Q&A: The Human Being and Quantum Mechanics
The Human Being and Quantum Mechanics
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Recently I heard an idea that tries to show that reality is influenced by the human being.
My question is: is the collapse of the wave function connected to consciousness?
That is, are electrons influenced by human observation?
If so, does this have any implication / evidence for our faith?
Thank you.
Answer
Probably not true. There were such proposals in the interpretation of quantum theory, but they are apparently incorrect (in my book The Science of Freedom I cited a two-slit experiment in which the information from the detector goes to a computer and is deleted without any human eye seeing it).
I don’t see implications for faith. There are implications for our conception of reality, whether you believe or not.
Discussion on Answer
Think about it yourself. If reality is a function of our consciousness and awareness, isn’t that different from the ordinary conception of reality?
Yes.
And does that basically rule out determinism?
Not necessarily. It depends on whether the human being operates deterministically. But since this is apparently not true, there’s no point in discussing it.
Besides, quantum theory in itself, irrespective of the “psychokinetic” question you raised, in the accepted interpretations does rule out determinism (but does not lead to free choice).
What implications does this have for our conception of reality?
Regarding the experiment, do you mean that it rules out this way of showing that reality is volitional?