Entangled Stories of Life: Narrative Agencies and “Ethics of Worlding” in the Quantum Realm

Abstract

The foundational principle of quantum physics is the notion of entanglement, which can best be described as the ontological inseparability of subatomic particles in such a way that the measurement of one particle’s quantum state determines the possible quantum states of all other particles. Supported by hard data in quantum physics, this nonlocal connectedness comprises the internal relatedness of all existence at all levels of reality, which is also an expressive (or, narrative) interconnectedness material ecocriticism labels as narrative agencies of storied matter. Matter’s expressive capacity is best observable in the subatomic particles that have a certain degree of creative expression when they communicate nonlocally. I argue that being part of this reality means being part of the entangled stories of life, which compels us to act responsibly and develop a new ethical attention toward our interconnections in the indivisible field of existence. Ethical responsibility here is accountable “becoming with each other” (Haraway 2008), which Karen Barad calls “ethics of worlding” (2007) necessary to sustain our storied existence (from the subatomic particles all the way up).