Epistemological Implications

20. Quantum Theory

Let's go back for a quick review, first.

Newtonian physics (classical mechanics) accounts for the movements of macroscopic stuff (planets, objects, chemicals, atomic particles). Etc. Mass, force, momentum, velocity, speed, acceleration, "gravity," etc.

Einstein (Grossman, Hilbert, Lorentz) modified Newtonian physics in two crucial ways.

• theory of special relativity--space and time are related such that mechnical physics depends on relative motion, which means that measurements (and phenomena) vary depending on the relative motion of the observers).
  • this, in essence, overturns the "fixed-ness" and "certainty" of "normal scientific practices" based on Newtonian physics.
• theory of general relativity
  • explains gravity by describing the nature of space and time as curvitures produced in the space/time continuum. Again, sets aside Newtonian concepts of gravity (and of the nature of space and time)

• Quantum Physics was suggested by Einstein, among others, but he did not believe in it. He spent the later part of his life trying to find a unified theory that would disprove the anomolies presented by Quantum mechanics.
• Early developers include Planck, Schrodinger, Dirac, Heisenberg, Born. Later Wheeler and Bell.
• Quantum physics appears to be in charge in the universe of the small (subatomic particles don't follow the Newtonian rules). Problem is, we don't know the rules of the relationships between subatomic rules and macro-atomic rules. Some important quantum principles:
  
  • wave-particle duality: light is either, both, and both at the same time.
  • quantum interference: an elementary particle can be in more than one place at a time AND can cross its own path and interfere with it's own trajectory.
  • superimposition: quantum states can be 0 or 1 or 0 and 1 at the same time.
  • entanglement: elementary particles, separated, can take on the same properties without communication between them.
  • uncertainty principle: one can't accurately measure both motion and location at the same time.
  • indeterminacy and decoherence: looking changes the phenomena; esp. measuring quantum superimpositions as direct observation of them breaks them down.
• From the view of computational communication systems, quantum mechanics appears to be strongly related to information/systems theory, and chaos theory as a way to
  • explain some of what is going on in the development of complex computational communication systems
  • develop new approaches to computing that don't follow the rules of Newtonian physics.
• From this perspective, Digital Visualization works as as a vital new conceptual tool.
• Digital introduces new attention structures.
• Our attention is drawn to
  • Dynamic stability
  • Chaos Boundary conditions
  • The liminal (in gray areas)
  • the fact that life is information which creates new meanings.
  • Digital promoting self-consciousness about oscillation.
    
    
• As an aside, but not central to this class, some scientists believe that (super) String Theory may provide the "unified" field theory about which Einstein dreamed and that might bring together the differences between classical physics (modified by Einstein) and quantum physics). There are not at this time, however, direct applications of string theory to computational communication at the level of the other theories we've introduced.