
philosophic postulate, for which there
is absolutely no scientific basis,” he
said.
“It is not that they can conceive
or imagine a scientific proof of that
hypothesis; it is rather that they are
unable to conceive that it might not
be true.”
Smith continued that accepting his
theory necessarily entails recognizing
a divine reality, which in modern
SCREENSHOT VIA VIMEO
science is thoroughly rejected. In
order for a change to take place, he
said, “physical science will have to be
knocked off its high horse by recognizing
its stringent limitations.”
And this process is already underway,
he added, as developments in space
exploration (particularly the data from
the Planck satellite launched in 2009)
have presented challenges and refutations
to theories such as “big bang
cosmology.”
“The dream that physics can in principle
become a ‘theory of everything’
needs thus to be officially disavowed
as the pipe dream it is,” Smith said.
Even though the theory has not yet
penetrated modern thinking, Smith
believes that the film still delivers
a vital, influential message. “I dare
hope that, sooner or later, the impact
of what the movie has to say will
contribute its share to bring to an end
the 400-year arc of history some have
called ‘the reign of quantity,’ ” he said.
This impact, he added, is necessary
for both society at large and for
the mission of the Catholic faith in
the world. “I fully believe with St.
Thomas Aquinas that ‘a small error
regarding the creation’ invariably gives
rise to ‘a false conception concerning
God,’ from which I conclude that
what we are doing is vital for the
renewal of the Church.”
“The End of Quantum Reality” is
scheduled for a limited release in
theaters across the country this September.
Sophia Buono is a writer living in
Arlington, Virginia.
30 • ANGELUS • August 2-9, 2019