Has quantum physics proven that thoughts become reality?

[Goosejournals]

Has quantum physics "proven" that thoughts become reality?

This is not a homework assignment. When I go to the homework section, none of the links fit because this is a quantum physics question and it’s neither undergraduate or high school related. If this is not the appropriate forum, please accept my apologies and tell me which forum to go to (the ones listed do not say 'quantum physics' and keep listing 'undergraduate' or 'high school').

I am taking an online class with my library. It’s a class about journaling; it has nothing to do with science. The teacher made the following two statements and I would like to know if these statements are true, in whole or in part. I have a difficult time accepting either of these statements without a viable source (specifically in regards to “proves” and “reality”), and we were not given one. I am not sure that the second question is fair to ask in this forum but if you have information, I’d appreciate it.

1. "Quantum physics, the scientific study of matter at subatomic levels, proves that thought is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, because at subatomic levels, thought becomes reality. All of existence as we know it is based on this tendency of awareness -of thought itself- to create its own reality."

2. "Studies of the human brain show us that the reality we perceive doesn't really exist."

Thanks

 

[ZapperZ]

This is not a homework assignment. When I go to the homework section, none of the links fit because this is a quantum physics question and it’s neither undergraduate or high school related. If this is not the appropriate forum, please accept my apologies and tell me which forum to go to (the ones listed do not say 'quantum physics' and keep listing 'undergraduate' or 'high school').

I am taking an online class with my library. It’s a class about journaling; it has nothing to do with science. The teacher made the following two statements and I would like to know if these statements are true, in whole or in part. I have a difficult time accepting either of these statements without a viable source (specifically in regards to “proves” and “reality”), and we were not given one. I am not sure that the second question is fair to ask in this forum but if you have information, I’d appreciate it.

1. "Quantum physics, the scientific study of matter at subatomic levels, proves that thought is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, because at subatomic levels, thought becomes reality. All of existence as we know it is based on this tendency of awareness -of thought itself- to create its own reality."

2. "Studies of the human brain show us that the reality we perceive doesn't really exist."

Thanks

It is unfortunate that many people who don't know quantum mechanics, have bastardized various aspects of it. The quote you gave is a prime example.

We do not know what is meant by "proves that thought is one of the most powerful forces in the universe". This is not physics. I can guess that they somehow misinterpret the contextual nature of quantum mechanics, and THEN, extrapolate it into something else, a practice that pseudoscience proponents like to do.

You probably do not have the opportunity to ask the teacher for clarification on what was meant by such a statement, or even to ask for a reference to back such a claim. So not having that, if it were me, I would spend my time writing an essay on how vague and unfalsifiable that statement is, so much so one cannot show that it is correct or wrong.

Unfortunately, the discussion on this topic will verge on philosophy, and that is an area that we no longer allow here, per the PF Rules.

Zz.

 

[Fredrik]

They are both just crazy talk. The first one is especially bad. Maybe there's some sense in which the reality we perceive can be considered "not to exist", but no one who knows physics would ever say it like that. And there are certainly no studies of the human brain that prove it.

 

[askAphysicist]

Regarding 2.) this may be true in the sense that our conscious experience of the world does not neccessarily accurately reflect on it's scientific reality. However, that has nothing to do with quantum physics.

As for 1). he may be talking about the observer principle here, which means that, by being the observer of the outcome of a quantum event, you are actually collapsing it's wave function and in a sense decide what it is (you know, like in the case of Schroedinger's cat where the cat is both alive and dead till you open the box and observe it's state).

But I totally agree with the above replies. No physicist would make these claims like they are written there.

 

[micky_gta]

This is not a homework assignment. When I go to the homework section, none of the links fit because this is a quantum physics question and it’s neither undergraduate or high school related. If this is not the appropriate forum, please accept my apologies and tell me which forum to go to (the ones listed do not say 'quantum physics' and keep listing 'undergraduate' or 'high school').

I am taking an online class with my library. It’s a class about journaling; it has nothing to do with science. The teacher made the following two statements and I would like to know if these statements are true, in whole or in part. I have a difficult time accepting either of these statements without a viable source (specifically in regards to “proves” and “reality”), and we were not given one. I am not sure that the second question is fair to ask in this forum but if you have information, I’d appreciate it.

1. "Quantum physics, the scientific study of matter at subatomic levels, proves that thought is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, because at subatomic levels, thought becomes reality. All of existence as we know it is based on this tendency of awareness -of thought itself- to create its own reality."

2. "Studies of the human brain show us that the reality we perceive doesn't really exist."

Thanks

Sounds like an amazing teacher!

 

[1977ub]

For thought to create reality, you have to define thought as outside of reality - this is a problem even if you consider thought dualistically as existing outside of brains. Does my thought create *you* ? Does your thought create *me* ? It's like the old saying "some days you create the reality; some days the reality creates you."

 

[danR]

The source of your quote is here:

http://the-balancing-act.blogspot.ca/2005/07/journaling-class-lesson-6.html

I don't know if the blogger is your instructor, or if the quote was taken from there or what, but I assume it's posed simply for your comment, to see what you would do with it. In any event, the blogger clearly doesn't understand physics, and probably does not care she doesn't; the point of the assignment is to get your writing going.

This topic belongs in PF 'lounge' or whatever it's called, at the bottom of the homepage.