Quantum mechanics and commonsense intuitions

Last updated on: March 31, 2020 at 10:28 pm by Dan Peterson

Quantum mechanics and commonsense intuitions 2020-03-31T22:28:54-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Among the coast redwoods in Henry Cowell State Park, near Santa Cruz, California. A very peaceful and beautiful place. (Wikimedia Commons public domain photo)

I’m back to reading Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner, Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness, 2d ed. (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2011). At the time they wrote the book, both Rosenblum and Kuttner were members of the physics faculty at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

In this passage, the now late Professor Rosenblum, the senior of the two, recalls his experience as a much younger man who was studying at Columbia University in New York City:

As a graduate student, I puzzled about the . . . “wave-particle duality.” It’s the paradox that, looking one way, you could demonstrate an atom to be a compact object concentrated in one place. However, looking differently, you could demonstrate exactly the opposite. You could show that the atom was not a compact object, that it was a wave spread out over a wide region. That contradiction puzzled me, but I assumed that if I spent some hours thinking it through, I’d see it all clearly — the way my professors seemed to. As a graduate student, I had more pressing things to do. (4)

The passage above caught my attention because, within just the past week or so, somebody commenting here — I’ve forgotten who it was, though it was definitely a critic — was complacently explaining to someone else who had cited “wave-particle duality” as an example of seemingly contradictory ideas that are, in fact, both true, that he sees no contradiction and, apparently, understands it all clearly. But nobody understands it all clearly.

Quantum theory is at the base of every natural science from chemistry to cosmology. We need quantum theory to understand why the sun shines, how TV sets produce pictures, why grass is green, and how the universe developed from the Big Bang. Modern technology is based on devices designed with quantum theory. (6)

Quantum theory is stunningly successful. Not a single one of the theory’s predictions has ever been shown wrong. One-third of our economy depends on products based on it. However, the worldview demanded by quantum theory is not only stranger than we might suppose, it’s stranger than we can suppose. Let’s see why.

Most of us share these commonsense intuitions: A single object can’t be in two far-apart places at once. And, surely, what someone decides to do here cannot instantly affect what happens someplace far away. And doesn’t it go without saying that there’s a real world “out there,” whether or not we look at it? Quantum mechanics challenges each of these intuitions. J. M. Jauch tells us: “For many thoughtful physicists, [the deeper meaning of quantum mechanics] has remained a kind of skeleton in the closet.” (5)

Previous Post

March 26, 2020

"Alleged Assault on ‘Middle Eastern’ Man in Utah"

Next Post

March 27, 2020 "Pitfalls of the Ngram Viewer"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Mary's cousin, mother of John the Baptist?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Sarah Martha Elizabeth Rachel