Manifestation: It's Social, Not Quantum
I thought I'd take this time on behalf of Bryce Maxwell to respond to a very interesting and insightful video from PBS Space Time about the role that consciousness plays in the collapse of the wave function and my personal stance on manifestation.
The collapse of the wave function refers to the state of a particle called superposition. The state of being indeterminate between two or more possible outcomes. Schrodinger determined that the outcome is determined only when observed by a conscious observer because that's the endpoint where the information conveyed by the state of the particle has context and relevance with regard to the passage of time and of course, cause and effect.
From this concept, many people have taken it a step further to imply that if our observations have such a drastic effect upon the unfolding of reality, would it not then apply that our state of mind could have an effect upon how the future unfolds as much so as that the future unfolds? The interpretation being that our mood and sense of peace and serenity could somehow affect, at the level of the quantum realm and the level of a sub-atomic particle, the way that such state unfolds from the quantum state of superposition to classically deterministic state to become the next "Planck moment" (the smallest measurable movement of matter that constitutes a step forward in time in the classical sense). The idea that the better our state of mind then the better will be the results of the impact of our power of observation (to collapse the wave function) which yields reality itself.
Some of what I've expressed in my writing, especially within the many Butterfly Dragon chapters and stories that deal with Quantum Physics might sound a little "woo woo".
definition courtesy of Google Dictionary
In defence of new agers, I believe that what they're referring to by manifestation refers more to one's state of mind more so than affecting reality itself. It's common knowledge that our mindset alone can drastically affect the way that we deal with challenges presented to us, and that's not particularly unhealthy advice for anyone. We can survive the worst turmoil with the right attitude as much so as we can be humble in the best of circumstances. That's all attitude and something that one can reinforce within themselves to a degree. We are social creatures after all. We each depend upon a network of people to survive and therefore our attitude can be affected externally when our ideas about how society should be run come into conflict with one another.
Please allow me to clarify first before you jump to any conclusions. I've personally spoken about manifestation and likely in a way that sounds like its referring to Quantum Physics or Quantum Consciousness and that I've got my concepts mixed up somehow, which I don't and that's because I've never regarded the collapse of the wave function and the necessity for the presence of an observer to be any sign of manifestation or even my interpretation of manifestation. I mean that gets into many different possibilities which are fun to speculate but until we've proven those possibilities beyond a doubt, my mind is open to the many possibilities, but none are a definite answer. You could say that our understanding of the universe is in a state of superposition itself that will collapse into a theory that accommodates our observations.
Brian Joseph Johns
The collapse of the wave function refers to the state of a particle called superposition. The state of being indeterminate between two or more possible outcomes. Schrodinger determined that the outcome is determined only when observed by a conscious observer because that's the endpoint where the information conveyed by the state of the particle has context and relevance with regard to the passage of time and of course, cause and effect.
From this concept, many people have taken it a step further to imply that if our observations have such a drastic effect upon the unfolding of reality, would it not then apply that our state of mind could have an effect upon how the future unfolds as much so as that the future unfolds? The interpretation being that our mood and sense of peace and serenity could somehow affect, at the level of the quantum realm and the level of a sub-atomic particle, the way that such state unfolds from the quantum state of superposition to classically deterministic state to become the next "Planck moment" (the smallest measurable movement of matter that constitutes a step forward in time in the classical sense). The idea that the better our state of mind then the better will be the results of the impact of our power of observation (to collapse the wave function) which yields reality itself.
Some of what I've expressed in my writing, especially within the many Butterfly Dragon chapters and stories that deal with Quantum Physics might sound a little "woo woo".
definition courtesy of Google Dictionary
woo-woo
/ˈwo͞oËŒwo͞o/
INFORMAL•DEROGATORY
adjective
- relating to or holding unconventional beliefs regarded as having little or no scientific basis, especially those relating to spirituality, mysticism, or alternative medicine."quartz crystals that were so popular with the woo-woo crowd"
In defence of new agers, I believe that what they're referring to by manifestation refers more to one's state of mind more so than affecting reality itself. It's common knowledge that our mindset alone can drastically affect the way that we deal with challenges presented to us, and that's not particularly unhealthy advice for anyone. We can survive the worst turmoil with the right attitude as much so as we can be humble in the best of circumstances. That's all attitude and something that one can reinforce within themselves to a degree. We are social creatures after all. We each depend upon a network of people to survive and therefore our attitude can be affected externally when our ideas about how society should be run come into conflict with one another.
