Search
Search
Maths, like quantum physics, has observer problems
Maths, like quantum physics, has observer problems

Date

source

share

We are well aware by now of the observer problem in quantum mechanics. Human subjectivity appears to play a key role in the results of quantum experiments. However, the observer problem reaches far beyond just quantum mechanics, argues Edward Frenkel. . . .

We are well aware by now of the observer problem in quantum mechanics. Human subjectivity appears to play a key role in the results of quantum experiments. However, the observer problem reaches far beyond just quantum mechanics, argues Edward Frenkel.   In the episode The Path to the Black Lodge of David Lynch’s iconic series Twin Peaks, Annie (played by Heather Graham) recites to Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) a famous quote by the great German physicist Werner Heisenberg, “What we observe is not reality itself but reality exposed to our method of questioning.”This quote elegantly encapsulates what is often referred to as “observer-dependence” in quantum mechanics: Depending on how we set up an experiment, quantum reality will expose itself in various ways, with different experimental setups revealing different,…

Read the full article which is published on IAI TV (external link)

More
articles

More
news

What is Disagreement?

What is Disagreement?

This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on the academic, and specifically philosophical study of disagreement. In this series...

Music for Mice

Music for Mice

Eva Meijer lives philosophically with Earth others.

Bluey and Philosophy

Bluey and Philosophy

In his beautiful film Tree of Life, Terrance Malick attempts to tackle philosophical issues such as the meaning of life,...

Platonism in Metaphysics

Platonism in Metaphysics

[Revised entry by Mark Balaguer on December 24, 2024. Changes to: Main text, Bibliography, notes.html] Platonism is the view that...