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Miracles, materialism, and quantum mechanics

Neil Shenvi
2.3K subscribers
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6.9K views 12 years ago
A 39-minute video discussing the history, fundamental postulates, and philosophical implications of quantum mechanics. In particular, I examine how quantum mechanics challenges naive naturalistic assumptions about the existence of miracles, the role of consciousness and the nature of reality ...more
...more
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Miracles

0:00

Classical mechanics is the mechanics of everyday objects like tables and chairs

3:33

Quantum mechanics was developed to explain these results and developed into the most successful physical theory in history

4:28

Although quantum mechanics applies to all objects, the effects of quantum mechanics are most noticeable only for very small objects How small is very small?

5:11

All information about a system is provided by the system's wavefunction.

6:57

At a given instant in time, the position and momentum of a particle cannot both be known with absolute certainty

8:17

a particle can be put into a superposition of multiple states at once

9:13

The motion of a nonrelativistic particle is governed by the Schrödinger equation

9:46

A quantum mechanical particle can tunnel through barriers rather than going over them.

10:09

Quantum particles take all paths.

11:09

Measurement of a quantum mechanical system is associated with some linear, Hermitian operator 0.

12:02

Even if the exact wavefunction is known, the outcome of measurement is inherently probabilistic

12:29

Measurement necessarily alters the observed system

13:36

The Weirdness of Postulate 3: Properties are actions to be performed, not labels to be read

14:30

Talk Outline

15:55

The major downside of the Copenhagen interpretation is that it fails to define what a "measurement device" is

19:09

The many-worlds interpretation asserts that whenever measurement occurs, the universe splits

23:56

Quantum mechanics has many important implications for epistemology and metaphyics

26:50

Second, quantum mechanics abrogates notions of

28:45

Third, within the Copenhagen interpretation, human consciousness appears to have a distinct role

30:51

Fourth, the fact that the wavefunction is the ultimate reality implies that there is a severe limit to human knowledge

32:10

Finally, quantum mechanics challenges our assumption that ultimate reality will accord with our natural intuition about what is reasonable and normal Classical physics

32:51

What effect does QM have on the fundamental assumptions of science?

34:22

Concluding Quotes

38:15
Miracles, materialism, and quantum mechanics
96Likes
6,978Views
2012Apr 10
A 39-minute video discussing the history, fundamental postulates, and philosophical implications of quantum mechanics. In particular, I examine how quantum mechanics challenges naive naturalistic assumptions about the existence of miracles, the role of consciousness and the nature of reality

Follow along using the transcript.

Neil Shenvi

2.3K subscribers