Did John Wheeler Really Believe Consciousness Causes Collapse?

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SUMMARY

John A. Wheeler, a prominent physicist, clarified in 1983 that "consciousness" does not influence quantum processes, emphasizing that quantum events are defined by irreversible acts of amplification and registration. Despite claims in a 2002 article suggesting Wheeler believed consciousness shapes reality, his original stance remains unchanged. The article appears to misinterpret Wheeler's views to create an engaging narrative rather than accurately represent his scientific position. The discussion also raises questions about the credibility of physicist Andrei Linde, though no definitive conclusions are drawn regarding his reputation.

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I found this article in 2002 that says Wheeler beleives that counsciousness causes collapse but there is a famous quote in 1983 where he argues counsciusness does not cause collapse. My question is did he change his mind or did the article misinterpret him complelty to sell a "entertaining" sudo fantasy interpretation of QM physics? And is stanford university physicist Andrei Linde a crackpot?

http://discovermagazine.com/2002/jun/featuniverse

John A. Wheeler:
Caution: "Consciousness" has nothing whatsover to do with the quantum process. We are dealing with an event that makes itself known by an irreversible act of amplification, by an indelible record, an act of registration. Does that record subsequently enter into the "consciousness" of some person, some animal or some computer? Is that the first step into translating the measurement into "meaning" meaning regarded as "the joint product of all the evidence that is available to those who communicate." Then that is a separate part of the story, important but not to be confused with "quantum phenomena." (Wheeler, 1983).
 
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That's a bit strange - the top part of the article says "Eminent physicist John Wheeler says he has only enough time left to work on one idea: that human consciousness shapes not only the present but the past as well"
but during the article it seems he actually has his original stance still.
 

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