On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 05:25:12PM +0100, Bruno Marchal wrote: > > > What is the difference you make between an instrument recording the result > and an observer? Consciousness? But that is what "Wigner's friend" shows > difficult to admit, and besides, I thought we all agree that it is better > that QM is the same for conscious and non conscious beings?
For me, the most important thing is the continuous/discrete transition. I am ambivalent on whether this requires consciousness or not. The best examplar to think about IMHO is an analogue-digital converter (aka A/D converter), for example the microphone input circuit on your computer. Conceptually, this device converts an input voltage into a distinct number (eg 0-255). However, in actual fact what it does physically is convert a voltage into a time-varying voltage signal, conventionally interpreted as the zeros and ones of a number communicated serially into the computer (or alternatively, fans the voltages out into a parallel array of volatages). That "conventionally interpreted" is the wiggle room that smuggles consciousness back in the picture. Nevertheless, the most important aspect is the contrast between the continuous and the discrete. Its the FAPP in the zeroing out of offdiagonal terms in the einselection picture, as just another example. We could probably make most progress on the measurement problem by focussing on just that distinction, and ignoring any other aspect of consciousness or observerhood, since the continuous/discrete distinction should not be controversial to anyone, and a lot in known mathematically about it. -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) Principal, High Performance Coders Visiting Senior Research Fellow [email protected] Economics, Kingston University http://www.hpcoders.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
