My understanding is that physicists who talk about you as the observer
who causes a collapse of a wave function, who say that
... observing an experiment is what changes its outcome ...
are being solipsistic, since none can prove that there is anything
outside of oneself. They try to speak logically and so say only what
they are sure of, which in this case is what *you* (not me,
themselves, or any third party observer) do, because they can not
prove to you that they exist.
Others are deists who say that one or more Gods are always observing,
both here and near Alpha Centauri.*
A few are Tiplerians and figure that probabilistically speaking we are
not living in a real universe (since that happens only once) but in a
computer simulation (which may happen many times). Most likely, the
simulation is run by an AI with antiquarian interests. The AI is the
entity who invented the physics for this run and is having fun
watching how his beings respond.
Yet others figure that things outside of you exist, but know perfectly
well they cannot prove that, although they can introduce suggestive
arguments.
Perhaps I misunderstand, but if someone takes the last position, then
might a quantum wave form collapse when enough of the `outside
universe' intervenes?
Thus, Schr�dinger's Cat might not exist in two states for long; but a
BEC would.
--
Robert J. Chassell
[EMAIL PROTECTED] GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8
http://www.rattlesnake.com http://www.teak.cc
* As Ronald Knox wrote,
There once was a man who said "God
Must think it exceedingly odd
If he find that this tree
Continues to be
When there's no one about in the Quad."
To which there came this reply,
Dear Sir,
Your astonishment's odd:
I am always about in the Quad.
And that's why the tree
Will continue to be,
Since observed by
Yours faithfully,
God
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