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In the previous 2 posts of this series we looked at some of the pillars of quantum physics: the measurement problem & quantum entanglement and the way both can be demonstrated in the infamous double slit experiment. There we saw that the way an experiment is carried out seems to determine what we measure - an objective reality is nowhere to be seen, in other words: a conscious observer influences the result of a quantum measurement.

Let's take this one step further: In this post I'd like to demonstrate that on the quantum level even the law of cause and effect seems to break down.

This post is all about a practical demonstration of the measurement problem which has been discussed in a more general way in the previous post, click here to read it.

This central statement is where we left off:
Only when a measurement is carried out, ONE of the variety of possible states of any given quantum system is magically picked out and is then called "reality". This reality depends on how the observer looks, i.e. on the particular way the experiment is carried out. The process of picking out one of many possibility is what we call 'collapse of the wave function'. Nobody knows how the system 'truly' looks like, and when we look we see only one aspect.

The double-slit experiment is a very tangible and certainly the most prominent way to demonstrate how the measurement problem can manifest. It works as follows:

Erric announced in his blog about Robert Lanza's book 'Biocentrism' that I would write a little something about the science in the book.
Here we go, this is the first in a series of three posts about the effect of an observer in quantum physics.



Part 1 - Measurement problem and quantum entanglement



I'd like to focus on 2 of the seven principles of Lanza's theory::

  • What we perceive as reality is a process that involves our consciousness. An "external" reality, if it existed, would by definition have to exist in space. But this is meaningless, because space and time are not absolute realities but rather tools of the human and animal mind.

  • The behaviour of subatomic particles, indeed all particles and objects, is inextricably linked to the presence of an observer. Without the presence of a conscious observer, they at best exist in an undetermined state of probability waves (or 'wave functions').

Let's begin by a quote from Richard Conn Henry, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University. He pointed out that Lanza's theory is consistent with quantum physics: “What Lanza says in this book is not new. Then why does Robert have to say it at all? It is because we, the physicists, do NOT say it - or if we do say it, we only whisper it, and in private - furiously blushing as we mouth the words. True, yes; politically correct, hell no!”