Our Universe Works, Yet Doesn’t Make Sense … And So?
How can so much uncertainty lie placidly at the basis of our universe but disrupt nothing in particular? We even build better computers because of itProminent science writer John Horgan finds himself stumped (and somewhat vexed?) by quantum mechanics — the behavior of the fundamental particles of the universe: Quantum principles underpin our modern scientific worldview and much of our technology, including the laptop on which I’m writing these words. And yet a century after its invention, physicists and philosophers cannot agree on what quantum mechanics means. John Horgan, “Quantum Mechanics, Plato’s Cave and the Blind Piranha,” Cross-Check, May 22, 2024 He has a point. How can so much uncertainty lie placidly at the basis of our universe but disrupt nothing in particular? In fact, as he says, we build better computers using its principles. Why doesn’t fundamental uncertainty cause us to build worse ones Read More ›