I have this crazy idea that the universe does not hinge on me for its very existence. Call it a hunch.
Quantum Mechanics is bound to show up in this thread, claiming that it proves that objective reality is an illusion.
QM is not needed to allow you to hold the bizzare belief that reality isn't there if no one observes it. The "riddle" of 'if a tree falls in the woods, and nobody is around, does it make a sound' predates QM. You can hold this belief if you want to, leave modern day physics out of it.
The fact about quantum mechanics is, that it behaves very strangely at tiny scales. But these scales are too tiny for us to be able to see them. We need to amplify them up to the macro scale in order to actually see what's going on.
It is the amplification of a quantum effect which causes the superposition to collapse. The fact that we can now "observe" the macro scale phenomena is irrelevant. It is the amplification to macro scales that "does the damage", not our conscious examination of that amplification.
So, I agree with Schroedinger...cats are alive or dead, not both at the same time. The geiger counter is what causes the collapse, not you looking into the box.
At least that is how I believe it too be.
The claim that 'quantum mechanics proves that there is no such thing as objective reality' is a myth, pure and simple. It does no such thing. You can certainly read that into QM, but it's not implictly there. Further more, you can read such a conclusion into the world without the aid of QM, as I said above.
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Last edited by CSflim; 03-25-2004 at 03:31 PM..
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