Rethinking challenges of a holographic world: Towards a quantum ontology for global governance

Abstract

About 25 years ago, James Rosenau called for a new ontology for global governance; 25 years on, this call remains relevant, because one of the main sources of many ‘global’ challenges (and their potential solutions) ultimately lies in the way we think, at the core of which is ontology or the fundamental assumption about reality. As the Newtonian atomistic ontology of independent things continues to dominate the theory and practice of global governance, this article proposes quantum holography as an alternative ontological framework. Treating parts as embodying the whole and lacking their own separate status, quantum holography draws on the radical ontology of quantum holism to dissolve the boundaries between matter and meaning, nature and human, whole and part, global and local/national. The article argues that to better understand and more effectively deal with the many challenges of the complex and volatile world, fostering a quantum holographic consciousness is essential.