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ElliElephant OP t1_jb0lh8i wrote

Reply to comment by vegancookie in Wittgenstein’s Revenge (this genuinely changed the way I look at the world) by ElliElephant

Well quantum physics would suggest that absent an observer, there is no reality at all

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vegancookie t1_jb0lsi9 wrote

Wouldn’t that be more aligned to my argument than your own?

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ElliElephant OP t1_jb0me5j wrote

Possibly, yeah. When going thaaaat deep I can only guess blindly at answers

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vegancookie t1_jb0px3l wrote

I did say originally “in before quantum physics I can’t understand” :p

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ElliElephant OP t1_jb0s54u wrote

I don’t think anyone can. It seems like even to the physicists it is extremely awkward that our best, most tested scientific theory of understanding of the universe… somehow implies physical reality is directly effected by a conscious mind

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IIILORDGOLDIII t1_jb1nsaa wrote

I think this interpretation of what "observation" means in quantum physics is generally rejected in the scientific community.

It seems consciousness is not a requirement for observation to occur in this context.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observer_(quantum_physics)

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ElliElephant OP t1_jb1oeja wrote

Debated for sure. Scientists never imagined they’d ever need the philosophers’ help to do science, but they do

What does it truly mean to observe? And does it require consciousness?

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IIILORDGOLDIII t1_jb2hg3u wrote

The definition of observation in this case is clearly defined and different from how you would use it outside the context of quantum mechanics.

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ElliElephant OP t1_jb2ifw2 wrote

It isn’t though. There is no clear definition of an observation in quantum mechanics. That’s the only whole paradox of Schrödinger’s cat being both dead and alive. Is the observation when the instrument inside the box records the value, or does the observation occur when the box is opened and the value can be read? There’s no way to know

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IIILORDGOLDIII t1_jb2ngal wrote

If a tree falls in the forest, the vibrations that our ears translate into sound occur regardless of an ear being present.

>As John Bell inquired, "Was the wave function waiting to jump for thousands of millions of years until a single-celled living creature appeared? Or did it have to wait a little longer for some highly qualified measurer—with a PhD?"

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ElliElephant OP t1_jb2opvp wrote

Well yeah...that’s the million dollar question isn’t it.

If the universe objectively cares about life - or even more so - if the universe objectively cares about life capable of being curious about the universe..

Well, I think the profundity of the implications there is self evident

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IIILORDGOLDIII t1_jb2qjq0 wrote

I think the big bang probably happened with or without any conscious observers.

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ElliElephant OP t1_jb2r5fa wrote

🤷🏼‍♂️ That question goes above my pay grade

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