Are you saying that if a light waveform is sent down an optic line that an completely unintrustive observation -- where one merely observes the light passing by but does not intercept or otherwise interfere or modify it -- can change the state in a way that is detectable at the other end?
Exactly that yes. Observation causes change, because to observe an object you need to get something from the object being observed (usually a photon) and the act of the photon hitting the object - and then proceeding to your measurement instrument - changes whatever it is that is being observed. And I can guarantee you (as much as I can guarantee anything) that any Jewish, Muslim, Christian or Buddhist person doing the fibre-optic experiment would find the same thing.
If true, doesn't quantum mechanics pretty well invalidate any scientific inquiry? What's the value of trying to measure something?
Exactly. But this behaviour, on the face of it, tends to stay in the realm of the very small - so we ignore it and carry on with the more pressing matters of life - usually stuff related to breeding. If you look too closely at how the Universe is telling us that it is constructed you'll go nuts. You certainly wouldn't bother going to work I imagine.
But is it proper to extend the concept into the realm of things like thought and ethics and our notion of God? I'm reminded of how Darwin's theories were extended in a similar manner.
What is "right" is clearly dependent on one's values (eg. is it "right" to fly an aircraft into a building?) I would have thought that how things are would be of interest to even the most anti-scientific person. Then again maybe not, at the moment I'm thinking that too much awareness leads to suffering and pain, whoever it was that said "ignorance is bliss" could have been on to something.
Count me as one unpersuaded.
Good. Me too - the trouble is of course is that I'm still looking.
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Clairvoyants? Good or bad?
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