"The square of the wave function, Ψ^2, however, does have physical significance: the probability of finding the particle described by a specific wave function Ψ at a given point and time is proportional to the value of Ψ^2." (Britannica) — jgill
Is "pure" mathematics, meaning, mathematics that does not apply to the world (via physics, for example), something invented or discovered? — Manuel
Is "pure" mathematics, meaning, mathematics that does not apply to the world (via physics, for example), something invented or discovered? — Manuel
A physical observer is an objective instrumental observer not a person. — magritte
Seeing the resume is experimental evidence.
And how do you think they got said features? If not by actually knowing what they're talking about (with maybe a few rare exceptions)? — khaled
If I send you my resume with all known PhD diplomas that have ever existed, would you just accept the result of this experiment? — boethius
Can you put two electrons next to each other yourself? I doubt it. — khaled
Yes, things I haven't actually done, like put two electrons together, I have less confidence in than things I have done. — boethius
Some level of scheming I find implausible — boethius
You're also forgetting the important step of independent groups confirming results, rather than just believing experts. — boethius
Essentially by definition I cannot actually verify by experiment exactly how trustworthy people are, I'm forced to make due with guessing and keeping an eye on things — boethius
But you have some confidence in them. Where does that come from? — khaled
What the hell was that novella then? — khaled
Right, and what do you look at when you make your guesses? Does someone having a PhD or Doctorate improve your chances of trusting them in any way? That would be crazy! — khaled
proposed explanations coherent with that and implausible that (again not due to experimental evidence by my feelings of humanity's trustworthiness) has been made up to gaslight me. — boethius
Right. And all I was saying is that it’s implausible that most experts (from trustworthy institutions that have no motivation to lie about this) saying that consciousness is not required for quantum wave collapse, are gaslighting us. This isn’t even a political issue. There is no reason to lie here. Do you agree with that much? — khaled
what experiment allows us to distinguish between a "real expert" and not. — boethius
As for the subject matter, if someone talking about "science" doesn't have an experiment to backup their claim, it doesn't matter anyway. — boethius
What you should say (even if you had the above data) is "most experts speculate consciousness is not needed for wave collapse".
But if it's just speculation, who cares? — boethius
Point is, what the experts mostly speculated before and what they mostly speculate now doesn't matter, what matters is experiment, independent verification, and the trust (based on feeling) that we place in such verifying experiments (that also extends to ourselves as part of this vaguely trustworthy humanity, as we can also do an experiment ourselves, but do it wrong). — boethius
History (which produces experts), if you bother to look at it, show us "experts" mostly agreeing on a lot of speculations at any given time. Most experts, until recently, nearly all "speculated" the expansion of the universe was slowing down, the question was just how much. Then someone (and it doesn't matter if they're an expert or not) provided evidence that the expansion is actually speeding up. Other groups then independently confirmed this ... maybe; more actual experiments, actually independent maybe needed to increase our confidence to certainty (there could be something seriously wrong with distance measurements, considering the conflict in measuring the Hubble constant may mean we're missing something profound). For now however, "experts" mostly speculate the universe is indeed accelerating in it's expansion. — boethius
Point is, someone working on theories where the LHC doesn't discover anything more than the Higgs before the LHC results, was not "wrong" because many experts speculated otherwise. — boethius
Speculation of experts doesn't resolve issues, otherwise no scientific breakthrough would ever happen (as they are almost always fringe ideas when they are first thought of, and would be discarded the moment they are thought of due to "contrary expert speculation"). — boethius
'Observation' is a conscious act, carried out by a person. — Wayfarer
Of course the introduction of the observer must not be misunderstood to imply that some kind of subjective features are to be brought into the description of nature. The observer has, rather, only the function of registering decisions, i.e., processes in space and time, and it does not matter whether the observer is an apparatus or a human being; but the registration, i.e., the transition from the "possible" to the "actual," is absolutely necessary here and cannot be omitted from the interpretation of quantum theory. — Heisenberg
The dependence of what is observed upon the choice of experimental arrangement made Einstein unhappy. It conflicts with the view that the universe exists "out there" independent of all acts of observation. In contrast Bohr stressed that we confront here an inescapable new feature of nature, to be welcomed because of the understanding it gives us. In struggling to make clear to Einstein the central point as he saw it, Bohr found himself forced to introduce the word 'phenomenon'. In today's words, Bohr's point - and the central point of quantum theory - can be put in a simple sentence. "No elementary phenomenon is a phenomenon until it is a registered (observed) phenomenon." ...A phenomenon is not a phenomenon until it has been brought to a close by an irreversible act of amplification such as the blackening of a grain of silver bromide emulsion or the trigerring of a photodetector. In broader terms, we find that nature at the quantum level is not a machine that goes its inexorable way. Instead what answer we get depends on the question we put, the experiment we arrange, the registering device we choose. We inescapably involved with bringing about that which appears to be happening. — John Wheeler, Law without Law
If that registration was made by a system that was never observed by a human, then that result would never be known, and so would be irrelevant. — Wayfarer
I trust the sources I'm reading more than that article. — Wayfarer
It doesn't mention consciousness as such, but says that the observer has a role in the experimental outcome, which calls into question the purported 'mind-independent' nature of the result. — Wayfarer
Be that as it may — Wayfarer
So ask yourself the question, why is that something to avoid — Wayfarer
and why does the alternative propose that the universal wavefunction is ‘objectively real’? — Wayfarer
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.