Sunday, December 18, 2011

Quantum reality

The "and" and the "or"  underlie quantum reality as well.  Such a lovably fuzzy creature that quantum reality is!!! Take our famous friend the electron.  We can't say it's here.  We can't say it's there.  We can say there is a 45% chance it is here, 10% chance it is there etc.  In a way, it is almost here, there and almost everywhere at the same time.   Thus, the "and" underlies its essence, or more accurately, it struggles to underlie its essence.  That it may not seem to be at one place at any time is the wavelike nature of the electron's reality, and the "and" underlies this wavelike being.
However, the great quantum physicists said that the act of observing a particle fixes its location, providing the particle-like aspect of its being.   It is no longer here and there; Rather, it is somewhere determinate.  It is here and not there. The act of observation draws it out of its indeterminate location, differentiating it from the ether, giving it its "orness".  It is here or there, but it is not both.
There is this interplay between the "and" and the "or" that is constantly at work in quantum reality.  The "and" and the "or" are everywhere in this world. Its pretty intense.

No comments:

Post a Comment