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The universe according to Bohm actually has two faces, or more precisely, two orders. One is the explicate order, corresponding to the physical world as we know it in day-to-day reality, the other a deeper, more fundamental order which Bohm calls the implicate order. The implicate order is the vast holomovement. We see only the surface of this movement as it presents or 'explicates' itself from moment to moment in time and space. What we see in the world - the explicate order - is no more than the surface of the implicate order as it unfolds. Time and space are themselves the modes or forms of the unfolding process. They are like the screen on the video game. The displays on the screen may seem to interact directly with each other but, in fact, their interaction merely reflects what the game computer is doing. The rules which govern the operation of the computer are, of course, different from those that govern the behavior of the figures displayed on the screen. Moreover, like the implicate order of Bohm's model, the computer might be capable of many operations that in no way apparent upon examination of the game itself as it progresses on the screen.

David Bohm#30

RealityPhysicsMetaphysicsOrderUniverse

About this quote

What does it mean?
The universe has an explicate order (visible world) and an implicate order (deeper reality), where time and space unfold from a fundamental movement.
In plain terms
The visible world is just a surface of a deeper, hidden order of reality.
What can you take from it?
Look beyond surface appearances to understand deeper reality.

Where it applies

  • studying cosmology
  • spiritual practice
  • philosophical study

Putting it to work

  • explore holomovement concepts
  • study quantum foundations

Questions to consider

  • What lies beneath the visible world?
  • How does reality unfold?

Another view

The implicate order remains theoretical and unverified by direct experiment.

More from David Bohm

  1. What is essential here is the presence of the spirit of dialogue, which is in short, the ability to hold many points of view in suspension, along with a primar…

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  2. Dave always arrives at the right conclusions, but his mathematics is terrible. I take it home and find all sorts of errors and then have to spend the night try…

    Permalink to quote #31
  3. A key difference between a dialogue and an ordinary discussion is that, within the latter people usually hold relatively fixed positions and argue in favor of …

    Permalink to quote #28

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