  This essay provides a short introduction to the ideas and potential
implications of quantum physics for scholars in the arts, humanities, and
social sciences. Quantum-inspired ideas pepper current discourse in all of
these fields, in ways that range from playful metaphors to sweeping ontological
claims. We explain several of the most important concepts at the core of
quantum theory, carefully delineating the scope and bounds of currently
established science, in order to aid the evaluation of such claims. In
particular, we emphasize that the smallest units of matter and light, as
described in quantum physics, are not {\em things}, meaning that they do not
obey the logic we take for granted when discussing the behavior of macroscopic
objects. We also highlight the substantial debate that exists within physics
about the interpretation of the equations and empirical results at the core of
quantum physics, noting that implicit (and contested) philosophical commitments
necessarily accompany any discussion of quantum ideas that takes place in
non-technical language.
