Holomovement

Holomovement is a theoretical concept proposed by physicist David Bohm to describe a dynamic and unbroken totality that underlies all of reality. It forms the foundation of Bohm's interpretation of quantum mechanics and his metaphysical model, particularly as articulated in his book Wholeness and the Implicate Order (1980). The holomovement integrates two key ideas: undivided wholeness and constant process. It suggests that everything in the universe is interconnected and in continual motion, with all forms and structures being temporary abstractions from this deeper, flowing unity.

Bohm's dissatisfaction with mechanistic explanations in physics led him to propose a new worldview that emphasized interconnectedness and process. Influenced by his collaborations with Basil Hiley and later F. David Peat, Bohm expanded his framework into a metaphysical model encompassing not only physical reality but also consciousness and cosmology.^[1]

In the first essay of Wholeness and the Implicate Order, Bohm introduces the idea of "undivided wholeness in flowing movement" as a paradigm shift from the fragmentary view of classical physics. He argues that all things are temporary abstractions from a continuous process of becoming, and that wholeness precedes the parts.^[2] Bohm's notion has been interpreted by scholars as a shift toward a process-based ontology grounded in quantum realism.^[3]

Bohm distinguishes between two orders of reality: the implicate (enfolded) order and the explicate (unfolded) order. The implicate order represents the hidden, generative structure of reality from which observable phenomena emerge. The holomovement is the ground from which the implicate and explicate orders arise, and into which they return.^[2]

Echoing the philosophy of Heraclitus, Bohm emphasizes that all reality is process: "All is flux." He contrasts this with the mechanistic view of isolated particles and static laws, proposing instead that process and movement are the primary realities.^[2] Bohm's emphasis on flux and interrelation has been compared to classical Chinese thought, including the processual logic of the Yijing (Book of Changes), which models reality in terms of instability and transformation.^[4]

Bohm coined the term "holonomy" to describe the governing principles of the holomovement. Rather than reducing wholes to their parts, holonomy posits that wholes generate the appearance of parts through patterns of enfoldment. These relationships operate not through local interactions, but through nonlocal, enfolded connections throughout space.^[5] Bohm's notion of holonomy was later taken up by neuroscientists to model cognition, suggesting that the brain may operate through holographic principles reflecting the holomovement's enfolded dynamics.^[6]

Bohm proposed, in a metaphysical extension of his quantum theory, that life and consciousness might emerge from the same implicate order that underlies physical processes.^[7] This view has been taken up in transpersonal psychology and speculative cosmology, but remains outside mainstream neuroscience.^[8]

Recent interpretations in integrative biology have extended the holomovement concept to propose models of "omni-local consciousness," suggesting that consciousness may be a fundamental and distributed property of the holofield.^[9]

The holomovement has also been invoked in spiritual and activist communities as a metaphor for collective awakening and planetary coherence, sometimes framing it as a foundation for a "new story" in sociocultural evolution.^[10]

Some philosophers of science have criticized Bohm's model as speculative and lacking empirical falsifiability.^{[citation needed]} Others, such as Paavo Pylkkänen and Gordon Globus, have explored its potential relevance to mind-matter interactions and holistic neuroscience.^[11] In the field of religious studies, Wouter Hanegraaff has classified the holomovement as a "scientific myth" characteristic of New Age metaphysics.^[8] Nonetheless, it has inspired dialogues in fields such as systems theory, consciousness studies, and transpersonal psychology.^[12]

Theologian Kenneth Sharpe has proposed that Bohm's holomovement provides a viable framework for a non-dualistic metaphysical theology that preserves transcendence while allowing for dynamic immanence.^[13] Kabbalist and science scholar Jeffrey Gordon has argued that Bohm's concept of holomovement resonates with kabbalistic notions of divine unfolding, reflecting broader efforts to align mystical cosmologies with emerging scientific paradigms.^[14] Bohm's focus on vibratory enfoldment has also been compared to tantric meditative models in which primordial sound and vibration structure the unfolding of reality.^[15]

The holomovement has also been cited in speculative ethical frameworks concerning posthuman and extraterrestrial intelligences, where it serves as a basis for modeling universal interconnectivity and moral coherence.^[16]

• Orchestrated objective reduction
• Karl H. Pribram