By Kevin Parker
with full credit to Dr. Antoine Suarez, Center for Quantum Philosophy, Zurich and Geneva
Introduction
In his 2018 presentation “Future Contingents and the Multiverse,” Antoine Suarez, founder of the Center for Quantum Philosophy, proposes a provocative synthesis between theological concepts of divine omniscience and the quantum interpretation of the multiverse. Suarez’s thesis rests on a metaphysical reinterpretation of quantum phenomena—particularly nonlocality and contextuality—as evidence for a reality fundamentally structured by the freedom of human choice and the pre-vision of an omniscient divine mind.
This article offers an expanded and critical analysis of Suarez’s thesis. It aims to clarify key terms, outline the philosophical and scientific arguments made, and raise counterpoints from both physics and theology to provide a balanced view. It ultimately situates Suarez’s work within the broader dialogue between science and metaphysics, where it may be read as both daring and contentious.
Suarez’s Central Thesis: The Mind of God and the Quantum Multiverse
Quantum Contextuality and the Kochen-Specker Theorem
At the heart of Suarez’s argument is quantum contextuality—a principle demonstrating that the outcome of a quantum measurement cannot be assigned independently of the context in which it is measured. This challenges classical realism, which assumes that physical properties exist prior to and independent of observation.
Suarez builds on the pioneering work of Ernst Specker and the Kochen-Specker theorem, which mathematically proves the impossibility of non-contextual hidden variables in quantum mechanics (Kochen and Specker 1967). Suarez interprets this indeterminacy as a space for divine foresight: not that God determines outcomes, but that God knows all possible outcomes, depending on human free will.
“The invisible quantum realm is…a huge mental ensemble of possible outcomes which lies outside space-time in God’s mind”
—Suarez, Future Contingents and the Multiverse, 2018
Divine Omniscience and Future Contingents
Suarez connects quantum physics with medieval scholastic debates over infuturabilien—“future contingents” or unrealized hypothetical events. He cites Luis de Molina’s theory of scientia media, or “middle knowledge,” in which God foreknows all possible choices humans could freely make, without overriding their agency (Molina 1588; Solana 1941).
This perspective is presented as an alternative to determinism, where God’s omniscience encompasses all possible worlds—not only the one actualized. In this view, the multiverse is not a physical reality but a mental one: a divine ensemble of possible realities, from which free agents select paths through their choices.
Critique of Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI)
Suarez critiques the Hugh Everett-inspired Many-Worlds Interpretation, which posits that every quantum event spawns a branching set of parallel universes. He argues that if these worlds are in principle inaccessible to observation, then—per Leibniz’s identity of indiscernibles—they do not belong to physical reality.
He reinforces this with Jeremy Butterfield’s analogy of the ichthyologist’s net: science only captures what its methods allow, dismissing what lies outside as “metaphysics” (Butterfield 2014).
Suarez turns this on its head. If MWI is inherently untestable, then he suggests we are justified in reframing it metaphysically—perhaps even theologically.
Critical Evaluation and Counterarguments
1. The Problem of Metaphysical Inflation
Suarez’s conflation of metaphysics with physics may be seen as a speculative leap. By interpreting quantum possibilities as divine thoughts, Suarez introduces a theological layer that goes beyond the empirical framework of physics.
Critics such as David Deutsch argue that Everett’s MWI is mathematically parsimonious and avoids the problem of wavefunction collapse. Deutsch claims that quantum computing—successful in real-world applications—derives from MWI principles, which treat quantum parallelism as physically real rather than theological metaphor (Deutsch 1997).
The danger, then, is metaphysical inflation: the risk of importing theological ideas where simpler scientific models suffice.
2. Subjective Probability vs Objective Reality
Suarez also incorporates QBism (Quantum Bayesianism), which treats quantum probabilities as subjective beliefs. While this approach aligns with his “prophetic mind” metaphor, it leaves unresolved how these subjective beliefs map onto physical reality. QBism’s founder Christopher Fuchs acknowledges that its framework is “incomplete” without a better account of the external world (Fuchs et al. 2014).
Furthermore, using Bayesian inference to support divine foreknowledge risks circular reasoning—subjectivity is interpreted theologically, which is then used to justify subjectivity.
3. Free Will as an Ontological Premise
A core assumption in Suarez’s framework is the ontological primacy of human free will. He states that without free choice, physical reality itself could not exist—a dramatic reversal of conventional causality.
Yet this raises questions: is free will empirically demonstrable, or is it a metaphysical belief? Cognitive science and neuroscience increasingly suggest that what we call “free choice” may be subject to unconscious processes, casting doubt on its foundational role in constructing reality (Libet 1985).
4. The Role of Divine Mind in Science
Suarez presents his model as a bridge between quantum physics and theology, yet this raises epistemological concerns. Does invoking the “mind of God” provide explanatory power, or does it mark the end of scientific inquiry?
Science philosopher Karl Popper warned against such explanatory closures, arguing that theories must remain falsifiable to be considered scientific (Popper 1959). Suarez’s model, while intellectually stimulating, may be unfalsifiable and thus better categorized as metaphysics than physics.
Philosophical Significance
Despite critiques, Suarez’s work is noteworthy for the following contributions:
- Re-enchantment of the cosmos: It resists the reductionism of mechanistic science by restoring meaning to quantum unpredictability.
- Dialogue between disciplines: Suarez stands in the tradition of thinkers like Whitehead, Bohr, and Teilhard de Chardin who sought to unify science, philosophy, and theology.
- Ethical implications: If human freedom plays a cosmic role, it elevates personal responsibility and moral agency to a metaphysical principle.
Conclusion: Metaphysics as a Necessary Companion to Physics?
Antoine Suarez’s “Future Contingents and the Multiverse” does not merely attempt to solve a technical problem in quantum theory—it reimagines our place in the cosmos. By fusing quantum contextuality, divine omniscience, and the multiverse into a coherent metaphysical proposal, Suarez challenges both physicists and theologians to reconsider the boundaries of their disciplines.
While some may find his proposal speculative or theologically overreaching, it opens fertile ground for discussion. In an age where science increasingly resembles metaphysics—talking of multiverses, simulated realities, and anthropic fine-tuning—perhaps Suarez’s invocation of the divine mind is not a retreat from science, but a return to its deepest questions.
References
- Kochen, Simon, and Ernst Specker. “The Problem of Hidden Variables in Quantum Mechanics.” Journal of Mathematics and Mechanics 17 (1967): 59–87.
- Specker, Ernst. “Die Logik nicht gleichzeitig entscheidbarer Aussagen.” Dialectica 14 (1960): 239–246.
- Albrecht, Andreas. “A Cosmos in the Lab.” Nature 542 (2017): 164.
- Butterfield, Jeremy. “A Philosopher’s Perspective on the Multiverse.” arXiv (2014). https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.4348
- Deutsch, David. The Fabric of Reality. London: Allen Lane, 1997.
- Fuchs, C. A., N. D. Mermin, and R. Schack. “An Introduction to QBism.” American Journal of Physics 82, no. 8 (2014): 749–754.
- Libet, Benjamin. “Unconscious Cerebral Initiative and the Role of Conscious Will in Voluntary Action.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences 8, no. 4 (1985): 529–566.
- Popper, Karl. The Logic of Scientific Discovery. London: Hutchinson, 1959.
- Molina, Luis de. Concordia liberi arbitrii cum gratiae donis. Lisbon: 1588.
- Solana, M. Historia de la filosofía española. Vol. 3. Madrid: Asociación Española para el Progreso de las Ciencias, 1941.