Please allow me to clarify first before you jump to any conclusions. I've personally spoken about manifestation and likely in a way that sounds like its referring to Quantum Physics or Quantum Consciousness and that I've got my concepts mixed up somehow, which I don't and that's because I've never regarded the collapse of the wave function and the necessity for the presence of an observer to be any sign of manifestation or even my interpretation of manifestation. I mean that gets into many different possibilities which are fun to speculate but until we've proven those possibilities beyond a doubt, my mind is open to the many possibilities, but none are a definite answer. You could say that our understanding of the universe is in a state of superposition itself that will collapse into a theory that accommodates our observations.
There's the idea that every time superposition is encountered in nature that the universe itself bifurcates into a separate universe for each of the possibilities that stem from that progression of a Planck moment. The multiple worlds interpretation of the Copenhagen principle. From there, some people imposed upon that theory the idea that it could represent a positive and a negative universe and that our consciousness progressed into the branch point that most matched our own nature. Either positive-minded or negative-minded. That I personally do not believe and that is certainly not what I mean by manifestation. In fact, my explanation of manifestation is far more simple and yet still as elegant but doesn't require quantum physics to explain at all because the phenomenon of manifestation is social.
Manifestation means when you pursue certain things in life, and through serendipity, they become real. Not magically per se (though possible) and not through the collapse of the wave function (though possible). More so through the accommodation and the assistance of people who trust in a person's ability to wield their dreams. We all take part in manifestation every single day whether we realize it or not, at least as much so as it is within our abilities to do so. Everyone who has ever played Santa Claus for their children, while they were sleeping, eating the cookies and drinking the milk after having quietly distributed the presents has taken part in manifestation.
Every time I go to the store to buy my Cat her treats, I'm taking part in my Cat's manifestation based upon her memory of "treats" and her want for the taste of treats again. Every time I make an honest and encouraging comment online telling someone that I appreciate their contribution to the internet is a form of manifestation. Every time one of my three computers turns in a Cancer Markers Research result to the World Community Grid, I'm helping them to manifest their goal of finding a Cure for Cancer. Every time I encourage someone through my books or stories to get up and get back on that horse and continue on knowing that the only real tragedy in life is giving up. The truth is that we all do that in our own ways. Some nastier people might not, but I have a feeling that must be its own hell, and I say that being an atheist.
There are some people who for reasons of their belief or religion choose to hamper or even prevent that form of manifestation. You know. The one where we help each other out? That in itself is a real shame. No matter how rigid and sometimes frigid in life I can be as a result of tweaking by some mean people, I could never really stand against the healthy manifestation of others' dreams. Especially where it could make a difference.
So no. I don't try to manifest the world by mind-controlling the unfolding of the fabric of the universe based upon a misunderstanding of quantum physics, because I don't misunderstand them. I just don't understand them in the exact same way that every physicist doesn't understand them. That model of reality is mind-boggling sometimes and gives way to some great surprises as much so as String Theory, which is another incredible mathematical model of reality that is very difficult to test with our current level of engineering and technology. Perhaps in the future and after the successful development and deployment of Quantum Computers, we'll be in for an era of breakthroughs resulting from them that will put us on the road to stars themselves and the ability to test many theories which we couldn't in the absence of advanced materials engineering.
One last thing that I'd like to comment on is that with regard to the collapse of the wave function, the conscious observer is the point at which reality unfolds and that reality unfolds at the point of their observation. In other words, if you're recording an experiment on a camera that tries to measure the output of a device dependent upon the collapse of the wave function in some way, and you record the entire experiment, the results don't occur when you record them. They occur when the effects reach an observer.
So in the case of the recording, they occur when the scientist reviews the recording, not when it's recorded, even though it will register to the equipment (and the recording) that the collapse occurred during the recording. That was Schrodinger's whole point, though I don't agree with him using a Cat in the thought experiment. I mean, It could have as easily been called the Schrodinger's Light-bulb experiment, whereby the decay of a radioactive isotope resulted in the throwing of a switch that closed the circuit between a power source and a light bulb. No Cats harmed, and much the same we end up with the conundrum that a light switch cannot be simultaneously on and off, unless it's in superposition though it's doubtful that superposition with such large objects can be achieved but the result of the collapse can result in the switch being thrown.
Enough for now.
Look forward to A Lady's Prerogative and The Butterfly Dragon as I begin to focus on both of those books in the near future.
Thank you to my loyal readers, ASMR artists, Youtube Chefs, Massage and Chiropractic Artists, Designers, Hardware and Software Reviewers, Doctors and medical staff, Scientists, Musicians, Thespians, gamers, content producers, truck drivers, first responders, the Federal Police and the Aboriginal peoples who seek a constructive future to whom I am always grateful,
