Back to God

Please excuse the sad interlude, still looking for the questing beast. Fewmets and all that.

I read an article in Seed magazine the other day (it’s an awesome publication, you should check it out) about experiments being performed to test the theory of quantum mechanics. The gist, as I understand it (I often feel when I’m reading such things like I’m fighting to keep my nose and lips above the water), is that reality is subjective, that the world exists as billions and billions (for lack of a larger word) of particles in a state of superposition – meaning they exist in all possible states at once. When we observe them, we force them into just one state. One of the amazing principles of quantum theory (again, I’m not a real scientist, so if one’s reading this, please correct me where I’m wrong) is that it doesn’t care about space or time. Two particles collide. Some time later you look at one, and measure its momentum. Quantum theory says that by observing the one particle, you set it in a single state, which is amazing enough – but you also then set the state of the other particle, which you didn’t observe. Regardless of time and distance, the other particle must have momentum X because the one you observed has momentum Y. It’s been tested, as well as we can test it, and it’s proven to be true every time.

Einstein’s problem with the thoery was that it flew in the face of reality as we know it – the moon would stil be there if we didn’t look at it, wouldn’t it? It’s a question of size, according to my understanding – from the article – “Most physicists believe that quantum effects get washed out when there are a large number of particles around. The particles are in constant interaction and their environment serves to “decohere” the quantum world—eliminate superpositions—to create the classical one we observe. Quantum mechanics has within it its own demise, and the process is too rapid to ever see.”

So “reality” only exists because we have poorly tuned optical instruments. If we could see better, if we could see smaller, reality would change. And the article goes even further – exploring the idea that matter and information may be linked more closely than we previously thought.

No reality, only information and interpretation. Many things are a question of perception – the economy, our capabilities, our government. If you think I’m a doctor, then I’m a doctor. If you think you’ve got a good job, you’ve got a good job. But reality itself, physical reality? What does that mean for us, as a species? I’m thinking it’s one more of God’s tricks (not like Loki, more like a video game designer). Many religions have understood this in a different way, recognizing that we have no control over this life and anticipating, given the brutal unfairness of this fact and the fact that we know it’s unfair, an afterlife which has a better set of rules. I don’t draw that conclusion. I think the point is for our species to solve the puzzle. To understand the true link between matter and information will bring us one step closer. I think eventually we’ll solve it, and the trappings of “the real world” will fall away. Space, time, all that will become irrelevant, and what remains will be the divine. Kinda like what happened to Wesley Crusher, maybe.

I’ve wondered about the differences between cultures, how vast they are and how unreconcilable. There are some commonalities through biology – we feel love for our children in order to continue the species, we’re pleased when we’re full of delicious food, etc. Also common is the quest for the divine. Maybe this is just a manifestation of our desire to circumvent death. But I think it’s a common search for real joy, joy that comes from really knowing.

All cultures so far are failed attempts, but only like reading a book is a failed attempt.