There are few scientists of the twentieth century whose life's work has created more excitement and controversy than that of physicist David Bohm (1917-1992). Exploring the philosophical implication of both physics and consciousness, Bohm's penchant for questioning scientific and social orthodoxy was the expression of a rare and maverick intelligence. For Bohm, the world of matter and the experience of consciousness were two aspects of a more fundamental process he called the implicate order. Without a working sensibility of what this implicate order might be, our conceptions of the various threads of Bohm's work--whether in quantum theory or social dialogue remain incomplete. But with an enhanced understanding of such an order, the wholeness of Bohm's work becomes apparent and accessible. For the first time in a single volume, The Essential David Bohm offers a comprehensive overview of Bohm's original works from a non-technical perspective. Including three chapters of previously unpublished material, each reading has been selected to highlight some aspect of the implicate order process, and to provide an introduction to one of the most provocative thinkers of our time.

戴維·玻姆（DavidJosephBohm，1917～1992）是飲譽當代的量子物理學傢和科學思想傢。他以反潮流的大無畏精神和嚴謹求實的科學態度對玻爾創立的量子力學正統觀點提齣瞭挑戰，同時緻力於量子理論的新解釋。

戴維·約瑟夫·玻姆教授（DavidJosephBohm,1917年12月20日生於美國賓夕法尼亞州巴尓小鎮；1992年10月12日卒於倫敦一傢醫院，享年74歲），把畢生精力奉獻給瞭人類探索實在本性的科學事業。作為一位卓越的量子物理學傢，他不僅在主流研究（諸如等離子體物理學理論、金屬理論、高能粒子理論以及AB效應等等）中做齣其獨特的貢獻，而且更重要得是，在量子力學的基礎研究中，他以反潮流的大無畏精神和嚴謹求實的科學態度，對於玻尓創立的量子力學正統觀點提齣瞭挑戰。

四十多年來，他於1952年發錶的關於量子因果解釋的兩篇著名論文，一直是實在論物理學傢從事量子力學基礎研究的鼓舞力量和思想源泉。作為一位偉大的科學思想傢，他和愛因斯坦一樣，堅持科學的任務不僅在於描述自然，而且在於理解自然。他強調科學觀念中概念的明晰性，高度重視第一原理的基礎研究。他的自然哲學思想是反還原論的與開放的。他寓西方科學精神與東方哲學於一體，堅持受到現代科學支持的整體性實在觀。他關於物質與精神本性的隱纏序觀念，超越瞭傳統科學與傳統哲學的疆域，對於科學和人類文明的未來具有潛在的深遠影響力。