Thread: We are all gods

Originally Posted by phfreak

In quantum mechanic's experiments, like the double slit experiment,t it can be shown that the act of observing an event effects the outcome of that event. So I was thinking maybe we all collectively create the reality in which we live and in essence we are all the architects of the universe. Without any conscious being the whole universe would exist in superposition without anything definite ever happening.

Having dabbled in physics, the idea which you are speaking of was warped by a movie called the Rabbits Hole. The reason viewing a particle like in the double slit experiment changes the particle is because these particles are very sensitive to viewing instruments. In order to view something of that size, you must use another particle to bounce off of it effectively changing the quantum state of the particle. The trick is to view the particle indirectly to avoid changing said properties. Some "educational" films have effectively sensationalized this in the wrong way.

Originally Posted by bufbiker

And the fossil evidence for the "missing link" is where? Still missing. You'd think they would find at least one specimen since they seem to have found multiple specimen of every other kind of life all the way down to single celled organisms.
Monkeys are still monkeys. I've never seen one evolve into a human, nor has anyone else in the history of mankind. Maybe because monkeys were made like man but still made as monkeys.

It takes many generations for evolution to have a noticeable effect, you can't seriously expect to see it in front of your own eyes. And as for missing links look into Homo habilis it is a clear stepping stone between apes and humans and this is not the only example of your so called missing links. If you look into any field of science you will find that the evidence supports evolution. Do you think that all this science is some sort of conspiracy? Before you go around denying a scientific theory be you should look into the enormous amount of evidence that supports it. I think its pretty absurd to expect to see every step in the evolutionary process in the fossil records considering how rare the creation of a fossil is. The fact is the evidence we have and the fossil records we do see support evolution, and their is no scientific facts that deny it. I didn't start this thread to discuss evolution since really there is no debate in it. I would much rather discuss the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics.

Originally Posted by phfreak

So you are saying that it is not the act of conscious observation that effects the particle but the method used to observe the particle that causes the change in the quantum state from a wave to a particle? I don't recall my professor mentioning anything about this, but if its true it would really change my own understanding of how quantum particles behave. Do you have any good books you could recommend on this subject?

Its possible you misunderstood your professor, or he has radically different different beliefs than most in the scientific community. Not saying he is wrong because science is continually improving and what we have today is a very limited understanding of the universe. I'll have to go through my old books to find a good source for you to refer to regarding experiments like these. Bottom line, conscious oberservation is NOT what effects the particle. It is the instruments used in viewing. How can you view a photon or similar particle without instrument? And if your professor really is teaching this, I would question his credentials, and go further and assume he teaches at a community college and not a university. To put it very accurately, the idea suggested by "what the bleep do we know" or the rabbits hole that another member helped remind me of, is preposterous.

** with our current understanding that is.

Out of curiosity is there any experiments that show that the effects on the particles is caused by the equipment rather than the fact of conscious observation? It seems to me this would be a difficult experiment to create, but scientists have created some amazing experiments in the past. The idea that the equipment used to measure the particle is the cause of the change from a wave to a particle seems to be a lot easier to grasp then having consciousness play a role, but considering many of the weird phenomena that occur on a quantum level I don't think it can be dismissed, even though the idea is extremely bizarre, unless we can prove that in fact it is the instruments that cause the change through experimentation how could we know? If there is this type of experiment I would love to read about it. I would still consider myself a novice in this area but I am extremely interested in learning more and would appreciate any guidance in finding sources to further my knowledge. This is not my main field of study, and I don't really intent to get any more formal education in this subject at my university. I am Computer Science major.