Against the "nightmare of a mechanically determined universe": Why Bohm was never a Bohmian

TL;DR

This paper argues that David Bohm's philosophical stance was consistently non-mechanistic and that he was never truly a Bohmian, challenging the common narrative of his conversion to determinism.

Contribution

It reveals that Bohm's philosophical views remained non-mechanistic throughout his career, contradicting the widely held belief of his conversion to Bohmian determinism.

Findings

Bohm consistently rejected mechanistic determinism.

Bohm's philosophical views have been misinterpreted.

He was never genuinely a Bohmian.

Abstract

David Bohm has put forward the first deterministic interpretation of quantum physics, and for this he seems to be regarded as a champion of determinism by physicists (both his contemporaries and the supporters of his interpretation, the so-called "Bohmians") as well as by historians of physics. The standard narrative is that he underwent a "conversion" from being a supporter of Bohr to being a staunch determinist, due to his interaction with Einstein and his commitment to Marxism. Here we show that Bohm actually upheld with continuity throughout his career some philosophical tenets that included a strong rejection of mechanistic determinism. As such, we conclude that Bohm was never a Bohmian and that his philosophical views have been largely misinterpreted.