Between Waves and Bits: Analog and Digital Realms in Computing and Physics

"Unraveling the analog-digital divide at the frontier of physics and computation." Are we living in a digital universe, or is reality analog at its core? Between Waves and Bits explores this fundamental question through the intertwined histories of computing and physics. From cybernetics and binary code to quantum computing and neuromorphic systems, this third volume in An East-West Trilogy examines how analog and digital paradigms reflect competing yet complementary worldviews. Jan Krikke traces the philosophical and scientific lineage of the analog-digital divide—from Greek atomism to quantum theory, and from Leibniz's binary logic to Claude Shannon's digital revolution. The book reveals how quantum computing now merges these two realms, challenging long-standing boundaries and inviting a rethinking of information, mind, and the fabric of reality. With historical depth and cross-cultural insight, Between Waves and Bits offers a compelling synthesis of Eastern metaphysics and Western science, showing how the interplay of continuity and discreteness, flow and code, might hold the key to the next great leap in technology, consciousness studies, and our understanding of the universe.