The concept of outer space has transcended its purely physical aspects and transformed into a social construct, influenced by dynamic social, political, and economic priorities. Similarly, colonization has imposed subjective temporal borders worldwide, overlooking pre-existing realities and enforcing a standardized notion of time. This review delves into the non-linear understanding of time and the captivating concept of quantum entanglement, both of which have enjoyed public fascination. Remarkably, while Western scientific methods have recently provided evidence for these phenomena, they have been integral to cosmological traditions beyond our own culture for centuries. However, colonialist methodologies not only disregard these scientific breakthroughs but also fail to acknowledge them if they do not conform to our established standards. In this review, I aim to explore the non-linear conception of time throughout history, particularly in non-Western cultures, and elucidate the recent physics research that substantiates the existence of quantum entanglement, positioning the West significantly behind in its acknowledgment and understanding.
Understanding our perception of space requires an examination of the nature of scientific inquiry and space exploration in Western academia. The influence of colonization on our understanding of time and space has resulted in a uniform and linear perspective, with the present era, modernity, being treated as the sole reference point for understanding history (Burwell, 2019). This has led to a distortion of the true nature of the world, as we tend to interpret it solely through our own cultural lens. Consequently, this normalization of a single paradigm undermines the recognition of diverse social realities that existed before colonization and beyond the colonial core. This chauvinistic approach to understanding history disregards the rich body of intellectual traditions that have thrived pre-industrialization and were crucial in the history of scientific discoveries to reach our working knowledge of the natural world. (Mills, 2020)
The colonial mindset permeates our approach to space exploration, evident in the terminology we employ, such as "conquest," "settlement," and "colony," when referring to our interactions beyond Earth (Swanner, 2017). This underlying manifest destiny perspective, particularly pronounced among American scientists, contradicts the Indigenous understanding of astronomy. These terminologies carry historical baggage of imperialism and domination, perpetuating a colonial narrative in space exploration. Indigenous cultures, on the other hand, often view the cosmos with reverence and interconnectedness, recognizing a profound relationship between celestial bodies and their own existence (Martin et al., 2022).
The term "indigenous" represents diverse cultures sharing similar values but practicing distinct traditions. In Maori culture, "whakapapa" translates to genealogy, but the English term does not accurately capture its essence (Irwin, 2022). Whakapapa embodies a profound philosophical understanding of kinship, connecting people to everything they touch, forming a cosmic constellation. Each entity, be it planets, water, trees, or stars, possesses a unique character intertwined with others. These kin relations are vital, as interactions between entities fundamentally transform one another .
While our conventional view of the universe follows a rigid cause and effect format, recent scientific research challenges this notion. Quantum Entanglement, akin to Maori traditions, defies cause and effect relationships. Entanglement is a holistic property of compound quantum systems, where the state of one part of the system cannot be described independently of the state of the other parts. (Horodecki et al., 2009) This non-separability results in nonclassical correlations between the subsystems, leading to phenomena that cannot be explained by classical physics. In correlation experiments based on Bell's theorem, entangled particles are sent to distant measurement devices, and measurements are made on each particle simultaneously. Bell’s theorem, simply put, is the critique of a previously widely held concept in physics known as “Local Realism”— that particle properties are fixed beforehand and only determined when measured. The results of these measurements are then compared, and the correlations between the outcomes are studied. Bell's theorem states that the probabilities of these measurement outcomes cannot be generated from classical correlations, meaning that the observed correlations between entangled particles cannot be explained by any classical (non-quantum) theory. Instead, the correlations observed in entangled states violate certain inequalities known as Bell inequalities, indicating the presence of genuine quantum entanglement.
While Bell's theorem may not offer definitive proof of quantum reality's nature, it signifies a pivotal step forward in comprehending quantum physics. Similarly, complete detachment from established methodologies and epistemologies ingrained since our educational beginnings is an unattainable goal for scientists. Yet, what holds significance is our capacity to question and explore actively, steering scientific practice toward a global, inclusive trajectory that benefits humanity at large.
References
Burwell, J. (2019). Imagining the Beyond: The Social and Political Fashioning of Outer Space. Space Policy, 48, 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2018.10.002
Horodecki, R., Horodecki, P., Horodecki, M., & Horodecki, K. (2009). Quantum entanglement. Reviews of Modern Physics, 81(2), 865–942. https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.81.865
Irwin, R., (2022). Idealist Individualism or Indigenous Cosmology; Finding Entanglement across Species and Strata. Religions, 13(12), 1193. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13121193
Martin, E. C., Walkowicz, L., Nesvold, E.,& Vidaurri, M. (2022). Ethics in Solar System exploration. Nature Astronomy, 6(6), 641–642. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01712-0
Mills, C. W. (2020). The chronopolitics of racial time. Time & Society, 29(2), 297–317. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X20903650
Swanner, L. (2017). Instruments of Science or Conquest? Neocolonialism and Modern American Astronomy. Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, 47(3), 293–319.