{"id":285786,"date":"2021-06-28T17:17:11","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T14:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-is-a-relational-worldview-in-quantum-physics\/"},"modified":"2021-06-28T17:17:11","modified_gmt":"2021-06-28T14:17:11","slug":"what-is-a-relational-worldview-in-quantum-physics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-a-relational-worldview-in-quantum-physics\/","title":{"rendered":"#What is a relational worldview in quantum physics?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bf2c8d2ab5\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bf2c8d2ab5\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-a-relational-worldview-in-quantum-physics\/#What_does_it_mean_to_be_relational\" >What does it mean to be relational?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-a-relational-worldview-in-quantum-physics\/#So_how_does_this_help_us_understand_quantum_theory\" >So how does this help us understand quantum theory?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-a-relational-worldview-in-quantum-physics\/#What_does_this_tell_us_about_reality\" >What does this tell us about reality?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#What is a relational worldview in quantum physics?<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>Imagine you sit down and pick up your favorite book. You look at the image on the front cover, run your fingers across the smooth book sleeve, and smell that familiar book smell as you flick through the pages. To you, the book is made up of a range of sensory <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>earances.<\/p>\n<p>But you also expect the book has its own independent existence behind those appearances. So when you put the book down on the coffee table and walk into the kitchen, or leave your house to go to work, you expect the book still looks, feels, and smells just as it did when you were holding it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-right zoomable\"><figcaption\/><\/figure>\n<p>Expecting objects to have their own independent existence \u2013 independent of us, and any other objects \u2013 is actually a deep-seated assumption we make about the world. This assumption has its origin in the scientific revolution of the 17th century and is part of what we call the <em>mechanistic worldview<\/em>. According to this view, the world is like a giant clockwork machine whose parts are governed by set laws of motion.<\/p>\n<p>This view of the world is responsible for much of our scientific advancement since the 17th century. But as Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli argues in his new book <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.penguin.com.au\/books\/helgoland-9780241454695\">Helgoland<\/a>, quantum theory \u2013 the physical theory that describes the universe at the smallest scales \u2013 almost certainly shows this worldview to be false. Instead, Rovelli argues we should adopt a \u201crelational\u201d worldview.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_it_mean_to_be_relational\"><\/span>What does it mean to be relational?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>During the scientific revolution, the English physics pioneer Isaac Newton and his German counterpart Gottfried Leibniz disagreed on the nature of space and time.<\/p>\n<p>Newton claimed space and time acted like a \u201ccontainer\u201d for the contents of the universe. That is, if we could remove the contents of the universe \u2013 all the planets, stars, and galaxies \u2013 we would be left with empty space and time. This is the \u201cabsolute\u201d view of space and time.<\/p>\n<p>Leibniz, on the other hand, claimed that space and time were nothing more than the sum total of distances and durations between all the objects and events of the world. If we removed the contents of the universe, we would remove space and time also. This is the \u201crelational\u201d view of space and time: they are only the spatial and temporal <em>relations<\/em> between objects and events. The relational view of space and time was a key inspiration for Einstein when he developed <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> relativity.<\/p>\n<p>Rovelli makes use of this idea to understand quantum mechanics. He claims the objects of quantum theory, such as a photon, electron, or other fundamental particles, are nothing more than the properties they exhibit when interacting with \u2013 <em>in relation to<\/em> \u2013 other objects.<\/p>\n<p>These properties of a quantum object are determined through experiments and include things like the object\u2019s position, momentum, and energy. Together they make up an object\u2019s state.<\/p>\n<p>According to Rovelli\u2019s relational interpretation, these properties are all there is to the object: there is no underlying individual substance that \u201chas\u201d the properties.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_how_does_this_help_us_understand_quantum_theory\"><\/span>So how does this help us understand quantum theory?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Consider the well-known quantum puzzle of Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s cat. We put a cat in a box with some lethal agent (like a vial of poison gas) triggered by a quantum process (like the decay of a radioactive atom), and we close the lid.<\/p>\n<p>The quantum process is a chance event. There is no way to predict it, but we can describe it in a way that tells us the different chances of the atom decaying or not in some period of time. Because the decay will trigger the opening of the vial of poison gas and hence the death of the cat, the cat\u2019s life or death is also a purely chance event.<\/p>\n<p>According to orthodox quantum theory, the cat is neither dead nor alive until we open the box and observe the system. A puzzle remains concerning what it would be like for the cat, exactly, to be neither dead nor alive.<\/p>\n<p>But according to the relational interpretation, the state of any system is always in relation to some other system. So the quantum process in the box might have an indefinite outcome in relation <em>to us<\/em>, but have a definite outcome <em>for the cat<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>So it is perfectly reasonable for the cat to be neither dead nor alive for us, and at the same time to be definitely dead or alive itself. One fact of the matter is real for us, and one fact of the matter is real for the cat. When we open the box, the state of the cat becomes definite for us, but the cat was never in an indefinite state for itself.<\/p>\n<p>In the relational interpretation, there is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/quantum-philosophy-4-ways-physics-will-challenge-your-reality-150175\">no global, \u201cGod\u2019s eye\u201d view of reality<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_this_tell_us_about_reality\"><\/span>What does this tell us about reality?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Rovelli argues that, since our world is ultimately quantum, we should heed these lessons. In particular, objects such as your favorite book may only have their properties in relation to other objects, including you.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, that also includes all other objects, such as your coffee table. So when you do go to work, your favorite book continues to appear is it does when you were holding it. Even so, this is a dramatic rethinking of the nature of reality.<\/p>\n<p>On this view, the world is an intricate web of interrelations, such that objects no longer have their own individual existence independent from other objects \u2013 like an endless <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> of quantum mirrors. Moreover, there may well be no independent \u201cmetaphysical\u201d substance constituting our reality that underlies this web.<\/p>\n<p>As Rovelli puts it:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We are nothing but images of images. Reality, including ourselves, is nothing but a thin and fragile veil, beyond which \u2026 there is nothing.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/162936\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/162936\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>This article by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/peter-evans-709870\">Peter Evans<\/a>, ARC Discovery Early Career Research Fellow, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/the-university-of-queensland-805\">The University of Queensland<\/a> is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/is-reality-a-game-of-quantum-mirrors-a-new-theory-suggests-it-might-be-162936\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/relational-quantum-mechanics-carlo-rovelli-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#What is a relational worldview in quantum physics?&#8221; Imagine you sit down and pick up your favorite book. You look at the image on the front cover, run your fingers across the smooth book sleeve, and smell that familiar book smell as you flick through the pages. To you, the book is made up of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":285787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/06\/schrodingers-cat.jpg&signature=d0424adfe4f4c4e21c9fa19bad5747d3","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}