Talk:Argument from Quantum Physics

Hello, I should first point out that I am an atheist and I think that you guys are doing a great job here. However, this particular argument is fallacious.

In quantum physics, the term "observer" is often thrown around. What is meant by this, however, is the interaction of a particle physical particle with the wave function, which causes it to collapse. A conscious entity, contrary to popular belief and many an alternative medicine quack or spiritual guru, has no bearing on this. What is important is the interaction of a physical particle with the wave function.

The article attempts to dodge this, stating: "You may be wondering, doesn’t the detector “nudge” the photon at all? While the detector must interact (disregarding entanglement) with the photon in some manner, of course, we may place the detector anywhere along the path to the screen. It may be halfway between the slit and the screen, or just before the screen, or anywhere else for that matter. (Another version of this experiment can be performed where the light comes from stars halfway across the universe, that has been travelling for billions and billions of years.) So, hasn’t the wave been forced to choose a distinct, definite path already? Not quite. The quantum laws that describe this phenomenon show that a distinct and definite path is chosen if and only if the which data is present. If there is no knowledge of its path of travel, then it will choose both. And this is the heart of the problem. " This shows no understanding of the basic concept, which is that the measurement collapses the wave function, thereby retroactively dictating the path of the particle. The uncertainty principle comes from the basic fact that we cannot measure a particle without having it interact with another in some way. A being exterior to natural laws could still observe the particles without collapsing their wave function.

Even accepting your false premise, one could easily point out that you are attempting to apply supposed physical rules pertaining to consciousness to a non-physical entity.

Jeremie Choquette, Physics Student at McMaster University